March 1999 issue of Car Craft magazine.

[WayFast84]

Does any one have a coppy of the March 1999 issue of Car Craft magazine that I could borrow? I need an article about a 305 build up that dynoed 325 hp to the crank.

Thanks
MatT

[Tru2Chevy]

NJSPEEDER says he's prolly got it, but he wouldn't recommend you following their buildup ideas....

- Justin

[WayFast84]

Why not?

[Ian]

because a 383 will make double that power figure if built right.

[NJSPEEDER]

it is jsut a terrible build up. typical magazine engine build, no regard for cost or combo, jsut a bunch of poorly matched big shiney parts they got for free all slapped together.
you cna make far more power for far less money if you jsut add some common sense into the mix.

[Mike]

dont start ordering engine parts before you get a job to pay for the paint.........

oh and 325 too the crank seems like a lot of wasted time and money to me....

[WayFast84]

well I need some help then! lol! I want to get a 350 to build but I only have $400 and It will cost way more then 400 to get the car to run 100% with no problems, like today I turned the key off and the engine was still runing,my battery died after that it smokes out of the exhuast and looks behind the distributer plus I cant even tell yah about emisions

[NJSPEEDER]

get what you have now together before you start worrying about an engine build up.
you have a while before you will be out driving the car. take your time and work on getting what you already have right before you go diving into an engine build up.

[WayFast84]

so basically get the 305 fixed 100 percent?

[NJSPEEDER]

you have mentioned trans problems, battery drain problems, the way the engine runs.....i am sure there are other issues you have mentioned that i am forgetting right now.
best plan you can have is to iron out the known issues before you throw a new engine into the mix. a new engine woudl jsut be another set of variables you have to sort out before you can really start moving forward with the car.

[trashman01]

heres a poor example but same concept, would u paint ur car without fixing saggin doors or rust holes? get ur motor fixed up and running right. go to thirdgen.org and search for u problem, once u got it all nice and figured out. then buy a 350 and learn to build a lil rat motor

[jims69camaro]

except it wouldn't be a rat, it would be a mouse.

be careful with anything you read in a magazine. they are there for one reason only: to sell magazines. the more sensational the story, the more magazines they'll sell. back in 1999, people still thought there was value in the 305 motor...

[MilehighBird]

I couldn't agree more that you have to get your issues worked out first or else you'll have a pretty looking 350 in a car that won't start or drive properly because of the tranny. Is this car your daily driver or just a side project? For a daily driver, reliability and saftey issues always have to come first especially on a $400 budget.

I checked out you car domain site. The car looks nice. I see you already have a cat back, headers, and an intake and cam. That's great you've already addressed alot of the big shortcomings that hold back an LG4. On your budget you might want to have some headwork(rebuild,port,polish) done after your other issues are resolved and then take your time save some money and then buy or build a solid 350 shortblock that you could transfer your heads and intake over to. Good luck.

[Rob WS6]

Why waste your time and money on a 305?

[deadtrend1]

Originally Posted by Rob WS6

Why waste your time and money on a 305?

well, its like letting a baby put its hand in a fire. You could try to stop it, but in order for the baby to learn on its own, it must make the mistake first. Then the baby will learn for its mistake and not do it again......

[WayFast84]

Because Im flat broke and i dont need any thing raddicle just enough to get about 300 hp to the wheels with a 100 shot or id like to be able to use a 7[COLOR="Red"]5/COLOR] shot instead

[Rob WS6]

[MilehighBird]

I would agree that spending any $ on rebuilding the bottom end of a 305 is a waste of $ since it would cost the same or less to build a 350 shortblock. But since he's on a budget there is nothing wrong with him getting top end items like intake, heads and cam that will improve performance now and can be transfered over to a 350 later.

[Tsar]

Originally Posted by WayFast84

Because Im flat broke and i dont need any thing raddicle just enough to get about 300 hp to the wheels with a 100 shot or id like to be able to use a 74 shot instead

woo thet started to make a 74 shot? why not 69 or 97 then?

