Throughout the muscle car era in America, Detroit's “Big Three” consisting of Ford, GM, and Chrysler made some incredible vehicles powered by extremely powerful engines. For GM, the 327 and 427 were the main power supplies for Corvettes, Chevelles, and race-built Novas. Ford built engines like the 351 Cleveland and the 302 “5.0” V8s that are still widely used today in restorations and backyard projects.
While GM and Ford were implementing and developing these great engines, Chrysler was bringing some serious competition with the 340, 400, and 426 Hemi V8s. The 426 Hemi was a monster and was originally built solely to win NASCAR races.
Today as you browse classified ads for Mopar classics, chances are you are looking for a car with a 340 V8 or bigger, but there is one engine that is easy to find in Mopars that offers just as much fun, almost as much power, and for way less of a cash investment.
It is an underdog engine that powered the muscle car era and to this day is severely underrated. This is the story of the Chrysler 318 V8 and why you shouldn’t shy away from these Detroit-built eight-cylinders.
The Chrysler “LA” Engine
The Chrysler LA 318 was the standard small block V8 used in Mopars from 1964 to 1991. While this wasn’t the first V8 offered in a 318 c.i. size, it was an overnight hit as it found applications in almost every vehicle in the Chrysler lineup including the Dodge Demon and Dart, as well as the Plymouth Barracuda and Duster.
It is a common misconception that the “LA” designation signifies that this engine was built in Los Angeles, California, just like the Ford 351 Cleveland was built near Cleveland, Ohio, but this LA 318 name actually stands for “lightweight A series engine”.
An Underdog From The Start
The 318 was indeed a hit in its first year, but the following year after its release, Chrysler introduced a variant of the 318 called the 340. This high-performance 340 cubic-inch engine was much more sought after by enthusiasts looking for performance in their engine.
The 340 was truly just a 318 with some slight modifications for drag racing and other straight-line performance applications.
While the 340 and 318 are very similar in performance, quality, design, and size, the 340 was a bit more powerful on paper, and in the days of the muscle car era, the only engine anyone wanted was the biggest, most powerful engine.
This consigned the 318 to the backburner of the Chrysler V8 lineup. While still a respectable engine at the time, it was often overlooked. It was better than having a six-cylinder, but not much else.
The 318 Shines In The A-Body
While racing and high-performance tuners were turning heads with the 340, the 318 found its perfect application in the A-body lineup of Mopar cars. The Plymouth Valiant, Barracuda, and Duster, as well as the Dodge Dart, offered a 318 in their lineup and the true abilities of the engine started to shine.
The lightweight V8 offered a performance V8 sound and feel that matched the lightweight body and frame of the compact A-body cars, making it a perfect fit. While these A-bodies were offered in bigger engine sizes, it was often hard to control, and while they made some great sounds and were great in a straight line, the 318 was perfect for the everyday performance muscle car.
The Story Of The 318 Magnum
After having success through the Plymouth Volare and Dodge Aspen lineup of cars in the mid-1970s, the 318 was also used in Chrysler police cruisers like the Dodge Diplomat. The 318’s lightweight performance was easy for any mechanic to work on making it perfect for police cruisers that needed something with power that was also disposable.
As the 1990s came around, the 318 needed an update, and in 1991 the 318 Magnum was introduced, offering a new block and heads for extra efficiency and power. This engine was used through 2002, and while the 318 Magnum was only used in Dodge trucks, Mopar enthusiasts loved the feel of the old school 318, now updated for modern applications.
The 318 After The Muscle Car Era
Just like in the past, the 318 V8 is often tossed aside by collectors who are looking for the historically powerful 340 and bigger engines. But this engine is definitely not one to be overlooked. With a 318 V8, you are getting a small, lightweight, easy-to-work-on engine with a ton of muscle car rumble and power.
Not only is the 318 powerful, but it was Chrysler’s best-selling V8 engine of the time, making parts and donor engines widely available all over the world.
With soaring fuel prices, the 318 is also a fuel-efficient engine, as far as muscle car era V8s go. While fuel efficiency wasn’t a topic many discussed back in the 1960s, many owners report their 318 getting anywhere from 11mpg to 16mpg. That isn’t good by today’s standards, but to have a muscle car from the 1960s that you can drive around town and get more than 10 miles to the gallon, that is quite the selling point.
While the 318 was overlooked in its prime, it is an engine that is fueling the resurgence of muscle car enthusiasts all over the world today. With some fine-tuning and regular maintenance, the 318 is an engine anyone can proudly put in their muscle car today.
So the next time you see a classified ad featuring a Mopar classic with a 318, don’t turn away! There is a killer engine under that hood!