Looking for simple upgrades on a 318. Bolt -ons if you will

[Plymouth71]

I just picked up my first B-Body and it has a 318 2bbl. I'm looking for simple bolt-ons. I need to keep it low cost to keep the boss happy. Any suggestions? What options do I have for Carburetors? I'm just looking for a bit more power and keep the relatively good fuel mileage if at all possible. What other things can you suggest? The car is a 1971 Satellite and the previous owner had begun cloning it into a Road Runner, but did not go past cosmetics.

 

[bigmanjbmopar]

What are you looking for in reality? More power? Holley makes a 2 bbl 500 CFM. On the cheap you can get good plugs make sure you have a good tune up and put in good gas. 318 is a good motor. More extreme levels, get aluminum heads switch to 4 bbl.

 

[Meep-Meep]

I would start scouring pick n pulls for a 360 TQ intake and carb. Even with the port mismatch it will work well as a bolt on and maintain good gas mileage because the TQ is a street calibrated carb. Dual exhaust with headers and adding a small cam (like a stock 340 cam or similar) will be even better.

 

[rebootej]

I gave my 318 a full rebuild but big things i did where headers, intake, 600cfm 4bbl carb with vac secondaries and cam. I put 360sh on in mine. Really woke that engine up.

Id look for the intake on craigslist to.

 

[Plymouth71]

I would start scouring pick n pulls for a 360 TQ intake and carb. Even with the port mismatch it will work well as a bolt on and maintain good gas mileage because the TQ is a street calibrated carb. Dual exhaust with headers and adding a small cam (like a stock 340 cam or similar) will be even better.

What am I looking for car wise, I've been out of the mopar loop so long...

 

[mrsnicks]

True bolt-ons would be 4bbl carb, 4bbl aluminum intake, new camshaft, headers and true dual exhaust with an h-pipe or x-pipe.

Patrick

 

[Coronet 14]

If it has points Go with electric ignition. Easy to do and not that expensive. I got mine from Summit racing. Also converted from 2bbl to 4bbl. My 318 smokes the tires now.

 

[Meep-Meep]

What am I looking for car wise, I've been out of the mopar loop so long...

Sometimes the Cordobas have them, or any big mid 70's tuna clipper. I had an 81 D350 truck and it had a 360 with a TQ.

 

[rumblefish360]

Been there done that a half dozen times. The first key to budget is often the first turn to a lesser performing car. Follow these steps! I'll give 2 choices and the reasons behind them or a note.

Air cleaner, needed for the 4bbl. Option

A plain open air cleaner is cheapest and most powerful
A '72-'73 factory trap door air cleaner. A excellent stock part, more money. $$$
(Ad a K&N filter or equal)

Carb

A factory TQ is a cheaply obtained carb and a rebuild kit is inexpensive. An excellent street, street strip carb for peanuts. Use the small primary unit. There a pain sometimes to set up and tune since there's a lack of tuning parts available.

An excellent driver carb is a simple AFB or (Thunder) AVS @ 600 CFM
Jet it, set it, forget a out it your done!

A factory kick down system is need to connect the carb to the trans to operate it properly. A Lokar cable system or equal is an excellent replacement. Easier to get a d replace if need be.

Intake The iron 340/360 intake is an excellent Intake. It can use a square or spreadbore carb without issue.

An aluminum intake can be obtained used cheaply as well for weight saving and increased power though you would be hard pressed to feel the differance.
An Edelbrock Performer or LD4B as well as a Weiand Action Plus are excellent intakes.

Heads

Leave the 318 heads alone. Bigger valves and a pocket porting will be cheaper than aluminum heads. However, if you MUST have aluminum..... Edel.'s are starting at approx. $1500. Then Get gaskets, head bolts. Etc....

Exhaust

Dual exhaust of the manifolds are nice. Headers are a pain unless you get the very pricey Doug headers or tti headers. Hooker Super Comps will fit and be a huge mis-match for any combo you do with a otherwise stock 318 in the heavy machine.
headers are a plus for power and mileage. But a huge pain to install. Driver side will have you inventing new cuss words.

Cam

Select the cam for the operating rpm your driving in as well as the gear ratio & tire size you have. Keep it on the small side. It is easy to over cam the teen.

Torque converter.

Pricey upgrades worthy of there need. If you need it. Keep the cam size sane and they'll be know need for it. Cams under 220@.050 have no need for an upgraded converter.

Exhaust @ 2-1/2 max size in what ever style suites you.

One more word on a cam. A earlier mention of the 340 cam is a waste of time. IF anything, use the upgraded MoPar Performance 340 cam with the proper gears and converter. The OE 340 cam is a broom stick and should be left alone.

Use a split duration cam with as much of a split as possible to help the exhaust leave the cylinder and car. This provides a cleaner more empty cylinder to fill with a cleaner air and fuel mix for more power.

