The 2 cams that I said to use fit the bill. They are comp cams 260 High Energy and 268 High Energy. The first one is 260 degrees duration, with .440 valve lift. The other I have used and love is 268 degrees duration, with .454 valve lift. I have used it with a single plane intake, headers, dual exhaust, 3.23 gears, 245/60R14 rear tires, 2500 RPM stall convertor, MSD Ingition, and dont look but a 750 CFM Holley carb.. Yes I said a 750 CFM carb.. It got better MPGs than it did with its factory 2bl. carb.. I was getting 18 MPG with this set up. I have a friend with the same set up using a 600 CFM Holley that is getting between 20-22 MPGs. I had a big carb on mine because I had a 150 shot of nitrous on it and did not want it to go lean and go boom. I had this on a 72 Plymouth Vailant. I would turn this motor to 6500 RPMs.

 

I would also think that if you are building a 318 to make any power, that you should aim higher than 4,000 rpm.

My motor is all stock, and will go to 5,000 rpm fine. Most days, it doesn't go over 2,500 rpm, but that said, most days I'm not driving for more power. I had the owner of a trans shop tell me that my truck is shifting too early. Light driving, it will shift at 1,700 rpm. Driving somewhat hard, or towing moderately (~3,000lbs) it will shift at around 3,000 rpm. Sometimes if I'm towing something heavy, I end up pulling grades at 4,000 rpm, and it does it fine too. My truck feels like it has decent torque down low, but it seems like you don't get all 170 screaming, limping, 24 year old, lame, blind, arthritic horses until you wind it up well over 3,500.

I agree that 4,000 is the max that most trucks will see in normal usage . . . but why not plan for the exceptional just in case, and make sure it can breathe at least to redline?

 

Finally, someone with a brain.

Now, back to the real question of this thread.
I took the time in my first message to give you a build sheet that would make you think you had put a differnt bigger motor in your truck. So, here it is again for you.

Weiand Stealth intake or Edelbrock Performer intake, Holley(for more performance) or Edelbrock(for better MPGs) or even the Summit Racing 600 cfm carb. Which ever you want. The Summit carb is only $260., Comps cam( I use only Comp Cams cams in the motors I build) #CL20-210-2 (260 High Energy) or my fav #CL20-212-2 (268 High Energy) (these are cam and lifter kit #s), Comps cam valve springs that match the cams, a new timing chain(a must), headers with what ever muffler you what with 2.25 dual pipes and an H pipe installed, MSD Street Fire coil, MSD CD Ingition Box(MSD will make a big difference in how well your motor will perform), and a B&M Tork Master torq convertor (#BMM-10416) 2000 rpm stall. Also, if you do not have a clutched fan I would put one on or an electic fan. This will help free up some used HP.

All of this tuned right will give you between 250HP and 280HP. And you should have between 345 Torq to 365 Torq.. I know this because I have used this set up on many 318 motors in cars and trucks. Those numbers are at the crank not the tires and with no head work. If you could find some 360 heads for bigger valves and have them shaved and a 3 angle valve job done to them it would put you up to around 330HP to 340HP. All from a little 318.

 

C'mon Mr. Clean, don't You know that there aren't any dirt track racers that have ever taken a bone stock 318, swapped in a big cam with some upgraded valvesprings, and went and spun it 6,500-7,000 rpm season after season?

These small main journal 318's should never go above 3,500 rpm max....

And run a carburetor with no more than 350-400cfm max.....


HAHAHAHAHA.....


and everyone said a blower on a TBI won't work either.....


To the original poster, Call the guys at A&A transmission for a governor kit for any dodge transmission. Sometimes You can adjust the kickdown to get 4,800-5,500 rpm WOT shifts, but sometimes not. A governor kit from them for will work wonders!

 

Ya BOOSTED D150, those small main journals are no good is what I have heard a lot of people say that dont know about mopar motors. Then you ask them about the 340 motor and they talk about how good it is. They just dont know that you crank in a 318 and a 340 are the same.

And when it comes to your CFMs the TQ carbs flow 800 CFMs for people that did not know.

Just want to see how many know some history about mopars. NO CHEATING by looking it up. Just from memory, cause you know so much. And you know who I am talking to with this question. From the factory what size motor and carb set up with its CFM did a AAR Cuda have in it? And, they only come with one size motor and carb set up for the people that did not know this. Again, NO CHEATING cause anyone can just do a search on the internet for it. Also, what other car shared this same set up? And so one person does not spoil it for everyone else, send your answers to me in a PM. I will post or let you know if you are right. I know I want know if you CHEATED or not but, you will.

