budget 305 build...
 

Before you say it i dont want to just pull it and drop in a 350...

Ok so my baby is an lb9 305 tpi auto with just over 165000 on her and i dont think shes ever been rebuilt...

Im not looking to put much money in her, maybe less than $2000. i was thinking a cam and a motor rebuild kit like one of these...

305 rebuild kit
http://www.gofastcheap.com/shop/engi...kit-copy-.html
OR
http://www.rpmmachine.com/shop/index...on=item&id=807

And i was thinking of changing out the cam to either
an lt4 hotcam with 1.6 rrs
OR
a stock lt1 cam with 1.5 rrs


so far i have a 2.5in catco cat, flowmaster 80 series 2.5in catback, 7.5mm mallory wires, accel cap and rotor, duel plat plugs, gutted air box with custom 4in ram air into k&n filters

i plan on selling it or trading it after the summers over for a 350 and ttops, but i want to get some more pep for the summer and rest of spring.

i still want to put in headers and a ported tpi setup with slp siameesed runners...


ok so is there any opinions on the setup or the rebuild or anything that might help? Do you think that there is room in my budget for heads or should i just spend a few bux and pick up a set of l98 aluminum heads?and if you think im over my head blow that pop out now my dads been a mechanic for over 30 years and iv been working on cars since i was 14.... so any advise is much appreciated!
thanks guys/gals
-chevylover5

i have 350 sittin here, with a edlebrock intake, not blown up or seized, complete and rebuildable. sell it to you cheap. you just have to put a distributor and a carb on it and youre good to go, and im sure it would be less than 2k to build. more power, more torque, better sound and for less than all that TPI and computer stuff. after that cam, i would think that youd have to get the computer tuned on that TPI or you wont get the full potential out of it. and who does tuning for 3rd gens?

http://www.gofastcheap.com/shop/engi...ts/mkc350.html

http://www.rpmmachine.com/shop/html/...ory-89-12.html

i know that theres a place in ohio that does it but im sure that there are plenty of places around philly that do it. ill pop around thirdgen.org and see if i can find anything, thats a good point! thanks and ill think about that 350 build. later
-ken

An LT1 cam is a decent (and cheap) upgrade to a 305

- Justin

the easy things to do would be to get a stock 95-97 LT1 cam and have your intake and heads gasket matched and cleaned up a little. the rest of th erebuild can be the basic of fresh bearings/rings/gaskets, and pistons if the blokc needs a bore(at that mileage i can't imagine it wouldn't).
one safety measure i always recomend is to buy a brand new balancer. the old one may look fine, but $45 really isn't much to spend to be sure if you are already spending all the cash to rebuild the engine.
one thing you will want to do if there are any upgrades is getting a custom chip. PCM4Less is a good reliable source and their prices aren't too bad.

good luck with it

Only thing I want to add is that if really want to stay with a 305 you might just want to find another block and build that. The 305s I played with were often bad when we pulled them apart even though the ran OK. Of the 6-7 high milage 305 we've rebuilt from mid 80s camaro and monte SS cars 1/2 were bad with signs of cracking in the mains or would have needed to go more then 40 over. For those we did toss the 305 of a 350.

If you just want to play with the 305, do as already said, try your hand at home porting and throw in a LT1 cam and you can probably get in the 240-250HP range. Don't go nuts we did one 305 stroker (334? CI) that was a waste of time and money! It made less power then a cheaper create ZZ motor!

Im with John, He basically sold me to not build my 305 and look for a different motor(not a 305), plus my motor with 92,000 miles looked like it had been through hell and back, so I can imagine what yours looks like.

i toyed around with a 305 before i bought my new motor. i did it just to be different. it ran a best time of 11.47 @117. but i'd tell you to go for the more c.i. you can only get so far with a 305.