[Teds89IROC]

Dont waste your time man. Do as people said and straighten out your problems you have now, then save up and start off with at least a 350 and go from there. Even if you did go with the 305, eventually you would want more power and there is only so much you can squeeze from a 305. Personally, I'm trying to fix my car up, all the little things that bug me and all the little gremlins that give or can give me problems. Part of the reason I only used the car on weekends was because I didn't trust it due to previous problems. One day I decided to get it early and drive it to work, coming home it broke down and after paying for the tow..I had to (still have to) replace the fuel pump. Its all that comes with owning an older car, but its stuff that needs to be taken care of before modification. I have a 400 small block sitting in my garage that I would like to do up, but it won't be for a while due to lack of money and more important problems I should address.

~Ted

[turbo96z28]

all i have to say is

383cid


save up your money and build a stroker. my 86 is a low mileage car (52K) and i only did minor bolt-on stuff to the 305 because i knew i was gonna go to a bigger displacement small block. 383 is the way to go my friend. if you do it right, it's a nice torquey motor you can live with day to day. especially if you match the intake and cam, like say Edelbrock Torquer 2. the cams a little lopey, but with that, the intake, and my true dual exhaust, i have power from off idle to redline. and it was pretty cheap to build.

[Untamed]

What do you plan to do with the car once you can drive it? I assume, from the nitrous, you're planning some form of racing right? Then like the others said, worry about the engine later. Make the rest of the car safe and functional first. You don't want a 305 for racing.

Secondly, how important is the "correctness" of the car to you? A few performance mods, but otherwise as stock as possible? A showcar that will see little pavement? Or is this a strip racer only, so you just need the bare essentials to get it down a track? Depending on your outlook of the car, whether it has to have all numbers matching, or all after market performance parts compatible, you may decide to simply remove a number of things and not worry about them (AC, radio, carpets, etc.).

Lastly, how much money can you afford for gas, insurance and tickets when you begin driving and feel the freedom of the open road? There are so many members here who get bitten on the ass by insurance companies, and are reckless enough to get many tickets, all before their 21st birthday. In my opinion, a 17 yr old doesn't need 300hp the day he gets his license. What he truly needs, and what he really wants, can be compromised with a great looking f-body that has moderate power to enjoy the feeling of being pushed back in the seat, without trying to control a monster that'll vacuum up every penny you might make from work. Maybe the 305 is best for you, for now. Get the car working, the 305 running, and enjoy that a while. You have got your whole life ahead of you.

[NJSPEEDER]

i raced a 305 to many round and class wins in both autocross and drag racing. nothing wrong with a little 305

[jims69camaro]

if you are serious about building a motor or rebuilding the one you have, i would recommend some research first. if you don't have a library card, now would be a good time to sign up for one, or just use mom's credit card (with her permission, of course)

"How to Rebuild a Chevy Small Block", gregsonline.com, $16 from the website

"How to Rebuild the Small-Block Chevrolet: Stock and High-Performance Rebuilds", by Larry Atherton, Larry Schreib, $26.37 amazon.com

"How to Rebuild Your Small-Block Chevy (Paperback)", by David Vizard, $1.90 and up amazon.com

"How to Build a Small-Block Chevy for the Street", by Jim Richardson, $12.98 and up amazon.com

"Small Block Chevy Performance: 1982 And Later", by John Baechtel, Larry Atherton, $11.95 and up amazon.com

the list goes on. search terms: rebuild small block. any of the above titles would be a good starting point for your research. better to own them than have to return them to the library, in my7 opinion, but we all have to live within our means. if that means borrowing it from the library and updating every two weeks to make sure no one else wants to borrow it, then so be it.

there are books to help you with your other issues, too. just take your time and be patient and ask lots of questions. it sounds like if you just stay with your stock stuff and fix or rebuild it, you'll have enough projects to get you to the day you receive your license. also, sometimes it pays to not reinvent the wheel. for the time and trouble and expense you'd go through in rebuilding your motor, you may run across a low mile or new crate motor for much less.

and remember to take the magazine articles with a grain of salt. while they occasionally have some really good info that you can actually use, most of the time it's rehashed glitz and bling meant to sell more magazines.