Motor upgrade question! Or two??

[drobertson]

Hey all, the car I'm asking about is a 1973 Dodge Charger 318 car with 2bbl carb and 904 tranny. I have heard from a few sources that to reduce compression ratio in 1972, shorter pistons were used. Is this true? And can I buy higher compression pistons to install? Will they work with the stock lifter setup??? Oh, and I plan on installing a cam. What performance camshafts can I use with the stock valvetrain and high compression pistons? Thanks for all answers.

Plans for the car: 318 with 4bbl Edelbrock intake and 650 cfm carburetor, Headers (recommendations?), flowmaster mufflers, and a cam swap.



Oh and one more question. I have 1976 360 motor from a dodge camper. Would swapping those 360 heads give me any performance boost? Thanks.

 

[Montclaire]

There are a lot of modern cam grinds out there now, but the cam to use years ago was the factory 340 hp cam. The 318 is touchy with power adders and going bigger may hurt all-around performance. Don't forget to degree the cam. I don't think the 76 heads would be any help, the best junkyard swap is, I believe, a "308" head.

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Always factor in a torque converter and rear gears in your plans, esp with a small block