Stock 318 tuning tips?

[Swedee]

Hi fellas,

I'm planning for what to do with my 318 '72 Challenger this coming winter

Got the headers and the double exhaust now so what's next?
Since I don't want to make any irreversible changes to the engine, I think a cam change along with a bigger carb and intake will be the way to go.

Any recommendations on what I should get in order to get the most power for the buck?

Most of you probably think I should swap engine if I want more power, but since the car was delivered with that very engine, I wanna keep the car somewhat original

Thanks!




Check out my Challenger blog at http://blog.familjenjonsson.org/my72challenger/

[cudabob496]

All the mods you want to do are good, but you will maximize the power if you have the heads ported.
Without porting, the heads will limit your air flow, and thus, limit the power. Even with porting, the heads
will still look stock.  However, for the cost of porting, you may find some aluminum after-market heads that
will make big power.  Make sure to match your cam with your compression ratio.  Too much cam duration
can have you lose power, for a given compression ratio, because the cam might bleed too much cylinder pressure.

[dfrazz]

you will maximize the power if you have the heads ported.
Without porting, the heads will limit your air flow, and thus, limit the power. Even with porting, the heads
will still look stock.  However, for the cost of porting, you may find some aluminum after-market heads that
will make big power.

   If the engine is original numbers matching, I would keep the heads you have on the engine now original and swap them for new aluminum heads that have already been ported or have them ported.  That way you can always go back to stock original if you want.

[Chryco Psycho]

You can make a 318 go but you really need to change virtually everything anyway , I would start with a stroker kit , far better heads like the LA 308 castings used from 88-92 , the last LA head before the Magnum , or aftermarket heads like RHS or Airwolf , big 360 intake & good exhaust , 340 manifolds are expensive but the Magnum cast flow well but do not look stock or headers . You really need to get a plan for what rpm range you want to run this at & pick a cam & intake & stall converter that all match so everything works well together . You should be able to build a 6000 + rpm 318 displacing close to 400 CI with virtually no giveaways externally making 1 hp / ci or more .

[Swedee]

Thanks for all the inputs!

In order to keep the costs down (and being able to use the Patriot headers I bought a couple of months ago), the idea is to get a pair of used 318 heads and port them myself.

To be honest, I have no idea what RPM range to go for. I'm pretty happy with the engine as it is, I mainly want it quicker when going from 0, whipping the Fast & Furious-kids' asses by the redlight


Check out my Challenger blog at http://blog.familjenjonsson.org/my72challenger/

[Chryco Psycho]

cam compression & tuning will make the most difference