I got an 85 dodge halfton truck, I am going to completely rebuild it frame up.  I want to run 35's, so I figure a 4" susp. lift.  which brings me to my delimas, putting a new motor in it should I go with a 318 or 360????  Heard mixed opinions.  and the next is, running big tires should I change the stock gearing?? I am going to mainly drive it on the road but if there is some reason I want to go wheelin' Idon't want a POS that breaks or has no power.  What would u guys do??thanks in advance for opinions and help.  

i would go with 360 as the 318 was never a performance motor and you have to reagear for the 35s , like a 4:56 ratio to drive comfortabley on the street and have any low range off road.  

Nothing wrong with a good 318. The deal killer here is whether it has proper gears in axles, not if it is a 318 or 360.  

for the 35" tires i would recommend 4.10 to 5.38 or even 5.71 if you need that kind of torque, depending on the motor. as for the motors i guess it depends on your gas budget, and your personal needs.  

leavy20:
for the 35" tires i would recommend 4.10 to 5.38 or even 5.71 if you need that kind of torque, depending on the motor. as for the motors i guess it depends on your gas budget, and your personal needs.

With 35's it would be a 4.56 if you want it to run well. If you have a OD tranny you want 4.88 or 5.13's. BTW, a 318 with 4.56 and 35's would run circles around 360 with 3.73 or even 4.10's off road.  

leavy20:
for the 35" tires i would recommend 4.10 to 5.38 or even 5.71 if you need that kind of torque, depending on the motor. as for the motors i guess it depends on your gas budget, and your personal needs.

SnoMan:
With 35's it would be a 4.56 if you want it to run well. If you have a OD tranny you want 4.88 or 5.13's. BTW, a 318 with 4.56 and 35's would run circles around 360 with 3.73 or even 4.10's off road.

But If the 360 with a 3.73 has a locker. It will pass the 318 with the 4.56 when it gets stuck! I just had to.    4.56 would be a good number to hit for 35s. unless your dong a lot of freeway and you want good gas milage. then you would want go  a little higher like 4.10  

leavy20:
for the 35" tires i would recommend 4.10 to 5.38 or even 5.71 if you need that kind of torque, depending on the motor. as for the motors i guess it depends on your gas budget, and your personal needs.

SnoMan:
With 35's it would be a 4.56 if you want it to run well. If you have a OD tranny you want 4.88 or 5.13's. BTW, a 318 with 4.56 and 35's would run circles around 360 with 3.73 or even 4.10's off road.

dodgef25:
But If the 360 with a 3.73 has a locker. It will pass the 318 with the 4.56 when it gets stuck! I just had to.    4.56 would be a good number to hit for 35s. unless your dong a lot of freeway and you want good gas milage. then you would want go  a little higher like 4.10

Do not bank on it. Deepers gear also improve traction due to less chassis wrap up to get same ground effort. Lockers are not the do or die thing that many make them out to be. Granted you kinda need one for rock crawling but it is debatable in other areas and 98% of the time all you really need is a good LSD instead of a locker if you need help at all. I have plowed snow for over 20 years with a few trucks and by choice they have not even had LSD because of their tendency to fishtail on slick surfaces and cause directional control issues that you do not want plowing. I have only been stuck twice and both times a locker would not have made a darn bit of difference as all wheels were spinning both times.  

leavy20:
for the 35" tires i would recommend 4.10 to 5.38 or even 5.71 if you need that kind of torque, depending on the motor. as for the motors i guess it depends on your gas budget, and your personal needs.

SnoMan:
With 35's it would be a 4.56 if you want it to run well. If you have a OD tranny you want 4.88 or 5.13's. BTW, a 318 with 4.56 and 35's would run circles around 360 with 3.73 or even 4.10's off road.

dodgef25:
But If the 360 with a 3.73 has a locker. It will pass the 318 with the 4.56 when it gets stuck! I just had to.    4.56 would be a good number to hit for 35s. unless your dong a lot of freeway and you want good gas milage. then you would want go  a little higher like 4.10

SnoMan:
Do not bank on it. Deepers gear also improve traction due to less chassis wrap up to get same ground effort. Lockers are not the do or die thing that many make them out to be. Granted you kinda need one for rock crawling but it is debatable in other areas and 98% of the time all you really need is a good LSD instead of a locker if you need help at all. I have plowed snow for over 20 years with a few trucks and by choice they have not even had LSD because of their tendency to fishtail on slick surfaces and cause directional control issues that you do not want plowing. I have only been stuck twice and both times a locker would not have made a darn bit of difference as all wheels were spinning both times.

