New to the board here!

Il start of by saying yes I know a 360 would be better but the old 318 is all I have right now! heres the rundown.. i have a 1980 cordoba all stock with a good running 318 and 904... im on a pretty low budget at the current point in life so just trying to do the best i can with what i have.. the parts i have on the shelf is a set of dead stock 302 heads a edlebrock streetmaster 318 intake and a torker 340 intake a holley 600 carb and a set of headers.. im thinking i would buy a cheapo summit 6900 cam... as for the tranny id probably just put in a shift kit only for now cause i want to build a 727 for it in the future and im in the process of swaping to a 8 3/4 rear.. bavent got a center section yet but im hoping for 3:55s or 3:91s.. Any tips on making it run good as i can?? Are the 302s woryh putting on over the stock heads?? Any guesses on 1/4 mile times.. was hoping it could break into the 15s

Welcome. I like the fact you are building a 318. Built right, they are a fun and reliable engine. The 302 castings are definitely worth changing to. They add a little compression, and have a swirl chamber. You need to look for cracks between the valves because it seems to be common. Your intake choice is a tough one. The design on the street master isn't great, but the single plane will be down on torque. I would use the street master, but keep an eye open for a performer rpm or airgap intake. For the cam, my personal opinion with summits RV type cams, is they are too small. They do have a cam that if I remember correctly has .454 lift and I can't remember duration. I've run 2 of them in 318s, and they are very nice with a 4 barrel and headers. I'm not sure on quarter mile times, but I hope this helps.

welcome to the jungle ! you would probably get better results by posting this question over on the race and engine building forum. but be prepared for some of those guys to try and make you spend a bunch of money you don't have. i'm not an expert on small blocks, but a properly tuned carb and the correct distributor curve for your combination can make a world of difference between a slug and a runner. i tuned a bunch of 318 a-bodies my brother owned over the years, and even using the stock 2bbl ball & ball carb, i got his lumps to run remarkably by running as much initial timing as the combo could stand [12-16* initial], then shortening the slots in the distributor to limit total to about 32-34*. i used two factory weak springs [the ones without the slot in the end], then when the timing was set where it ran the best, taylor the vacuum advance to get as much as as we could use without any pinging using a 3/32" allen wrench inserted into the nipple the hose attaches to. after that, i adjusted the carb for the best response and idle vacuum without changing the original jets. for exhaust, we always used what manifolds came with the car, but converted to 2 1/2" duels after the down pipes curved toward the rear of the car. mufflers varied, but were usually glasspacks or shorty turbo style. sometime the pipes exited in front of the rear wheels, sometimes tail pipes were used. this just depended upon what parts i had laying around he could swipe from me [that rat !]. the rear gear varied from car to car, but was usually a 2.94 or 3.23. tire size varied as well. again, depending on what that rat could swipe from my rack of spares. the automatics were mostly 904's with a home made shift kit [copied from a couple i had laying around]. air cleaners were usually the biggest [thickest] open element filters i could fit between the filter base and hood that came with the car. i cut the sides out of the top or bottom of the housing, depending on which part had the snorkel on, leaving an approximately 3/8" lip on the side for a little strength. depending on the car, gear, and tire size [we always ran real short tires at the strip to increase the gear ratio without getting inside the rear, usually 22-24" in diameter], the et's ranged from a very stout 9.65 to a 9.95 for one particularly good runner. and that was on a very good , crisp fall day just before the track closed for the winter. summer heat usually got us in the 10.0 - 10.50 range. remember these were a-bodies with untouched engines other than super tuned. lots of chopping up of excess weight was involved also. called rust. all done at the outlaw 1/8th mile track, nu-be drag strip in newbethlehem, pa. that was in the 70's, and i can't say for sure how accurate the timers were or the true length of the track. no mph was included in the [hand written] time slips. so that would equate to about 15.05 to 16.40 on the 1/4. don't know if this helps you or not. have fun with what you have is the key.

Geezus

The guy isn't asking to build a race motor.

and any A body 318 is a different animal than the 1980 318, which is all choked out by emissions related stuff. Like retarded cam timing and lean burn. So good luck tuning the stock stuff to perform, you can't.

Ever actually look at the inside of a lean burn distributor on an 80 Cordoba? NOTHING THERE TO ADJUST.

So how about we actually try to offer relevant advice.

i just posted what i have accomplished with 70's a-bodies as a comparison. and yes, i've been inside leanburn stuff before, small and big block both, with the SUPER low compression and the retarded cam timing. the OP suggested he was open to doing some modifications, so without knowing what smog inspections, if any, he has to adhere to, i can't offer advice on HIS particular combo. that is why i suggested posting in the race and ENGINE BUILDING forum. i'm sure there are some builders that can offer advice on what needs to be done for his combination. he has a 4bbl intake already, so that is a plus, and if it's possible to up the compression some by changing heads [i don't know because i stated i'm no expert on small blocks] and possibly a cam change while he's at it, along with several other mods, i think it IS possible to get a stock, 1980 cordoba into the 15's. likely high 15's, but 15's none the less. but it will take somebody over there [in my opinion] to guide him. sorry if you were offended by me posting what i have achieved.

You got that right! Your combo sounds practical ex I would absolutely stay with the 904. dial in the dist when the time comes.

I agree with the 904 comment. Forgot that earlier. Good luck and most importantly have fun!!

