318 or 360 for truck?

[Russ Jerome]

http://hometown.aol.com/russjerome/images/jan08plow.jpg
My 1985 3/4 ton plow truck with the little 318 needs to get pulled for
a rusty oil pan and will probably swap out cam/lifters. Since I need to
pull the motor for the pan I was thinking about swapping a 1976 360,
I have with a similar 100k mile running camper (4 barrel). My 318 4v
runs great with its GM HEI ignition swap, gets maybe 14 mpg and
will double as my tow vehicle soon. The camper will get scrapped.

Is the low end of the 360 gonna be enough to make me happy I went thru
the effort of a swap (I store the camper 50 miles away....fuel) or will I
be just as happy with the 318 after a cam/headers/carb?????????

ps: I know about the balance issues and motor mounts, just unsure
of real world difference between 42 extra cubes in a truck.

[turbovanman²]

The difference is night and day. The 360 pulls almost off idle and will easily handle any kind of load, towing etc. I have a 5000lb 75 B250 with a raised roof and went from a warmed over 318 to a warmed over 360 and never looked back. It would easily tow a 6000 lb trailer and would fly up hills. Granted the 360 was thirsty, dropped aprox 3-4 mpg but it was worth it.

[BadAssPerformance]

My 5.2L magnum got ~12-13 mpg towing the Z on a trailer with a loaded bed at 70-75mph last week.

[Anonymous_User]

My 318 is a pooch. Granted, it still has the lean burn crap and that probably isn't operating correctly, but with a factory 140 hp rating it sure ain't no monster.

Tomorrow will be my first out of town trip with it as I head over to WickedShelby's place to tow home his (mine now) Shelby Charger. Four hours towing a loaded trailer with this pooch is going to be mind numbingly insane.

[moparzrule]

It's not just the extra cubes, the 360 has a longer stroke. It's worth the swap.

[trannybuster]

Dont forget the 318 is internally balanced where as the 360 is balanced via the tq with weights....or at least when I was dealing with them.

[Mopar318]

Swap in a 5.2, or 5.9 MPI Magnum engine. Get more power and better gas mileage.

My 5.2 towed pretty good in my dakota. Towed around my 240sx with no effort, and ran low 13's all day long, while getting 20mph highway empty.

Your going to get better towing power with the 360 due to the longer stroke and earlier torque band. The 318 really comes alive when the rpms get up. Which makes them nice for lighter, more race apped type vehicles.

[1985ShlbyChrger]

Swap in a 5.2, or 5.9 MPI Magnum engine. Get more power and better gas mileage.

My 5.2 towed pretty good in my dakota. Towed around my 240sx with no effort, and ran low 13's all day long, while getting 20mph highway empty.

Your going to get better towing power with the 360 due to the longer stroke and earlier torque band. The 318 really comes alive when the rpms get up. Which makes them nice for lighter, more race apped type vehicles.

I woul definitely go with the 360. My Diplomat police car with the 318 is piss slow off the line, and like Mopar318 says, the 318 is more of a high revver than the 360.

[spoolinhard]

My power wagon has a 360 in it. Man does it suck gas. It is terrible. Yes it has more power, but it is a truck and not a drag car. Our old 318 truck did pretty good on gas. Personally, for myself, I would choose gas mileage over a little more power. Maybe not the case for everyone else.

[Russ Jerome]

Personally, for myself, I would choose gas mileage over a little more power.

My milage on the 318 jumped up a few miles a gallon:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/MOPAR-DODGE-CHRYSLER-318-340-360-HEI-DISTRIBUTOR-8913M_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ33690QQihZ017QQit emZ270250261560QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW

My mileage and drivabilty went up instantly, hard to beleive Mopar
kept those ballast resistor dist around so long. Placing your hand
near the wires while running is a no-no now, painfull experience.

[Russ Jerome]

Wow if there wasnt enough to think about, how about my
1985 318 heads on the 1976 360 motor............
http://www.allpar.com/mopar/4bbl.html

[black86glhs]

Russ, you'll be so much happier with the 360. I don't think the mileage will be that much different when under heavier load. I've known guys with 305 & 350 chevys and 302 and 351 fords. They all said the same. It depends on how you drive it, too.

[Anonymous_User]

My milage on the 318 jumped up a few miles a gallon:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/MOPAR-DODGE-CHRYSLER-318-340-360-HEI-DISTRIBUTOR-8913M_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ33690QQihZ017QQit emZ270250261560QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW

My mileage and drivabilty went up instantly, hard to beleive Mopar
kept those ballast resistor dist around so long. Placing your hand
near the wires while running is a no-no now, painfull experience.