 

This seems to have gone down hill slightly. My earlier post (#52) wasn't meant to slight anybody, but just to disagree and give my own opinion on a full RPM range of a 318. I know wolfie has given me and other people on this forum lots of great practical advice regarding anything and everything else on these trucks, and right now I would give him more respect than anybody else on this forum (except for one fellow from Virginia who hasn't been here in months).

That said, I'm really looking forward to seeing the influx of built small blocks that seems to have come to this forum recently spread. I am absolutely excited that a fresh new perspective is coming around and treating the 318 as a viable hot motor, but I'd hate to see it push away the more conservative members of the forum, who have also been very helpful in a technical sense.

 

Good point wontacceptthis....
No offense intended from me, just a little automotive performance sparring!

I will try not to stir too much trouble, but after working at a hot rod shop for 9 years and working on cars since I was 10, I know a lot about practical carburetor applications.

I also must admit that ma mopar tends to water down the truck engines and tuning quite a bit.

A $600 rebuilt longblock and a mild cam and street intake can make a huge difference in power while keeping good economy with the right carb setup.

A mildly higher stall torque converter and possibly higher numerical gear ratio and transmission shift kit and governor tuning all make a tremendous difference in felt and observed power difference. These items can be added to a stock engine for tuning and make a great difference also...

 

Yea I feel like this thread went from the original "I just want to make my truck a bit more reliable, and cruise on the highway a bit better" to "you must build your truck this way and get 300hp". I do appreciate all the ideas and feedback from this community (especially as a new member), but I'm not building a hot rod, just a grocery gitter. The hot rod stuff will come 3-4 down the road when I can take this bad boy off the road and really dig in. Thanks again!

 

I understand and I am not trying to have you build a hotrod. The list that I gave you is the same way my fater-in-laws truck is built. He drives it everyday to and from work. It has a lot of bottom end torq for a 318 and can pull way more than it can stop. That is with the 268 High Energy cam. You would like the 260 High Energy cam more. It has more bottom end torq and power and does not sound like a hotrod. We have used it to tow my Roadrunner to many tracks to race. One track that I was going to about 3hrs to get there and was in the mountians. We had no problems with it. By the way my father-in-laws truck is a 77 D150 with 3.55 gears and 235/75R15 tires. He gets between 16-18 MPG with it. Just trying to help you build what you said you wanted in your first post. Sorry if I got off topic but, I dont like being treated like I am dont know what I am talking about when I have been doing this for years and have worked in many of shops building motors for a living. I have worked in some shops and for people that some people just dream about. A list- "Bullet" Bob Reed, Richard Petty, Herb McCandless, and Rick Hendrick. My father-in-law worked in a Chrysler Dealership for over 40 years and was an ASE Master Tech.

I have had a very blessed like and had a lot of fun. But, I was not home much missed a lot of time with my family. I can tell you that money is not everything. Be sure you spend time with your family. Kids grow up fast and you can not make up for time that you did not spend with them. I am done with my speech. Hope everyone has a good Easter.

 

You did ask how to get more than the stock HP, to go from 200-300hp range.... We were just trying to help You get there.

Mr. Clean and I and others were pointing You in the right direction. It will cost You roughly the same for a stock setup versus a small cam and intake upgrade with an improved carburetor.

A small cam upgrade to a 260-268 degree cam with a weiand intake recommended by Mr. Clean will make a world of difference. Just because the factory installed tiny cams and small carburetors doesn't mean that they were correct in their quest for best power or mileage. Obviously, as Mr. Clean stated, a mild cam upgrade with a much larger carburetor properly tuned can deliver 50-100 hp more and 2-5 mpg better economy.

A rebuilt stock longblock or shortblock from a major engine rebuilder is a much cheaper way to get to a rebuilt engine than rebuilding your original engine usually with a local machine shop.



As a side note, on my Dad's 1991 D150 with 318/factory roller cam, it got 10 mpg originally with the stock TBI setup on the wheezing 318.

We added Magnum heads, a larger 360 Throttle body (about 550cfm), larger 360 TBI intake manifold, but a stock roller cam to keep working with the factory fuel injection. I supercharged that setup. Before the supercharger was added, we were getting 16mpg with the setup.

Since we have been tuning with the supercharger, I can't give an accurate MPG number, as there have been too many Full throttle runs for economy testing.

I hope everyone has had a nice Easter with family.