Ya it is debatable. I would say a locker will give you more traction than rear end gears. Up to a point. I know this beacause I do have a locker. My cousins chevy has 4.10 (open) when I have 3.9. both with 33s. I got a 5.9 v8 hes got a 5.7 v8. I harly ever have to put in 4wd he has to say in 4wd. or else he gets stuck. If you dont belive me check out my youtube videos. Now if he had a rear end like 5.10 ya it would help but I dought it would be as efectint as a locker. we live in the desert. Mostly soft sand. Mud and rock crawing. If you still dont belive me check out most mud videos, most of them with 44s are running 5.10 or lower and see how easly they get stuck with out a locker. If they had a locker incuded trust me it would be harder to get it stuck. LSD are just junk. They are just great for the street. There are plenty of videos that prove this! I have been stuck only twice too. One was deep snow. and the other was a coil failer that killed the engine while I was in a lake. Its on youtube. My cousin with his 4.10 got stuck on the shollow side. Trust me if a locker couldnt help you on the 2 times you got stuck lower gears would not help too.  

It really depends on terrain because there is some to be said for allowing one wheels to spin a bit and obtain a better grip and some do very well in mud runs with open diffs. Sometimes with a locker all your do is bury yourself worse when it gets bad. Also with a LSD or open diff the force propelling truck is more balance between wheels and push truck in a straight line and balances traction between wheels while a locker can tend to push you in one direction in a turn on straight line when you really need to go the other.  As always when you get stuck when you loose ability to maintain momentum it is time to get out of it and seek assistance rather than burying it worse. There is a reason that serious off road equipment like tractors, loaders, backhoes and such have diffs in them. You never see replacement type lockers in them and they "live" in the "mess" too.  

It depends more on the diver. Even a 2wd car in the hands of a carfull driver can make it far offroad. If they are going to bury themselfs with a locker, then that meens there thromping on the gas. Just like with lower gears the point is not to keep on the gas as hard as you can, it is just keep a momentum. You can bury you self just a easly with an open. If you get stuck with a locker a smart driver would stop before he burys him self. Tractors, Loaders, Backhoes are not serious off road equipment. They are construstion equipment. They have to turn in tight spaces. Yes they are in dirt and mud. But professionals that use them dont take them off the paths.  

One of the problems with limited slip trac lok or power lock is when you lift a tire. Your power goes to the wrong tire. You can try the brake technique but never seems to really work.As the clutches wear your posi goes away. They are good setup with certain limitations. I prefer selectable lockers by choice but expensive. If you bust a axle in a detroit locker it will probably bust the locker. So make sure your axles are in good shape. But if running on ice an open diff is the best. Thats why I run air locker up front. In wyoming backhoes and other heavy equipment is used in some nasty stuff when breaking new trail for pipeline rightaways. You have individual brakes to help out on traction. But you try and save equipment and not break it.  

In years past I spent a lot of time on backhoes and still am good with them when need be (kinda like riding a bike I guess) Most of them had a diff lock on demand but I rarely used it as I would use separate wheel brakes instead when needed as mentioned above. Same with a farm tractor because if you are pulling hard and lock diff you will find that you are not going to be able to turn much because it wants to go straight. Also like above, if you feel you need a locker, a selectable one (lockable on demand) is the way to go, not a Detroit.  

OK.I didnt read all the posts but the engine/gearing depends on what terrain the guys runing in. since he wants 35s i'm guessing he's not going for deep mud or water so i would have to say do the 318 not the 360. Also i didnt see any type of engine(94 or newer magnum). So im going with the idea that he is using a old carb moter like out of a coronet or some thing.Those moters had it all over the 360 back then since the 360 was only used in emissioned dusters and demons.If you want a decent/bullet proof engine go with the 318.  

I have an 88 Ramcharger with a 318, 3 inch Body Lift, and 31 inch tires. My Friend has an 88 Ramcharger with a 360, 3 inch body lift, and 32 inch tires. I blow him away on Gas, Speed and Power. Also I dont run into so many mechanical problems as he does. And there are a few times we went 4 wheeling, and I've had to pull him out, not once has he pulled me out.    

The old 318 was a good mill and a sturdy engine.