i like the LT1 cam with the 1.5 rockers. to take advantage of the LT4 + 1.6 rockers you are gonna want better heads or need to sink some cash into more head work. if the idea is a budget build up, that would pretty much blow it right there. the LT1 cam is also easier to find around in he 30-50 buck range vs the $100+ you can expect to spend on an LT4 cam unless you get very lucky.i would ao suggest stepping up to a good set of headers and 3 inch exhaust. the warmed up engine will thank you for it. :)

well i plan on getting rid of the car after the summer is over, so i probably will not build up the motor much more than a new set of vavlve springs, an lt1 cam and a set od 1.5rrs. I planned on getting heddman headers, but im afraid of the assembly in the car. i know how hard it was to put in plugs and wires i cant imagine putting headers in this mo. does anyone have any tricks to help them slip in easier? i plan on still using air also... and how does everyone feel about a cutout? is it worth the money?

hedmans suck, dont go for them i have them 2.5 y pipe, and the "gasketless collectors" blow, big exaust leaks from them.

Hardcore has a Lingenfelter 219 cam in the for sale section. Tht would be a real nice power cam for a 305. Running it with 1.5 rockets it will probably make more torque then the LT4 cam W/1.6 rockers and be in the RPM range that a TPI can support the air flow needs.

Your could also look at Edelbrock TPS headers, about $400 and are large enough to support the HP you'll be making and retain the emmission stuff which might be important when it comes time to sell it?

I'm not a cutout liken person, to me it's just a way to make noise. Buy a good catback and give the car a nice tone instead!

JB

since ur on a budget..

pm 84HOtransam, He has a cheap 3 inch hooker catback for sale!

nah im happy with my 2.5in flowmaster catback thanks 8-)

idc what people think i like my exhaust, i just need some decent headers that arent outrageously expensive. and i am petrified of the install! is this evenm possible to do with out a lift? what all would i have to take off of the car in order to fit these in place? any help would be great, thanks a lot guys!

-ken

any of the shorty headers can be very easily installed in a driveway with common hand tools. just need to jack it up to attach the y-pipe.
the tone of a 3 inch system won't be much different, maybe a touch louder if you use the same muffler. but it wil provide a bunch of extra air flow that your engine will love you for, especially if you do !cat with it. :)

well the cat stays, its brand new and i need to pass emissions legally. but i really changed the air intake so i guess i wouldnt hurt to change the exhaust a lil more, but shouldnt i have some sort of back pressure?

Cat = more then enough BP.

open up the exhaust, the whole"not enough back pressure" thing only applies if you through extremely over sized exhaust onto a car. the only thing that opening up the exhaust will do is allow the engine to breath better at higher rpm(creating more power and a longer power band) and reduce the internal harmonics at cruise speeds(leading to better gas mileage)

Best thing to do to a 305 is fill it with cement and use it as a boat anchor :lol: In all seriousness, Ive been down the road of 305's many times, and I had no luck. Good luck with what your trying to accomplish. You cant really "make" a naturally aspirated 305 go fast without weight reduction IMO.

thanks for the positive opinion bigdaddykane :moon:

jpjp i know its a 305 hardtop, but was my first car and im sellin it by the end of the summer anyway for a 350 and ttops i get a lot of offers but i want to put a lil more work into it and get it looking nicer, and running better then ill get rid of her for some real power, thats the only reason why i dont want to drop too much money into this car, but its really going to hurt to see her leave. poor christine, i just dont want her to go to some punk kid whos gonna wrap it arund a pole.

I wish I got a chance to test out my 305 build up, but I got a ZZ4 cam which is bigger then an LT1 cam, 1.6 Pro Mag roller rockers, Ported LB9 heads with larger 1.94 and 1.5 stainless valves, upgraded valve springs, hedman shorties and Hookercatback...would have been a fun car. I did it pretty cheap. Heads cost me 350 bucks for the 2, cam cost me 120 bucks shipped, and some other stuff. Not too bad at all.

just out of curiosity, why didn't you get a chance to test it?

Never fully put it together, and by the time I did, I have a lot of things going on in my life, and ended up selling it to a friend out in Ohio where he is currently turning it into an autox machine. He has a 89 Formy 350 and his gf has a 91 Z28. I met them at the first (and I think only) Thirdgen.Org Nationals in Maryland some years ago. Wish I had that car back...love that thing. Such a pain to have seen it go.
Its where I get my SN from.