until 1968 when hydraulic lifters were introduced; hydraulic lifters generally make for a quieter valvetrain. The reciprocating assembly included a cast or forged steel crankshaft, drop forged steel connecting rods and cast aluminum pistons. The valvetrain consisted of a cast nodular iron camshaft, solid or hydraulic lifters, solid pushrods and shaft-mounted, malleable iron rocker arms (stamped steel on later hydraulic-cam engines). These actuated the overhead steel intake and exhaust valves. The cylinder heads featured wedge-shaped combustion chambers with a single intake and a single exhaust valve for each cylinder. Spark plugs were located in the side of the cylinder head, between the exhaust ports. A high performance was offered 1965-'67, this was standard in the Barracuda Formula S model and optional in all other compact models excluding station wagons. It featured a 4-bbl. carburetor and matching intake manifold, chrome unsilenced air cleaner with callout sticker, longer-duration and higher-lift camshaft and stronger valve springs, 10.5:1 compression ratio, special black wrinkle valve covers with extruded aluminum appliques, and a low-restriction exhaust system with a exhaust pipe, collector-type Y-junction, and exposed resonator. In 1965 (only) the muffler was of "straight through" construction. A special version was also available in 1966 only - it used a lift solid-lifter camshaft, fabricated-steel-tube exhaust, and a Holley 4-barrel carburetor, producing (1 hp/cu in). It was available in the Dodge Dart only, and the car so equipped was called the "D-Dart", a reference to its classification in NHRA D-stock for drag racing, which was the car's only intended purpose. 1964–1969 Dodge Dart 1964–1969 Plymouth Barracuda Plymouth Belvedere Dodge Coronet Plymouth Satellite 1964–1969 Plymouth Valiant 1966–1967 Ghia 450 SS 318 V8 Like all LA engines, the LA 318 was a relative of the A 318. Like the A 318, it has a bore & stroke of X . It appeared in volume production beginning with the 1968 model year, replacing the last of the export "A" 318 engines equipped with polyspherical chambered heads ("A" 318 engines were not offered in 1967 domestic vehicles). The LA engine was available until 1991 when it was superseded by the Magnum version (See below). It used hydraulic lifters and a two barrel carburetor for most of its production, though four-barrel Carter Thermo-Quad and Rochester Quadrajet carburetors were used in police applications starting in 1978 and 1985, respectively. The 318 2bbl ELD received roller lifters and a fast-burn chambered cylinder head in 1985 (The