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why bother...get a honda if you are concerned about gas prices.
I'd say if you have a B or E body use the 400 if you have an A body use the 318. I would however not use 2.76 gears on either. lower gear doesn't always mean better mpg. Plus you'd have to drive it a TON on the highway to get any benefit. $5 a gallon is nothing compaired to the cost of building and maintaining a muscle car.



Agreed. As an aside, back in the day, my '72 RR had the factory 400/727 with 3.55s in the rear. Needless to say, fuel economy not too good. Swapped in 3.23s to improve it a bit. It did improve it some. Went to 2.76s later on, zero difference. Same as the 3.23s. Of course, the top end was a lot better, but it was a pig off the line. Much depends on power, weight, torque, how it's driven, etc.

If fuel economy is the goal, I'd go with the 318. The weight difference between the two will help with economy numbers, as will engine power.

The goals aren't mutually exclusive; but how much do you want to spend anyway?