Skip the MoPar Orange box in favor of the chrome box at a min.
I suggest a MSD or equal multi spark box. This is an Excellent mileage grabber
A OE vacuum advance distributor or a MP version should be used with the vacuum advance hooked up.

Any questions?

I/we got answers.

 

[Meep-Meep]

X2 Rumble, although I have an orange box on my 440 Belvedere and it seems to work well. What's wrong with the orange box anyway?

 

[rumblefish360]

As of late, lots of reported failures. The box has a hotter spark than Stock but has been reported to also pull some timing out in the upper rpm area. The Chrome box is a hotter unit that I have run on the street for a really long time. No issues with it or the greater power it has.

I've had only 2 orange box's go bad. One out of the package and one years down the line. Otherwise, they did work great for me. Once I tried the chrome box, I never went back to the orange. It is not a huge difference, but I did notice.

I also have a gold box. I have not been able to try it out. I only got as far as starting up the new engine with it. A bad under dash harness has detained the fun until further notice.

As a side note, I have has really bad luck with the MSD's while some people have had there's for decades. I've gone through many box's and have had MSD repair them only to fail shortly after reinstallation or near instantly. I do have one box that has been good to me for about 11 years now.

However, the multi spark box's are very good a out doing what they say they do. Quicker starts, smoother idle/running, more mileage. I highly suggest the use of one. MSD or other.

During my issue time with MSD, I rewired in the OE box's as a back up. You'll want to mark where the OE box performed best because it is not at the same spot as the multi box will be at.

But that is the crap pile I delt with.

- - - Updated - - -

Oh, also, the earlier the TQ the better save for the first year. Less emissions crud to deal with. The later year TQ's from passenger cars and light trucks with the lean burn do not have the vacuum advance port. Though you can add on in by drilling a hole for it.

On the "cheap and effective" would be the factory intake and a TQ with a cam and dual exhaust with a good ignition.

You can also "Hide" the ignition module under the battery tray. Not to the battery tray. Wire the unit in properly! Not a quick twist of wires and plastic electrical tape job. Take your time and do it right and nice.

I forgot about head milling. Don't do a lot of milling on the head, it creates a fitment issue with the intake. It's not a major increase in power though it helps and is nice.

 

[Plymouth71]

Wow, lots to think about. I really want to keep it simple. I think I'll start with Dual exhaust. I'm guessing TQ is thermo Quad? I'm heading to the wrecker today I hope i can figure out what I'm looking for LoL I'm searching for pics on Google.

 

[Dako]

Some good gouge provided in the earlier posts.

If I'm reading into your posts correctly (i.e.: minimal cost and not having to take too much apart), your order of parts should be:
1. Open element Air filter. Buy it now and get a 'neck-down' kit (plastic rings manufactured by Spectre & sold at Autozone) to install on your 2bbl for the time being.
2. Dual exhaust off the exhaust mainfolds (include an H or X pipe)...be it 2", 2 1/4" or 2 1/2"...compare local muffler shop quote of bending one up, to the various aftermarket kits you install in the driveway...Accurate, TTi, etc.
3. Carb and manifold...as Rumblefish360 stated, factory stuff from the bone yard is much cheaper and will work just as well as expensive, off-the-shelf items...(although the Edelbrock AVS Thunder Series would work right out of the box-no rebuild req'd)
3. Switch from a 'points-type' to electronic distributor. You can take your chances and pull one from a `72 and newer vehicle...and swap in the other attaching hardware needed for it to work or pick up an aftermarket dist. I'm very happy with my Skip White http://www.skipwhiteperformance.com/listview.aspx?Product=A&Sub=C distributor. At only $55 and a lifetime warranty, it's a steal. Their website does not have the HEI listed for the small block, but they have them. Bought mine a year ago. Much better than the old points. Give them a call. I left all factory wiringalone. Just replaced the 'resistor' in the balast resistor by soldering in a piece of 18 gauge wire. The dist. requires a plug wire change (male tipped cap vs female tipped cap). MSD Ignition Street Fire Plug Wire Set is a good, inexpensive (under $50 at Advance Auto) set of 8mm wires.

Thermoquad carberators: Easily identifiable by their Black plastic body sandwiched between a metal top and bottom.

Unless the salvage yard is a 'flat rate per item' (Carbs $40, Intakes $50, rear ends $150, etc.), prices can vary depending on if they know what you are working on. I found that out when working on my old Duster 340. If the salvage yard asks what the part(s) are going on, tell them it's for a run-of-the-mill...`72 Dodge pickup or van...maybe a `71 Diplomat or a wagon. In my case, everything I needed was for a Valiant! In doing so, some parts they all but gave away.

Good luck and let us know where you are at and what you need help with.

