THE-HOG
Active Member
I am looking to turn my 1976 w100 with 318 la into a slightly quicker street daily. I am closing in on finishing the edelbrock 2176/1405 install. What would the next step be?
Advice on next steps?
- Thread starter THE-HOG
- Start date
If you still have the intake off now would be time to swap cams. I'm thinking a comp 252 (buy a melling spd25 instead / this is a replacement for stock 360-2bbl) which is dead nuts exactly the same as that 252; duration and overlap anyway. Lift is a few thousandths less but not gonna make a difference.
Or a comp 260. 1 more step up. I wouldn't go any more than that for a heavy lumbering truck. Any cam co has something close to this...
You did say "slightly"
I put a set of magnum heads, that melling cam, a performer intake (not air gap or rpm version), a performer 4 bbl carb, a set of hooker super comp headers and true duals all the way to the bumper with some decent muffler shop grade turbos and the truck it was in was like a whole different new truck.
This was an 83 d250 2wd with a 318, that I actually used like the 3/4 ton that it was. Hauling, towing etc probably exceeded it's rating a time or 3 and it responded better than I could have ever expected. I never touched the bottom end of that engine from stock. I had several people trying to call me a liar saying that there's no way that truck could run like it did and only have a 318 under the hood but it did!
I sold it to my cousin (and regretted it the whole time) and my son bought it back from him several years later, because he knew how it ran (he took his first driver's test in it when he turned 16) and that engine is now in his 72 Plymouth fury wagon.
As an alternative that would get you close, find a set of '85-91 '302 (last 3 digits of the casting number) heads
These were the last series of heads used in the 318 before they went "magnum"
If you find a set of heads that end in "714" thas ok, same exact head, I think cast in a different plant. Do up the valve job and do a little porting (you don't have to go crazy) and you're good. These are the closed chamber heart shaped chambers. What you have now (stock for 76 318) are open chamber heads.
These closed chamber heads will give you a little more compression, especially if you get the mr gasket thin style head gaskets.
Or a comp 260. 1 more step up. I wouldn't go any more than that for a heavy lumbering truck. Any cam co has something close to this...
You did say "slightly"
I put a set of magnum heads, that melling cam, a performer intake (not air gap or rpm version), a performer 4 bbl carb, a set of hooker super comp headers and true duals all the way to the bumper with some decent muffler shop grade turbos and the truck it was in was like a whole different new truck.
This was an 83 d250 2wd with a 318, that I actually used like the 3/4 ton that it was. Hauling, towing etc probably exceeded it's rating a time or 3 and it responded better than I could have ever expected. I never touched the bottom end of that engine from stock. I had several people trying to call me a liar saying that there's no way that truck could run like it did and only have a 318 under the hood but it did!
I sold it to my cousin (and regretted it the whole time) and my son bought it back from him several years later, because he knew how it ran (he took his first driver's test in it when he turned 16) and that engine is now in his 72 Plymouth fury wagon.
As an alternative that would get you close, find a set of '85-91 '302 (last 3 digits of the casting number) heads
These were the last series of heads used in the 318 before they went "magnum"
If you find a set of heads that end in "714" thas ok, same exact head, I think cast in a different plant. Do up the valve job and do a little porting (you don't have to go crazy) and you're good. These are the closed chamber heart shaped chambers. What you have now (stock for 76 318) are open chamber heads.
These closed chamber heads will give you a little more compression, especially if you get the mr gasket thin style head gaskets.
THE-HOG
Active Member
I know you're just a stranger on the internet that answered a question, but could be a stranger on the internet who answers a second question? The question is: how the flippin freakity do I get this throttle cable on this arm??
THE-HOG
Active Member
THE-HOG
Active Member
Stick