318 cam and lifters

Timmayy

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Hi all. Just got my 67 Fury 3 wagon back from the bodyshop. All the little rot holes are fixed and they blended the paint really good. Next is to freshen up a 75 318 because the original motor has issues that I really don't feel like waiting on a machine shop to hold me up for months. It's a good motor plus it has the unleaded heads. We are going to do oil, water and fuel pumps, freeze plugs and go to a beefier timing chain. Also going to do a new cam and lifters.

This is just going to be a basically stock engine for cruises and the occasional collectible show where I fill the back with stuff to sell. I want decent gas mileage so I am staying with a 2 barrel.
1st question, What do you all recommend for a good timing chain?

2nd question, what's a good cam for better torque on a stock engine?

Thanks all.
 
Timing chain set? Cloyes double-roller . . . lasts "forever", from my own experiences (over 500K miles in my case).

Cam? Maybe something like the stock 360 2bbl cam, if it isn't the same as what you have. It is VERY easy to over-cam a smaller engine! And there goes fuel economy and lower rpm torque! You can take the stock cam and add a bit more lift to it, but nothing major, usually. Might check on some of the Lunati grinds with a 112 degree lobe seperation (for good idle vacuum) and a-symetrical lobe configurations (opens quick, closes slower, increased open time at max lift) for more area under the lift curve.

Be sure to check that the new block has all of the correct mounting bolt locations for the 1967 items, unless the '75 block came with everything attached.

Just some thoughts,
CBODY67
 
You are starting with a small valve smog engine. Stated comp ratio was 8.5-1 but as a practical matter most were running in the 8.2-1 range. Engine would have had metal shim gaskets so if the heads are going to come off and you use the modern composite gaskets the comp ratio will drop another half a point. My advice would be to run the engine as is until a rebuild is needed. At that point you could upgrade to some higher compression pistons, a better set of heads, dual exhaust, more aggressive caming and an aftermarket 4BBL manifold and carb. The small valves and small exhaust manifolds on a stock engine are not up to the task of much increased flow so a bigger cam in that situation is not going to gain you much in the way of performance.

As noted, the Cloyes double roller timing chain is a forever unit.

Dave
 
Staying with a 2 barrel and the heads are not going to be removed. I just want a little more torque if possible. This is just a cruising car. We want it smooth with decent gas mileage and a little more torque when towing our tiny camper.
 
A 4 barrel and dual exhaust are the best additions to a 318 for more drivability. You can change the cam but it will be a moot point. Nothing you replace the stock cam with makes much difference unless you go more towards the radical side and then your low end power/torque and gas mileage will suffer. The 360 2 barrel cam that Cbody67 suggested is about all the bigger you should go especially keeping the lower compression, small valve/port heads, restrictive exhaust, and 2 barrel. There is a lot of 318 builds over at FABO. Here's a link to 13 pages of threads you can study for suggestions.

Search Results for Query: 318 cam | For A Bodies Only Mopar Forum
 
What I did to my 73 318..
I kept the original small valve heads BUT did some porting and polishing and port matched the Edelbrock Performer intake and gaskets to the heads. Also back cut the valves and 3 angle grind.
They flow so effeciently they gained about an extra 20ftlb torque
Did a recurve on the electronic ignition distributor and using an orange ECU.
Initial timing at 14 degrees and 36 all in at 2500RPM. A gain of 10 HP and 15 ftlbs torque
Factory log manifolds with dual exhaust with 2 inch front pipes and 2-1/4 from mufflers back.
I use nothing but Cloyes timing chain sets.
I installed a RV/ truck cam since my wagon is big and heavy and I also haul with it.
NOTE! There has been a lot of camshaft/lifter failures from many popular manufacturers!! If you insist on doing a cam swap, spend the money on good quality roller lifters from Hughes.
(I lost 2 cams from Summit btw)
I use a Thermoquad 800CFM carb originally for a 77 400.
When cruising I get almost 20 MPG but mostly lucky to get 15 since I luuuv the sound of the TQ secondaries!!

 
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