I'm thinking at some point my plans will turn to this:

Remove the engine, do a cheapie re-ring, new bearings and gaskets...have the cylinders honed...easy stuff like that. then epoxy the engine block some fun color, and slap it back together and add a Cam kit, 4bbl edelbrock intake with a 600cfm holley, and summit or jegs style headers with 2 1/2" dual exhaust.

simple, probably add a good 30-40HP easy...and not that expensive (especially considering the Corvair engine I just rebuilt cost around 3500 dollars)

Thoughts?

 

I do have a couple of questions....what type of vehicle? what engine? why do the teardown, engine worn out?

On any engine, I first take it apart, then it goes to the machine shop for whatever it needs....boil it out, align bore, cylinder hone/bore, cam bearings, decking, etc. I don't want to spend a lot of money and all of my time and find out later that the head gaskets won't seal properly, or the cylinders are egg shaped, etc....I don't believe that there is a "cheapie" way to do it right.....

Years ago I did just rings and bearings in an old Ford inline six motor....got almost 2000 miles out if it before it started knocking....most espensive cheap thing I ever did...ha

 

hrm.

318 2bbl, unknown mileage. could be 99,000, could be 199,000.
Automatic trans....not sure which one...either 904T,999 or 727.

I got this truck and some people told me I should just drive it into the ground, but it's the first truck I've ever had, and WAY easier to work on than any of the "new" stuff.

What I'd ultimately like to do with it is make it something I can hook up and tow with or drive daily and have plenty of power without giving up a lot of mileage. I've heard that doing the better cam and the 4bbl can be actually GOOD for gas mileage, and my guess would be that that is because more power moves the truck easier which means less power utilized to move the mass...

So I guess what I'm wanting to do is this:

break down block, have it honed and decked.
new bearings of all kinds(main, rod, cam)
reuse crank as-is (I imagine it's in good shape.)
new pushrods, lifters, rockers..
probably a better cam (little higher lift, duration, etc..)
re-use pistons and rods with new rings (of course)
new heads
4bbl intake with 600cfm carb

Nothing really out of the ordinary. a regular rebuild with some "power" added into the mix.

 

Do yourself a favor and match the cam with the intake and carb or you might not see the horse power gains you are seeking. Usually the cam companies will recommend an intake and carb combo for their cams. If you want to be frugal I would do a compression test first and if that is OK just change the cam, carb, intake, and add headers. You wouldn't even have to pull the engine.

 

I think the ticket is the Edelbrok Performer kit. For a hair under 700 you get the performer manifold, new lifters and cam, and a matching carb. that's not a bad deal at all.

what should the compression be on an 83 318?

Sometime here I'll go copy the Dodge truck section out of the Chilton's and Mitchell Manuals at the local 'brary and not ask so many stupid questions, but for now you're all I got! haha

Thing has one hell of a stumble if I try to get tranny kickdown when she isn't warmed up. not used to that, for sure. been driving my Corvair 4 speed for so long...no such thing as lag!

Thanks again Seal.

Ryan

 

What do you mean all I got? I'm offended. LOL Just kidding. Minimum compression is 100 PSI with all cylinders within 25 PSI with each other. If you are going to put the kit in I would personally like to see no cylinder under 115 PSI and all cylinders within 20 PSI of each other. A rebuilt engine will usually give you about 125-135 PSI and all cylinders within 10 PSI. The performer kit is a good one for our trucks.

 

the compression should be minimum100 psi and maximum compression variation between cylinders is 25 psi

 

http://www.jegs.com/i/Edelbrock/350/2176PK/10002/-1#

That is the kit I'm looking at getting.

I've got one spark plug that didn't want to come out of the head too...I'll have to play with that sometime too.

 

oops...