Posted by Fred Coldwell on May 14, 2000 at 21:28:21:
In Reply to: 318 engine info needed posted by Dave on May 08, 2000 at 18:39:35:
Dave:
The 318LA engine first appeared in the lower tonnage W100 and W200 4X4 trucks one year earlier (1967) than in the W300 truck (1968), and this is a point of confusion in many non-factory interchange manuals. If the last seven digits of your W300 serial number is lower than 1780000, then your 318 V-8 from the factory would be the earlier polyhead 318-3 premium motor. If the last seven digits of the serial number of your W300 are 1780000 or higher, then the factory installed 318 V-8 would be the later LA318-1 motor, a non-premium motor. Another quirk: the 4 speed 435 tranny in the W300 used with the polyhead 318 motor had a 1-3/8 inch diameter 10 spline input shaft, but the 435 tranny used with the 1968 (at least) W300 with the "new" LA318-1 motor had a 1" diameter 10 spline inout shaft, just like the 435 trannys used on the W100 and W200 trucks. The significance of this last fact is that with a 1" diameter 10 spline input shaft, you could use a Ranger Overdrive especially made for C. Garbee, as mentioned in earlier posts. Hope this helps!