If you junk it then be sure to save that double groove lower pulley and the single plane two barrell intake manifold. Those pulleys are harder to find now and those intakes rock if you like two barrels. I have also used the larger 360 two barrell intake and larger Holley carb on 318s. If it is an early LA 318 it should have #675 head which are woth keeping as they dont have the air holes under the exhaust port. If you decide to rebuild it for racing you may want to upgrade the connecting rods to 75+ 318 or 360 rods. All 318s got the bigger rods in 1974 I think.

alum. heads runs about $1400, healthy cam $200 area, intake $180 and up and carb $200-300 and you will have a nice runner hooked up to a tuned tranny....
Not a ton of coin, but makes for a reliable healthy motor. SMaller the car, the more go it will have, 2 dr dart or something

Thanks for more the information guys Keep them coming

So are there any good fuel injection systems for LA 318's that are not super expensive?

Drop that thing into an Arrow, rwd Colt, Cricket, 2wd D50 pickup, etc. and go fry tires. Drive it like you stole it, and when/if you scatter it, the u-pull yards will have the next engine. I wouldn't spend a lot on a 318 build, just basic gasket/ring/bearing job and a 340 cam.

do you own a large boat?

Punching the block, hot tanking knocking in new cam bearings, resizing the rods and grinding or polishing the crank will set you back about$450 plus a valve job for an extra $180. A seal power kit from summit is another $380 and throw in a summit cam and lifter set for $110.

add oil and breakin lube you will be at around $1200.

People have their own opinions on 318's but I think the biggest mistake I ever made was swapping mine out for a not so stock 340 4 speed.

http://www.hotrod.com/howto/113_0304_318_small_block_build/index.html


and forget about fuel inj. on a junkyard 318


Dave

NOTE TO READERS: I can be a real cheapass, so no moans from the purists.

Here's the absolutely least cost way to go. Assuming it really is a 30K engine, get the engine indoors and take it apart. I'm betting you will find some surface rust on one or two cylinders. This'll probably clean up quickly. Even if you had so much rust that you had to bore one or two cylinders and put oversize pistons in that one or two (which has been done before and WILL work okay), the other 6 or 7 don't even need to be pulled, except to ready the block for machining. But I have started many engines that have sat for years under hoods without more than checking the oil and getting the fuel system up to snuff and haven't had a problem with them sealing. So put new rings in a 30K engine? No way unless it's blowing smoke. Bearings? Don't mess with success. Run'em and forget about'em.

I'd spend some time looking at the timing chain. If it is a silent link chain with a gear with nylon teeth change it. Don't want any gremlins lurking! While you're at it swap cams for a small low-cost cam with less than 210 degrees duration at 0.050 lift and 110 lobe separation. Even a stock 360 cam will be better than the puny cam in there now. But you don't want to have to change valve springs so keep lifts at 0.440 or less. BTW, I do NOT like the Summit cams, They work okay but with a 114 LSA they lack midrange and close the intake valve too late. The Comp HE 252 would be a good choice if you could find it. There are a couple of Speed Pro cams that would also fit well.

Use the heads you have but put new valve stem seals on while you have the chance and check the seats and guides to be sure you don't have abnormal wear.

For induction I'd use a late 360 TQ intake or a Performer if you can find one cheap. Any smallblock 4-barrel intake will work. If you're into carbs then a Carter AVS would be pretty nice, the air valve secondary keeps it from being too big. I'm running a Holley 1850 600cfm carb and it works well on my 318. If you have access to Thermoquads or Quadrajets and can work on them yorself they'd also be good.

I'd concentrate on finding a '67 or '68 Valiant or Dart or even one older than that. They're pretty light.

Transmissions I'd use would be the A-998 or A-999 or the 500 overdrive. No sense going to a 727 at this power level. Combine the 904 types with a 2.76 gear for high speed running.

I'd spend money on headers because they beef up the torque curve under the peak.

If I was closer I'd drive over and haul it away. A 30K engine has some value left in it, even if it is a lowly 318. Just don't replace ANY MORE than you have to.

R.

The problem with those old 318's is making decent compression.

There's been threads about this before and the KB hypereutectics are the ONLY budget oriented offerings out there. And w/o them you're limited to running the 85 era "swirl-port" that have small valves & ports.

It's kind of a Pandora's box, either hone it, ring&bearing it or do it right with the KB's and some freshened X, J, or Magnum heads.

I bought a 22,000 original mile '73 Fury 2-door back in '02. It had a 360 in it. Problem was that the car had been sitting in the barn so long that the 360 spun a rod bearing when we fired it up.

A friend had a 318 that had been SITTING IN A FIELD FOR 2 YEARS WITH NO CARB ON IT. With some work, it turned over. The next day we pulled the 360, drained the MUD out of the 318, bolted it in, put fresh oil in it, and fired it up. It went into fast idle, the lifters ticked like crazy... I figured it would either blow up or smooth out.

15-20 minutes later, it was running smooth as silk. I didn't even shut it off, just filled the tank with gas and drove it 450 miles home!

It turned out to be a great running, low maintenance engine. It got 17-18 MPG (remember, it was in a '73 C-body), never required oil between changes, and was deeeeependable.

I sold the car about a year later, making sure to tell the buyer about the engine story. He drove it for a couple years after that and never had a problem with it. Sadly, the Fury was killed with about 35K miles on it by a drunk illegal immigrant... if not for that, that "junk" 318 would probably still be running!

I agree. On the cam you could run a K6900 Summit Cam and I would suggest a Edelbrock Performer Intake, 1406 electric carburetor, Firecore distributor and wires, Summit Headers. That's the combo we have in a 68 B-Barge and it moves okay with 2.76 gears.

If that 2bbl iron intake is an early one (a single plane) then it (the intake) is worth $25 or so