This question has been asked before but please let me hear some ideas. I have a 71 satellite 4dr, 318/904 w/ 8 1/4 rear with gears probably around 2.76 or so, currently 245/60/15's, power discs with rear drums. Would like to have at least 300 hp if do-able, and as much torque as possible in a daily driver, pump gas car thats fun to drive. Probably looking at magnum heads b/c from what I can tell they are a great bang for the buck, but give me your thoughts and ideas.

Scenario #1. Engine is opened up and bores are in good shape, etc... and engine does not need to be completely rebuilt/machined etc... What would you do. Hone, re-ring, magnum heads, mill heads for compression, if so how much, headers, 4 barrel carb, dual plane intake? All ideas welcome.

Scenario #2. Engine needs to be completely reworked. Which pistons (brand, cast, forged,etc...), heads, intake, etc...

Again any ideas would be greatly appreciated, and cost is an issue so please give me you most economical options.

Thanks
roe

Grab a runner 360" magnum LB. $500-600 give or take.

Great cam/ heads/ internals.

add a performer intake and you have 300hp.

If you want use the summit big cam, or the factory 340 hp cam. Just match up the springs.

Hughes pistons to get the CR in the 10's w .040" quench. mag heads

Get a 318 or 360 magnum runner $5-600 add a performer airgap intake no need to swap cams, either one will get you 300hp and great mpg. No need to open the motor besides pulling the intake to install the new one. 300 hp is so easy thease days. If you went the 360 mag route with an eddy air gap and TTI headsers 350 hp is doable with out even pulling the valve covers.

How easy is it to find these runner 318 and 360 magnums? I dont see them for sale here, and on the ebay the ones I see cost more than $5-600

Both here (montana) and where I just moved from (Tennessee) I had no problem finding them at local salvage yards for those prices. Of course a low mile 02 360 will cost more than a high miledge 92 318 but I don't worry about years or miles, the sludge under the intake will tell most of the story. Someone could trash a motor in 5 years 50,000 miles while someone else can take real good care of a motor and run 200,000+ miles and the motor run like new. The sludge in the pan and under the intake are very good indicators of the care taken of a motor.

If you have a pull-a-part nearby, check it out. They have GREAT prices on parts. Finding a 318 magnum should be pretty easy... 360 is tough.

Here is a website you can use to find them around where you are.
http://www.car-part.com/index.htm

The 318's are more expensive than the 360's in my area for some reason.

Thanks, I'll take a look at them

I've got a '86 roller 318 that I just put in my 5th ave (original engine to the car). I put on some home ported magnum heads with a fresh valve job. honed the cyls with new moly rings (pistons measured .055 in the hole), used the thin Mr. gasket head gaskets. compression should be 9.04:1 (assuming 64cc comb. chambers, didn't get a chance to measure them). I had the broomstick of a roller cam (stock is ~240 adv, ~.373" lift) reground by bullet cams to 259 adv/208 .050/127@.2" and .316" lobe lift (.506" lift with mag rockers) on the factory 112LSA/108 ICL. I'm using used magnum lifters, and hughes 1110 springs with 2.2L chrysler retainers. intake is an LA RPM air gap (I redrilled the heads), carb is a 600 eddie. I should have it fired up this weekend. using a comp XR258HR (similar intake lobe) in compcams camquest is predicting 365-380hp/410 tq, which I think is a little optimistic, switching to an HE252 hydraulic flat tappet it's predicting ~340hp/390 tq, which I think is reasonable, and would be comparable to a stock 5.7 hemi for power.....

I personally think 300HP out of a 318 mag w/a stock cam is a little optimistic unless you have a happy dyno, 310-320 is possible from a stock 360 mag, as it uses essentially the same cam as the 300HP crate motor. the 318 cam as slightly more lift, but significantly less (~12 degrees) duration.

but it's ~$150+ ship both ways (~$30 total) to get the cam reground by bullet.

flat tappet, I'd still use the mag heads, thin gaskets, if the bores look good, just hone and rering. if not, use KB167's and deck the block to 0 deck. if you use the stock pistons, mill the heads ~.030" or so, should drop the combustion chambers to about 60cc.

springs on the mag, I'd use either gm 3100 springs and retainers, or 2.2 retainers and hughes 1110.

for a cam, I'd use a lunati voodoo 60401 with your car's weight and gearing. with the GM springs, you get about .020" less coil bind clearance, so a comp 260H would be a good cam choice.