 

[Dako]

P/N for the Skip White (small block) HEI dist. : 6713-R

 

[Plymouth71]

Has anyone here seen this article in the latest Car Craft Magazine? http://www.carcraft.com/techarticles/ccrp_1302_hei_distributor_tune_up/

 

[rumblefish360]

Wow, lots to think about. I really want to keep it simple. I think I'll start with Dual exhaust. I'm guessing TQ is thermo Quad? I'm heading to the wrecker today I hope i can figure out what I'm looking for LoL I'm searching for pics on Google.

If your not going to use the iron exhaust manifolds....
Summit racing has inexpensive headers and a true dual exhaust system with or without mufflers. The mufflers included are quite to enjoy the ride but have a nice note when you floor the gas pedal.

The exhaust system is about $250 and the headers are about $180.
When looking for a TQ (Thermo Quad) look for the earliest unit possible. Make sure it at least has a port for the distributor. Rebuild kits are about $50.
Last time I paid for a factory intake it was under $100, but they probably are that now. The aluminum units for the SBM are about $100-$200.

 

[Budnicks]

1st & foremost buy some "appropriate books", I would start with a "Factory Service Manual" & any others on "how to", do what ever you intend on doing eventually, like my signature line says; "Fill you library, before you fill your garage"... It really depends on your actual knowledge base is, what tools you have available, your actual abilities to tune & wrench, especially your actual budget... IMHFO it's not how much you spend, it's how you spend the money, spend it correctly the 1st time... performance 101... what goes in must come out... engine is just a big air pump... if you add more air & fuel into the engine, then you have to increase the ignition spark & the exhaust flow exiting too... headers will make a big & noticeable difference, probably the best bang for the buck, most HP/per $$$ {even if most purist hate them, they really help} or at-least a better larger, free flowing exhaust tubing size increase @ a minimum... better tunable 2bbl carb minimum like a Holley 2300 350cfm-500cfm 2bbl & proper adapter... or a much better 4bbl intake manifold & Holley carb {that's my personal preference, 'Quickfuel' or 'Proform'}, in a spread bore style, small primaries & large secondary's, Carter TQ or a Holley if you want decent mileage & performance... I suggest you stay away from the Edelbrock/Weber carbs, unless your well versed in how to tune them... if you want a Carter than get an actual AVS or AFB Carter {if you can keep your foot out of it anyway}... K&N Air filter element or equivalent... Hotter coil, better/hotter ignition system, Low Ohm resistance plug wires, proper heat range sparkplugs... better fuel pump & high flow lines/filters... camshaft change, more lift mainly, better for flow, better lifters, appr. valve springs, lighter weight retainers/better locks & seals &/or larger lighter valves etc. {more advanced but well worth it}, also a better oil system, pan & pump... a performance multi angle valve job, some mild porting work & gasket matching the heads, intake & exhaust manifolds, maybe even higher ratio adjustable rockers & proper length/style push-rods {these are more advanced items, but well worth the extra cost & effort}... also a gear ratio change & a higher stall speed Torque Converter, can both make a world of differences in "the seat of the pants feel" & overall feel of the cars performance {more work but will give great performance results}... don't forget your suspension/handling too, better gas shocks @ a minimum, lighter rims, better/wider tires etc. also, {anything to lighten up any rotating mass will generally aid in performance capabilities}... it's much more than just the engine, that makes a great working combo & truly fun & well working/performing car, even with the great Lowly little 318ci.... also anytime you can replace anything steel or iron with aluminum you decrease weight have better heat transfer & usually noticeable performance, it's all about power to weight ratio, a lighter car = better performance, with the exact same engine/HP etc.... good luck & have fun, that's what it's all about....

 

[Plymouth71]

Ok, With my 2bbl causing problems (puking it guts even after a rebuild) I'm looking at a 4 bbl intake and Carb. Trying to keep this as light in the wallet as possible, but no swap meets in the area. looking at The Edelbrock 2176 Performer Intake and Edelbrock 1406 Carburetor 600 CFM With Electric Choke. I have one of my friends saying If I do this, I must change the camshaft to accommodate the added air/ fuel or the engine will just bog. I'm just trying to get the car driving again. Anybody else apply this combination? Do I have to look for another bumpstick right away? Again, not looking to drag race here, I still have the stock single exhaust at this time.

 

[Funship32]

True bolt-ons would be 4bbl carb, 4bbl aluminum intake, new camshaft, headers and true dual exhaust with an h-pipe or x-pipe.

Patrick

X2.

 

[rumblefish360]

Tell "That friend" to take a long walk off a short pear.

You can most certainly bolt on a Performer intake and carb and do nothing else (except tune the carb of course) and have it work fine. I did a Performer AFB on a '79-360 & dual exhaust. Got 20 MPG's to boot. I suggest dual exhaust later when the wallet allows. No need for headers ethier. Though there a plus.

I would absolutely suggest the AVS Thunder series version though. Much smoother into the secondary side which is tuneable. Very easy to do.
My other suggestion is a MSD or equal to fire it all off. A multi spark ignition helps ensure more/full use of the fuel and adds mileage and power because it is using most/all of the fuel.