Well the Poly 318 might have been a throwaway engine 10 years ago but now there is enough buzz that the ignorant folks who have one hiding under a tarp somewhere think they're gold. Asking prices starting at $300 up to $1000. That's for a core. Kind of the same as 413 blocks.

Trouble is that roughly 12 people are building serious Poly motors. That's not enough to support a commercial effort.

My Poly 318 is sitting in the back yard waiting to be torn down. The '86 318 that replaced it got an instant 5mpg better using the same carb and exhaust system. I also built that engine with the 360 roller cam which is close in duration and lift to the Poly stock cam. I did port the 302 heads myself, I think they're better than stock now, but didn't touch any other parts of the 302s. Mag heads are better than my 302s.

My experience leads me to believe that anything a Poly 318 can do, a 5.2 Mag can do better, except wow'em down at the drive-in. This, for a lot less money. Plus iron head to iron head the Mag is at least 55lb lighter than the Poly.

I was the world's biggest Poly supporter and still think they're cool, but to say they're better than an LA when both are maxed out is just being foolish.

R.

Two other things; the deck height of a proper Poly is 9.600" so the wide-block name means nothing, and the exhaust valve stem is straight up from the cylinder, no angle.