Hey, Roe let me know if you need anything. I've built a few over the years and would be glad to help if you need something. I've been helping a buddy with a 360 magnum powered Dakota and it's really easy to make them run well if you know what they like. It started out going low 14's and with little effort it runs mid 12's on motor. The short block is original with lot's of miles and we should see a 10 second pass (on a small N2O shot) soon.PM me if you'd like.

Local u-pull charges $200 for a complete EFI long block. I don't know where your prices are at, but I hope you don't pay too much.

I would do intake, headers and a cam swap. I hear the mag guys are using the GM 3100 valve springs. Whether or not you want to tear into the motor to do bearings/rings is up to you. Cost/time starts going up quick if you do. Heck, if you really need to shave the budget leave the stock cam/springs in there and put that money into the rear end. That 2.76 rear is going to make any backyard build a dog. I would swap to whatever the numerically highest gears are that you can stand. I daily drive my sig car but I live less than two miles from work and it's all city driving so I don't have to worry about highway rpm. With some gears and the stock cam you won't have a ton of hp, probably high 200's close to 300 but should have a lot of torq, I'd guess around 350ft-lbs. That with some gears should light the tires up nicely and give you that kick in the pants you want.

Those mopars are torquey , shifting at only 4,800-5,000 rpm. Maybe, 2.76-3.23 is all thats needed with 215/60/15's turning. Stick with velocity and go performer(non-rpm) intake. You can't skip up past 2000rpm with clutch or stall. A RPM would decrease the low end. You need that Performers 1500 rpm push to be ready, sucking air, and strong. Its Pulling with the crank throws, made to rev up from idle-2,200.

What ever you chose don't spend too much...

Go to your local dodge dealer and get a 360 magnum shortblock for $1200. Pick up a set of foctory roller lifters for $120. Grab a set of Edelbrock heads for $1400. A few random parts here and there for $800. If I was going to do a small block, thats the route I would take.

The RPM will not give up any low end tq to a performer, the performer will lose top end power. Also you can get an RPM that will bolt on and the performer requires removeing the heads and redrilling the bolt holes. Even if the performer made more power before 2000 it won't do any good because that motor will stall even a stock converter well past 2000 rpm. I have 2.76 gears in my cuda and with the mild 318 I just sold and the stock converter it would stall at 2200 and it almost never cruised below 2000 even in town.

I took a look at that website and there are some pretty good deals on there. Thanks for the link.

Ok, so it looks like I will be picking up a flat tappet 318 at a price that will really help me with my budget build. It has been cleaned, cylinders honed, and cam bearings installed, and crank polished. Also have a set of magnum heads in the works at a price that will help me out as well. So with this in mind what would you do to button it up. Remember my goals are daily driver, street car, fun to drive, that will also be used on long trips when I take them. Looking for as close to 300hp as possible and as much torque as possible.

Intake, Performer or RPM. I have had two suggestions for pistons, some from hughes and the KB 167's. There was a suggestion to get the quench around 40. Anyone want to elaborate on what that means? Just trying to learn

Car is a 71 Satellite Custom, 318/904, 8 1/4 open w/ appr 2.76 gears, 245/60/15's, power disc w/ rear drums, power steering, A/C. Eventually want to go sure grip 2.94 or 3.23 at the max.

Thanks
roe

With a junk 318 that had 2 cylinder that were egg shaped I ran 15.7 using this combo. 340 cam used stock, headers, TQ carb, recurved dist a set of 1.88 heads that I really should have kept the 318s they were in better shape and last 3.55 gears witha open rear end By the way the car ran a 15.9 with stock cam shifted at 4,500 Total cost next to nothing got the parts from my stock or my brothers