318 build help

[Jameson]

Hey guys so here is the deal, my dad owns a 1934 Plymouth 2dr Sedan that currently had a Slant 6 and 904 trans setup. The car was built in the 80's which is why it has a slant 6 but has a Nova front clip grafted to the stock frame.

Here is my request though, I am looking to build him a 318 to swap in as a early birthday gift as the slant 6 while being a moderate build from with some go fast goodies it isn't very reliable, burns oil, stalls often and overall is very tired. I know nothing when it comes to Mopar other then my dad is a huge Mopar fan, I am more so a GM guy so my knowledge is very limited.



My goals is to build a 250-300 FWHP 318 with a slight lope and be very well street mannered, What I am wondering is what year block to stay away from or to look out for, Stock heads that may be able to reach the goal of power, camshaft recommendation to suit the build, and I am sure some other questions in the near future.

I know that the 904 trans that is in it is Slant 6 specific with starter location, I know he would love to have a 727 but at the moment I am not sure how that will fit my tight budget I am trying to allow with the 3 month timeline I am working with. Problem is the floor has already been modified for a 904 and dimensionally I am not sure if the 727's has more girth or is more forgiving then the 904 as he just redid the floor and it has wooden floors. The car has I believe a 3.73 rear gear now so maybe I will just drop down to a 3.23 or 3.08 to help with cruising RPM's as that little slant really wrings out on the highway now.

Thanks in advance!

[Randy67]

You may want to find a 90's 318 (5.2L) Magnum engine, used in Dakotas and Rams. That gets you a roller cam and good heads, and you can easily put a carb and regular distributor on it if you don't want the EFI stuff. Those trucks also had the A518 transmission, which is basically a 727 with overdrive. As for the 904 vs 727, the size should be fairly close to the same, but always a good idea to measure one first.

[FASTURN]

You will be just fine with a 904 trans, no need with the 318 to go to 727 as it may be harder to find then the 904. I got a warmed up 318 in my current 69 coronet cvt build. I ported the heads and put in bigger valves to match 360 size, aluminum intake, HUGHES ENGINES camshaft, hughes performance trans convertor, (different than hughes engines) good little runner for my wife's convert. You could use 318 heads, go to bigger valves since you will need to rebuild anyway, put alum. intake on it and good convertor with the 904 and have fun. Or upgrade to 360 heads and intake. You could go with the newer magnum stuff but that would be more expensive than standard 318. The a518 trans with overdrive is a good idea and that will work with ANY small block and then keep your rear gears. You can just use a switch to control overdrive on that one