The 318 was their baby block. Had a GIANT heart. Buddy of mine had a Duster with a worked 318 in it.
You could a lot with little to those motors.
Same with Ford’s 289 and 302 blocks, Chevy’s 307, 327, and 350... they were great places to start a project from.
Hell, even just throwing a set of dual pipes and Cherry Bombs on the damn things gave them a couple more horsepower, letting them breathe better.
And all pre-emission controls too....
I slapped a Holley 4 barrel on mine. Learned a lot from it.
And when I slammed the accelerator to the floor.....that thing moved!!
Good times, good times.