Read this month's issue.  Don't seem to be much knowlege on Mopars working for CC.  Building a 400hp 318 is very simple and cheaper than the response Jeff Smith gave.  To gett 400hp out of a 318 you don't need a big lump cam, 13:1 compression or aluminum heads.  What you need is to think modern.  The answer lies in using a 360 head, but they called it a 5.9L.  The stock Magnum head is capable of making 400hp.  That appears to be it's limit on a 318 or a 360 and was used on both the 5.2 and 5.9 Magnum engines.  And making that 400hp is about as simple as a head, intake and cam swap.  Now granted you will want to build a nice tight quench motor, which means paying attention to the small details like clearances and deck height.  The cam you run is around .500" lift and is streetable.  Compression ratio is around 9.5:1 so pump gas isn't a problem.  Very simple and not much more than a simple rebuild if you shop around and make judicial use of parts.

http://www.carcraft.com/howto/116_0401_318/index.html

Guess Jeff doesn't read Car Craft

http://www.compcams.com/Community/Articles/Details.asp?ID=-360770234

Oh, another thing.  318 LA heads have a smaller chamber than 360 LA heads, 318 4bbl engines run 360 heads from the factory.  So the claim that putting 360 heads on a 318 won't lower compression is wrong.  Unless, of course that 318 is a factory 4bbl motor but then that motor already has 360 heads. 

Finally, why didn't you guys include a 500HP small block Mopar in you 500hp engine article?  Don't tell me cost, cause I noticed you guys didn't include the price of a stroker crank (or even mention the need) for both the 383 SBC or the 408 SBF and did you see the costs to build a 500hp Ford 460?  Ow.  Don't tell me the SBM isn't mainstream enough, it's more mainstream than the Olds or Pontiac engine you put in.  Maybe you wanted a bit of variety and didn't have enough room for everything? 

Good thing I don't read CC for just the MoPar stuff in it.

Steve

Isnt Magneto the big mopar dude, i remember there was a magazine shoot out between CC, Hot Rod and Chevy High, Magneto won it for Hot Rod with a turd brown Duster.  Seems to know his Slant 6's anyway.

Magnante and Dulcich both know Mopars fairly well.  BTW, I was wrong about the stroker SBF.  They did include the price of the stroker crank and did mention it in the article.  Dunno what I was thinking, that'll teach me to go from memory, lol.

I don't mind the article mix and I even enjoy the off brand stiff, like the AMC build or even the straight six Stang.  But at least have someone knowlegeable about the make answer the tech questions.

Here is my 2 cents. The reader asked about using his 360 heads on his 318. Smith explained that the 360 would make more power for the same rebuild effort than the 318. Dulcich spent 4,221 on a 318 that just made 400 at 6,200 rpm with a Magnum 280H cam and Magnum heads. All good but we needed to answer the reader's question about what cam,piston,and carb to use with his 318 with 360 heads. Smith said 9.5:1 with cast pistons because the hp peak should be below 6,000 rpm, and a camshaft with less duration (for more torque) and better drivability. Then he went on to recommend a good manifold (dual plane) and a 600 carb. Sounds like the best situation for what this guy had. Our job is to not change the question or answer one not asked. We'd do the same for you.

For the 500hp combos, Buick was missing because we are building one, the Mopar 360 was missing one because we are building one with the Magnum combo for an upcoming issue.

douglas

AMC is technically a "MoPar" now . . .  (Chrysler bought AMC back when Iacocca was otherwise mismanaging the Pentastar -- and most current CC readers were into the Ninja Turtles or Bananarama). 

So doesn't CC get some credit for that ? (but then the AMC people were bitching in another thread a while bact that CC doesn't know Kenosha about Rambler mills, either)

Maybe they should add more MoPar by building a Mercedes V8!   I'll bet "Dr Z" would approve (www.askdrz.com)

I think the main point of the question would have been how to get the 400hp he wanted out of his 318.  His combo of parts would not have done it and it would have been a simple matter to at least refer him to the article I linked to.  Heck I have a set of 360 J heads, a set of 65 273 heads and a set of late 318LA heads and I'd use none of them for a 400hp build.

As for getting 9.5:1 out of a cast piston 318, not going to happen without a lot of machine work.  Now if you're willing to step up to a set of KB pistons then yeah, you can do it.  About the same cost for the pistons, but a lot less cost in machine work. 

This is funny. I came over here just for the sole purpose of letting CC and Jeff know that they should consult Dulcich before answering any more Mopar questions.  I about gacked my Dr. Pepper when I read Jeff's advice. Geez, guys, I'd expect that oh-so-outdated drivel from Larry Shepard, but hoped it wouldn't come from you.

Since I read in the back of the latest issue that the Buick Motor is a no go for sometime does this mean we Buick fans are screwed out of seeing a 500hp build?  

they didn't even have a bb chevy for christ's sake.at least for comparison.i know all it takes is a good sneeze and a bb chevy makes 500+ hp.oh wait i know what it is.the price to do so would scare everyone away from touching those other clunkers.dollar per hp,the big block is king.and as far as using the word "knowledge" and "mopar" in the same sentence,look up "oxymoron" hahahahha hahahahaha  

....also,as far as the lack of bb chevy,to make it interesting they could be doing 396 buillds instead of mondo 454+ engines.396's are dirt cheap in the papers around these parts(Ct) tri-state area.a nice 2 bolt cast piston and crank with a set of these deal-of-the-century off brand big oval port aluminum heads and swirly-tornado-cross windy-hurricane-bad weather-named intakes.spend the dough on a real cam and carb set-up  and boo ya!byeferd,nocar,amc-ya later and you cheese                    nibbling mouse,go run on your wheely toy thing.

Hey knucklehead, go back and read the article again..... did you read it or did you just look at the pretty pictures?

The BBC is most certainly represented.

Geez, how'd this turn into a Chevy post?

Can we please stay on topic, which isn't Chevy.

Steve

'Guess the CC message board could use someone with Mopar knowledge too, huh?...  

Oh, regarding the cost to built that 400hp 318.  Let me point out two things. 

First point, in the latest issue of Car Craft they build up a "smog legal" (it isn't) 302 that puts out 335 hp in it's best form, which is even less smog legal.  Cost?  $4500.  65 less hp, $350+ more dollars.

Second point, with all due respect to Steve Dulcich's abilities to build an engine, he's not much of a bargain hunter.  I can guarantee that 318 can be built for less, I bet that 302 could as well.