So, Ive got a few questions...

My '97 needs to be restored, and I want to make it a performance truck...

I have two big concerns, price and time involved...

GearVendors makes an under/overdrive kit for the A-518 trannys which turn our little four speeds into kick *** 8-speeds! I'd love to go with that transmission and atleast a4.10 rear end... But where I am stuck is with the powerplant... Stick with my tired old 318, rebulid it with performane parts, put a supercharger on it, and call it done or go with a new MDS-equipped HEMI that can be purchased off eBay for around $3500 with all the computers and wiring... Would it cost more to build a 318 up to 345 horses than it would to buy the HEMI? I want atleast 500hp once the supercharger is bolted on... Also, since I want to stick with my A-518 tranny, can I even use a HEMI? What's the bolt pattern on the back of those things? Would it hook right up, or do I need a kit of some kind?

Also, how difficult would it be to rewire my 97's electronics into the new HEMI's ECM? That would be the next biggest hassel...

Any and all opinions/advice is welcomed... Thanks...

 

just me my opinion. i would stick with the 318 and rebuild it, there is a reason its been around so long, its dependable as long as u love on it of course. just my thought.

 

There are adapter kits to use a 518 with a 5.7, but i think your only real option as far as control would be to go with a 46RH (pre '96) and a hemi computer for a standard, then build your own circuid (kits to do it out there) to automatically engage od/lockup if this was the route you wanted to take. Personally, i'd build a hemi-eating 318! sure, 3500 for a motor/computer, but the details would be pretty scarry in comparison to building a stout 318. flexplate for 545RFE to A-518 http://www.transmissioncenter.net/dodge.htmitem #HF1.

 

think think your rulling out another option you should look at.

scoring a 360 block and stroke it,, i think its a more happy medium between the two.. after you stroke it and feel the HP it can produce, then see if you want to boost it or not.. just another thought incase you havnt thought of it..

 

408 stroker with a ati pro charger running 14 psi well over 500 hp

 

yeah build up the 318... you already have the block and computer and it will probably end up costing about the same in the long run for about the same power.

the 318 is notorious for being bullit proof so... yeah you could easily stroke it to a 390 something or other and have a nice motor running in it. hmm you might not even have to remove it from the truck to do it. that would make life a lot easier. that and the 5.7 probably does not have the same mounts and all that. don't know for sure haven't really looked into it that far.

 

My 2 cents:

Buy the R block from Mopar Performance, the one that can be bored to 4.125 inches in diameter. You get more and better quench surface this way.

Get the 2bbl MPI intake, Edelbrock aluminum Magnum heads, V10 6.25 inch long con rods, forged flat top pistons with a static compression ratio of 11 (12 if your are daring or can run E85 fuel all the time)

Get the 3.31 forged crankshaft like the legendary 340 had for high rpm performance with less ring friction from high piston speeds and to make internal balancing much simpler....but I admit good arguments can be made for 3.58 and 4.00 crankshafts.

Go with an aftermarket EFI system like the F.A.S.T. that can use a wide range oxygen sensor and allows individual cylinder ignition timing.

Since in your trans rebuild you probably ought to go with new gearsets anyway, instead of getting the GearVendors which will add nearly 100 lbs of weight and extra drivetrain loss....buy two sets of 2.74/1.54 ratio planetary gears from AAA Trans and put the second set in the rear overdrive unit of the 46 auto trans to give a 0.65 ratio (1 divided by 1.54)

http://aandatrans.com/OnlineCatalog/...3/Default.aspx

This set-up will cost less than a 5.7 Hemi conversion
give better fuel economy
and have way more peak horsepower.
Depending on the camshaft chosen 500+ hp should be possible and still have street manners.

Don't forget that by staying with your 2nd Gen Ram body
you have much better aerodynamics than the 3rd Gen Ram body.

 

Aww, yes, finally someone agrees with me on the areodynamics... I must admit, I don't quite understand what you meant about buying two gear sets thought...


Okay, so I stick with the 318 - it's got to come out to get to all the gaskets and to make everything easier to work on, so that's gonna happen... But, I'd like to avoid having to send it to the machine shop if I can... I know cubes = power, but w/o doing anything to the block, what combo of go-fast partsshould I use to maximize performance?

Also, I'm really interested in boosting it. It's alot of money, but it's an easy modcompared all the machine work, and it's tunable and adjustable... If I want it, it's there, If I don't, I can detune it or take it off completly... Also, supercharging doesn't affect fuel economy like a bigger bore and intake would - atleast notduring mild driving -so that's another reason...

Just a wild thought - any HEMI heads out there fit the 318? The 5.7 is considered a small block - but just how different are they than our Magnum blocks?