307 chevy fans ?

Who likes them ?
Why?
What's your favorite recipes.

Yea, we know they got a bad rap because the cams suck, heads are of a smog friendly orientation.

 

It's just a 1/4" stroker 283. With a .030 overbore it's 310" and will wind to the moon.

A good set of heads and the normal SBC Hot Rod parts, your all good.

Major problem is pistons. Definitely not a shelf item. Upside to that is, JE will build a piston for any SBC for about $500 a set.

 

I got a 307 in my O/T race car. They aint bad engines. A lot of people call them junk but they are as good as any chevy engine. Just my .02 though...

 

The reason most small minded folks dont like them is chevy
didn't build a hipo version. Ever wonder why folks don't care
for a 305? Also consider this, every one holds a 302 in very
high regards because it was only offered in a hipo version. For
me I likem. Nothing like buying good parts cheap from the less
informed. And they dont usually have the same stresses that the
"more desireable" engines have like being twisted to the moon on
a regular basis.

 

Brings back memories. Got the thing for free, because after the machine work was done to it, the high school mechanics class figured out it wasn't a 350. Finished the rebuild & added Edelbrock intake w/ 2 AFBs, Camaro headers, & a Powerglide. Way over carbureted, but it was the fastest car in town (when it was sitting still with the hood open). It was fast enough to beat a local punk's early V8 Mustang, & got better mileage that my buddy's Aspen w/ a slant 6. Oh yeah, did I mention it was in a '70 Javelin? I miss it...

 

I don't need a race car engine to do 75 on the interstate. My 307 pulled my 34 P/U down the road very nicely. Pretty descent gas mileage too. I can't remember if it was the 305 or the 307 that got a bad reputation of a soft cam that wiped prematurely. They were looked down upon by many at the time but mine did quite well for my purposes. You can't tell by looking at them.

 

Many years ago I built a frankenstein 307.It cosisted of 350 cam and heads pirated from a 350 ,Not sure on year ,I advanced the cam 4 degrees by timing chain,Put a holley 600 on it and I had to change the powervalve to a 10.5 .It was fast off the line in a 4000 pound car. Chevelle 72 ..... I personally would not build another one,If I had my choice over a 305 Id take a 307

 

ive got one sittin in the floor now and i dont know what to do with it.ive built screamin 283s so i dont see any reason why not a 307. oh yeah i do, no pistons available off the shelf.

 

307, running= cheap or free
because not very good in stock form, it wasn't designed to be very powerful.
305 running = cheap or free
Same reasons.

Free 307 short block .
+ free 305 heads
Free 305 hei distributor - its ugly but its free.
50.00 eldelbrock off CL or the free aluminium 305 HO manifold isn't bad if you work the egr valve.
50.00 eldelbrock carb that needs cleaned.
Cheap headers off CL, 1-1/2 primaries that nobody else wants might be free too.


What else do you get out of the deal.
Bunch of specialty bolts and brackets.
Extra set of tins.
8 305 ashtrays or trophy toppers.
A load of scrap that more than pays for a gasket set and oil pump rebuild kit.

Stroked 283 with 10.+ : 1 compression ratio.
Pick a cam, buy the kit and oil pump.

Estimated horse power, conservative - 1hp per cubic inch.
Dollars out less than $1.25 per HP.

I don't think Id start from scratch with intent to do a 307, nor would I do one that needed a bottom end.

 

????????????????????

 

depends on the intended use. Good little motor for cruizin', but there are better choices for racing. It would be a fun one in a t-bucket, kind of a dog in an impala.

 

Except for cast "rebuilder" pistons nobody is making production "performance" style pistons for the 307 anymore. I looked a couple years ago, I was considering rebuilding a freebie with 305 HO heads, etc. for an old truck. You might luck out and find some obsolete stock somewhere but otherwise your only option is high dollar custom order pistons. I did find a NOS set of TRW's on eBay but for what the guy wanted for them I went out and bought a complete running low mile roller cam 305 AND a new set of headers for the truck instead.

 

Yes the 307s had a problem with a bad run of camshafts that had a couple of lobes that didn't get heat treated properly. I got to change several. I think it was the same cam that they used in the 327 because I found the same problem in a 67 pickup with a 327. It might even be the same one used in 350s. Changing a camshaft wasn't cheap and the metal that wore off the lobes didn't do anything good to the rest of the engine. I seem to recall that it depended on which plant the engine was assembled in. Seems like the Tonawanda plant got the good cams.