Whoa! That looks awesome! I was going to buy the $215 kit from Summit with the electronic dizzy and the orange box to get rid of my lean burn crap, but this looks like a much better way to go.

I just pulled an empty trailer 230 miles, loaded up a Shelby Charger and stuffed the back of the truck with a few things and drove home. 460 miles and it looks like I averaged just under 10 mpg. :( :(

[moparzrule]

Wow if there wasnt enough to think about, how about my
1985 318 heads on the 1976 360 motor............
http://www.allpar.com/mopar/4bbl.html

Is that a heart chamber head?


Are you going to rebuild this 360 or no? Because if so why not just get some cheap flat top pistons? Thats what I did with mine, compression about 9:1 with flattops and 2 valve reliefs.
For my 360 in my 77' power wagon I went with the comp cams 268H, with .454 lift and 218 duration @.050'', a little hot for what you want to do with it. I'd go with the 260H or the extreme enery XE250H looks to offer good fuel mileage.
http://www.compcams.com/technical/Catalogs/106-07/26-37_228-229.pdf

[black86glhs]

Transmission and gearing have a lot to do with this too. Russ, pop an overdrive unit on it to get better mileage....lol.

[Russ Jerome]

Are you going to rebuild this 360 or no? Because if so why not just get some cheap flat top pistons? Thats what I did with mine, compression about 9:1 with flattops and 2 valve reliefs.
For my 360 in my 77' power wagon I went with the comp cams 268H, with .454 lift and 218 duration @.050'', a little hot for what you want to do with it. I'd go with the 260H or the extreme enery XE250H looks to offer good fuel mileage.


Thats what I was thinking after looking at how cheap a 9:1 kit is
for the 360, I came to the same conclusion on cams as you said.

I'll drive the camper home and do a comp test, been sitting a couple
year so I'll burn up the rust and cobb webs before deciding. Building
a 250-300hp 360 looks pretty strait forward.

[moparzrule]

Thats what I was thinking after looking at how cheap a 9:1 kit is
for the 360, I came to the same conclusion on cams as you said.

I'll drive the camper home and do a comp test, been sitting a couple
year so I'll burn up the rust and cobb webs before deciding. Building
a 250-300hp 360 looks pretty strait forward.

Probably the same kit I bought, from Northern?

300 is about where I was at as well, will you have headers and dual exhaust?

[spoolinhard]

My power wagon has a 360 in it. Man does it suck gas. It is terrible. Yes it has more power, but it is a truck and not a drag car. Our old 318 truck did pretty good on gas. Personally, for myself, I would choose gas mileage over a little more power. Maybe not the case for everyone else.

Looks like I am going against everything I just said. I am prepping a '71 275 hp 383 2bbl to go into my powerwagon clubcab longbox. So long gas mileage:o

[TurbododgePirate]

Well, I have 2 opinions here.

Opinion 1. Dropping in a 36 will give you a immediate gain. Especially if you are going to be pushing a plow it seems like a better idea. I believe it would have a lower torque curve, but I'm just learning.

Opinion 2. There have been several successful low budget builds of 318's. Yes, they are high revving engines and built pretty stout for it. My build of a 318 is a mix of the two. I am getting a 318 block with the big rods, adding Keith Black Flat top pistons, 360 heads, and a edelbrock air gap intake. Also a Comp cam specific for the build I am doing. Popular hotrodding did exactly the same build (I am copying it) and got 400+ Hp.

Here's the build.http://www.popularhotrodding.com/enginemasters/articles/mopar/0667em_mopar_318_engine/index.html

[moparzrule]

Looks like I am going against everything I just said. I am prepping a '71 275 hp 383 2bbl to go into my powerwagon clubcab longbox. So long gas mileage:o

I think it's good choice though. You can't beat big block power. 383 isn't a powerhouse big block, but IMO still better than a 360 small block.

[spoolinhard]

I think it's good choice though. You can't beat big block power. 383 isn't a powerhouse big block, but IMO still better than a 360 small block.

The 383 seems to be the red headed stepchild overshadowed by the 440. Ive talked to a few people that have owned them and they are nothing to turn your nose up at. I def have everything to bring is up to magnum specs but I think I am going to leave it 2bbl. Gas will be terrible as is.

[Russ Jerome]

Well I went and started the 360 camper up, great oil
pressure so I yanked it out right on the spot and drug
the motor/trans home.

Getting pretty close to plow season so I've just got it
on a stand stripped down for new gaskets and timing
chain....may mill .040" off the heads for comp. The
360 has the bigger 1"x2.3" intake runners so other
than that just some headers for now and keep it stock.

[black86glhs]

I figured you would go for the 360.