build it, dont buy it

 

318s are cool too. Heres my idea.
318 to 390 stroker kit (hughesengines.com)
Supercharger (powerdyne.com)
cam, heads, headers, nitrous, intake (summit racing)
custom computer to run it all (jet performance)
Why bother with a 360 to 408 ( 48 ci increase ) when your 318 can go to 390 ( 72 ci increase )

 

"Why bother with a 360 to 408 ( 48 ci increase ) when your 318 can go to 390 ( 72 ci increase )"

Bigger bore shorter stroke. Makes winding RPMs easier. Hence, why a Ford 305 is better than the chevy 350...and I am a chevy guy. But ford built a better motor.

 

CPTAFW163you know that a 408 and a 390 are both achieved with a 4" stroke right?

 

RAMPANT i like your idea.and skyline if i wanted to buy a motor i would just have a longblock built for me i would just rather build up the one of the 318s i got

 

i had a 318 in my Dakota and loved it. yes i bought a ram with a 360 but truck size was also an issue or i would never have spent the money. for serious horse power gains i installed a generic header, eliminated the kitty, added a nice $40 round muffler and turned out in front of passenger rear wheel. I tried cut-outs and complete separate duals but lost much of my low-end torque. ultimately a scavenging system was fastest on the 1/4 mile. i lost about three miles per hour but gained a full 1/2 sec total time. Also i used a Mallory ignition digital box (to retard the nitrous & increase the spark), stock autolites (to eliminate continuousfouling for day to day driving), Mallory "can-style" coil (my msd went bad), compoundedwith a 150 wet shot of nitrous (NX Express). I found that with increasedignition power i needed to increase my ground wire size from the battery to chassis (this after 6 new computers andtwo bad msd coils) 8-Gauge wire was just fine.I made a ram air intake from a leaf blowers tip and formed it to fit next to the radiator (no air filter) and connected it to the stock intake hat with PVC. This helped my acceleration ALOTfrom 60 mph and up. upgrades that didn't help were theinjectorsfrom a mustang with an increased lbs. ratting. The ohms of the mustang injectorsare a little higher so the spray ended up being about the same. the only thing i liked about the new injectors was they had three holes versus the one on the dodge OEM's. also another failed upgrade was the throttle body. i enlarged with a die grinder and made new larger flaps. wow that was so hard i would only buy one if i needed to do it again. anyway since i was using stock heads with no work done to themi did not need the larger dia. all off original computer settings worked fine and the check engine lightwent off after adding in a simple o2 eliminator to the rear sensorwires. In conclusion to the question at hand exhaust, ignition and intake first. And to those with big money also upgrade heads, intake manifold, throttle body, and a stoker bottom end. But even with money the truck must bite (traction)so if you don't have a posi rear end consider that before the more expensive internals.This was my succesful recipe,but now i plan to us a turbo on my new 96' ram with a whole new recipe.

 

k

 

Damn straight. Pick up this book- how to build big-inch mopar small-blocks, just search for it on google. It tells you exactly what you need to do. Its the book that I am basing my 390 on if I ever get around to it.

 

pull the 318 out and get a cummins turbo diesel, theres your power problem

 

Dude, skip the 318 altogether.

Drop this in, and your power problems go bye-bye.

Unfortunately, so does the gasoline