 

My '70 Nova had a 307/PG with the stock Rochester 2bbl- it was quiet and (since it was 150lbs lighter than a Corvette) VERY quick... caught alot of folks unaware at red lights

 

G'day, I have a 307 that is punched .030 with a pair of 305 heads that we put in screw in studs and guideplates. We found an old set of forged pistons for it. Dropped it into a Vega wagon and used a Weiand small blower on it. We have video of the car sideways at half track. My dad always said driving the car was like walking on marbles. Yeah, it was fun.

ms

 

Its a hotly debated subject and folks argue over it as hard as the day is long.

The 3970020 block can be bored to 4.00 without issues to get around the custom piston issues and expense. The idea is that you use someone's discarded standard bore 350, 327 pistons on the cheap or freebee.

Some say yes.
Some say no.
Some say maybe but why.
All that some can say is "build a 350"

 

<---- I built this one for Hot Rod Deluxe... 10.3:1CR, hydraulic roller cam, and lots of tricks with the oil control, good rings, double-hump heads, a tunnel ram with 660cfm center squirters, and pump gas.
7,000rpm rev limit, but it nosed over at 6,000rpm.
403hp at 6,000rpm, 399 lb/ft at... I forget...

The problem is the small bore... even with the .060-inch overbore, it's under a 4-inch bore, which limits valve size to 1.94/1.50. You CAN fit 2.02/1.60 valves in there, but they'll be shrouded by the cylinder wall, so it doesn't do any good.

For my purposes, 403hp will be just fine when I side-step the clutch at 6,000 rpm.

I wouldn't hesitate to stick one in a daily-driver with less cam and a single 4bbl intake.

-Brad

 

I am a fan, A .465 lift cam, deep dual plane, +.60 forged flat tops w/ thick Blue Fel-Pro head gasket-no detonation- HO 305 heads. It pushes the Impala just fine. Best of all it is not a 'tree fifty. Wish I known this in the late 70'-80's. You could have scored these 'shit' motor 307's with low miles and practically for free all day. 350? Only if its a Pontiac/Buick/Olds 350.

 

Search is your friend.
Came up with 3 pages worth but this is the best one.
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=45615&highlight=307

 

I've got a '71 307 in my '34 Roadster. It's got a rumpy cam,Edlebrock carb and manifold;Hooker headers and 15000 miles on the rebuild.
I do 70mph on the Interstates; it has 287 rear gears, so I couldn't do a burnout if my life depended on it, but it starts every time,gets 21 mpg and I drive the shit out of it !!!

Being a red roadster,I get thumbs up where ever I go. No complaints here !!!!!

It,truely, is the best hotrod I've ever owned.

Glenn

 

oh yea, fat hack never finished that one

 

Its a sbc. If your not looken to make a drag car run it. If your looken to make serious power. you prolly know the awnser.

 

My question is why? There can't be that many left, they were a slug to begin with, and there are a gazillion 350's avavilable. Remember there is no substitute for cubic inches.

 

Not trying to be rude T McG, but if you read my earlier post, they were no slug in a lighter car- they DID have a LOUSY cam, but when I got the car it was 16 years old with only 11,000 miles, and was a great engine for the next 100,000

 

Guess you didn't see the thread if you ask why?

 

i built a sick 302 for my car.....i wouldn't set out to build a 307..build a better 350 for less

 

There was one sitting in my 53 when I got it so I decided to go through it. All new gaskets, decent size cam, new oil pump and decided to use the stock heads to start. It was a really clean engine when I tore it down so hopefully it will be a good runner for me. Im only building a cruiser, so decent gas milage and a good sound out of the exhaust will make me happy.

 

Re-read the thread. EVERY time a HAMBer starts a 283-327 thread, a couple of 350 guy's are compelled to bring up their quote of cubes, 383, ect. Why would you do that?

 

I couldn't agree more.
we should NEVER make a post unless we have exhausted the search engine and read everything that's already been posted.
Surely there is nothing new that could be learned from posting a fresh thread on a topic... surely nobody has ever missed a thread and didn't contribute to it if they had some good info.
Damn... you band-width waster.

-Brad

 

A slug huh ?
Because of low compression - yep
Soft cams that went flat - yep

So you solve the compression issue with 58cc heads from the red headed step child 305 - cheap to free
You solve the cam problem with a new cam more suitable for the now 10.+ : 1 compression.

Ahhhh, slug no more and its dirt cheap