Just a 318 - How fast is it, and how do I make it faster?

billzilla · Post by **billzilla** » Thu Mar 06, 2008 12:33 am

Here's my setup:

71 Satellite:
318 w/ 3-speed column shift. A/C car but no compressor there. Rear end is a 8 3/4" with I think the guy said 3.23's. It has pretty decent power on the freeway even above 80.

Mods include:
* Edelbrock Performer Intake (for a 340, I think)
* 360 springs
* new valves / hardened seats
* TTI Ceramic coated full length headers
* 2.5" 2 chamber flowmaster headers-back
* Schneider Cam (pretty aggro, I have spec info somewhere)
* Holley 600 4bbl carb
* Bored .030 over
* K&N filter (that's GOT to be worth major HP, lol)

Thing is, car isn't too quick off the line or in the low-mid range. It feels like the timing is retarded. It's hard to get the rear to chirp off the line even without posi. Any ideas on how best to tune a worked 318 like this?

RS23-71 · Post by **RS23-71** » Thu Mar 06, 2008 12:51 am

Well I'm not that big on 318 but it sounds like the way its setup depending on your cam its not really going to have a ton of low - mid end and having 3:23 doesnt really help.

My old 383 charger just had an 8 3/4 rear end with 3:23 non posi rearend and it had a hard time even sqeaking the rear tires but it was amazing fast over 50 mph.

Is the tranny stock? A good stall converter can go along way if you dont make much low end.

billzilla · Post by **billzilla** » Thu Mar 06, 2008 1:55 am

Pretty sure the tranny is the stock. I could go for a stall converter - are those a biznatch to do, or can you wrench it?

Yeah, the car is pretty decent over 50mph. It surely doesn't *sound* like the base V8 it was in 1971...

71440 gtx · Post by **71440 gtx** » Thu Mar 06, 2008 3:57 pm

* Holley 600 4bbl carb

you need a 68- 70 cater avs for 340

billzilla · Post by **billzilla** » Thu Mar 06, 2008 10:27 pm

The thing died on me twice this evening on a quick jaunt around town... I'm going to compression test it - what would be a good range?

I hope it's a carb or fuel delivery problem. It did it both times when I was decelerating/braking.

RS23-71 · Post by **RS23-71** » Thu Mar 06, 2008 11:27 pm

71440 gtx wrote:* Holley 600 4bbl carb

you need a 68- 70 cater avs for 340

Are the avs better? I always heard the thermoquads flowed alot more air then the avs in '71. When I 1st read holley 600 I thought it sounded a bit big but since I know so little on 318s and 340s I checked on a few web sites and I saw they said a holley 600 was a good choice. <shrug>

You got the specs on the cam? When I put a bit to radical cam in my 440 it caused more probs then it was worth. It had probs with stalling when deaccelerating when coming to a stop and it never created enough vacuum at low rpms.

p.s. its been along time since I worked on any mopar v8s so so I'm not sure how much I have forgotten or even have right

billzilla · Post by **billzilla** » Fri Mar 07, 2008 12:34 am

I don't know, but the car never died like this before - and it looked like there was a puff of bluish smoke from under the hood when I pulled over, although I'm dealing with a pan leak so it might've just been some burn-off.

I noticed earlier when I started it up today it sounded much more rough than usual, and took longer until it would hold idle. Maybe it's the idle?

The cam is 260 - 430 according to the previous owner.