You need to replace the distributor and carb to do anything worthwhile on this 318. Get something you can adjust otherwise you are putting lipstick on a pig.

yes if that is a lean burn/no advance dist then get a common 70's electronic SB dist

That summit 6900 cam and the 318 street master with the 600 cfm carb would work good. You will need the Chrysler carb throttle adaptor for the carb if it dosen't have one, and you may have to lengthen the trans kick down. You will need a distributor with mechanical and vacuum advance. The 302 heads have smaller chambers and should increase compression if using the stock shim head gasket.
It may depend on which set of heads is in better condition?
If the heads on the car are in decent shape, I would just start by installing the cam (and a new timing set), intake, carb, and ignition. Then tune that and see how it does.
If the 302 heads are in better condition (valve guides/seals/seats) than the heads on the car, then I would use them, but buy the thin head gaskets.
The Cometic #5633-027, 0.027" thick MLS (5.672cc) gaskets are $78.19/each (great gaskets, but maybe out of the budget)

The MrGasket #1121G 0.028" thick (6.177cc) are $22.41/each, I haven't used these, so I don't know if they need a sealer or the spray on copper coat?

If the car still has a catalytic converter, make sure it is not clogged up.

Thanks for the welcomes and replys.. if it helps any the car is not lean burn and has factory electronic ignition setup... the exhaust is removed already and it will have a set of hookerheaders and probably just some duals with turbo mufflers before the rear end and I have got a set of non AC pulleys so I will be removi g all the A.C. stuff and anything to do with emissions (not a concern where I live) I've also wondered if small things like a electric fan or adding a sealed scoop would help anything on a motor like this?? Thanks

Fresh / cool air is good, but for something this mild not really needed.
I'd stay with the mechanical fan. Good electric fans are not cheap, and may tax the stock alternator. I haven't had good luck keeping the car cool with cheap electric fans.

Pretty much any engine benefits from fresh/cool air.
Before hacking the hood, you could first look into feeding the carb fresh/cool air through a large diameter hose ending in open air somewhere.

(Low compression) 318 engines need all the help they can get in the low rpm torque-department.

As for cooling fans, my 318 has a worn-out thermoclutch fan which pretty much free-runs along with the engine. But the engine never overheats.
It does however have a good fanshroud, which is very important.

A 727 eats away a lot of power from the 318.
The 904 is the better option for power and economy.

I picked up a factory iron intake cheap today and from the reading I've done it looks like it might be a better choice then the aluminum ones I have!... also I was planing on using the summit 6900 cam but today was told I should use a factory 340 cam? Anyone know where to find one or a after market cam with similar specs or even if it's a good choice at all??

Rockauto sells 340 replacement cams. Look up 1970 dart with a 340 sealed power #cs644 about $136

Having been exactly where you are....

Use the OE 4bbl. intake with the 600 carb.
Open air cleaner. A 14X3 will do.
IF you have the money to rebuild heads, use the 302 BUT, save it to be ported. They do very well ported. They have a nicer combustion chamber. But in stock form, there is no gain to brag about or bother with at this level.
DO NOT USE THE STOCK 340 CAM.
It is a broom stick. IF you want to use a MoPar cam, use the 340 "Upgraded" cam. It has about the same lift but more duration at .050. (AKA, bigger cam)
Do what you can to keep compression up. IF you mill the heads, don't go crazy and DO NOT exceed a 9.0-1 ratio.
Exhaust wise, the Summit or Jegs header into there exhaust kits are excellent for such projects. I agree with the above 2-1/2 pipe size.
Upgrade that ignition! A factory distributor and a MP chrome box is inexpensive and will do the trick.

Keep the 904 and install a shift kit.
On the rear end, add gears and a sure grip. At the current performance level, I would use the 8-1/4 and not swap to an 8-3/4. No way, no how, forget it. Save your money and install a cheaper sure grip. There strong enough for north of 400hp, no problem!

This should be good for the 14 second zone. Your et.'s may vary dependent on your tuning skills, cars weight & traction.

I don't think you will notice any difference between the Iron 360 intake and the Street master 318 intake (I have used both on a near stock 318, back in the 1980's), but the 360 intake will have all the EGR stuff that you would want to block off, and you might need an adaptor to go from the spread bore flange to square bore for the Holley carb.
I'd stay with your first cam choice unless you plan to run a higher stall torque converter. If your open to running a high stall converter and more gear, then you can get away with using a larger cam, but there are better choices than the 340 cam.

318 combo
Stock cam with 340 intake and headers and good tune 15.7 88 mph with 3.55s

Change to Comp 260-440lift and change valve springs Get a good 600 dbl pumper yes a double pumper make no mistake set it up almost stock get a full timing in by 2000 If torque conv is stock and set total to 44-46 degree's or whatever it will take without pinging. Get a point style accel dist and convert to Pertronix way more reliable then the Mopar crap. By the way I have a lot of Mopar parts but if you insist on Mopar use late model FACTORY control box with 4 contact and play with the crap advance in the Mopar dist

I'd start with the Summitt cam mentioned & adv it 4 deg & you would want as said a good free flowing ex starting with some shortie headers or the large (2&5/16) early magnum manifolds or 68-70 340 HP manifolds

Comp xe256h cam & lifters, comp 901 springs, long tube headers, use the streetmaster.... It's lighter if nothing else, and has the small ports to match the heads.

If there is more in the budget, pull the heads, have them gone through, mill at least .030-.040, and if there's still some $$ left, install 1.88 intake valves and blend bowls(I wouldn't install the bigger valves unless some blending will be done afterward).