So I run into this buddy of mine today. Kinda of the gearhead, packrat know 10,000 different people kinda guy . Even though I'm a long time away from doing the motor on my 50 sedan I ask him if he knows anyone with a 283 or 327. He laughs and says... "Tell ya what. I just pulled a Hi-Po 305 small block out of my Camaoro. It's high milage and needs a rebuild but it is yours for FREE!! if you want it". Are these good motors? I've never owned a vehicle with one. Are they just as good (and interchangable) as all the other small blocks? Todd
The 305 was NOT one of GM's better ideas. They were prone to uneven cylinder wear and lots of these motors were in the ditch way before a 350 would ever be. Save your money for a 350. The cost to rebuild a 305 and a 350 are the same. Kermit
I've had both. If you invest anything over 11 cents in a 305 you will kick your ass forever, wishing you had spent the extra however much to build/buy a 350 or a 327.
I like em. They are a lot cheaper if you don't have $$$. I've been through many 350s, a 383, a 307, some with 6 holes...the only one i couldn't make go boom was the hated 305. That "dog" motor was fast (got it out of a drown boat). It would have been faster w/ good heads.
This discussion on the worth of 305's (V8-not V6's) appears occasionally. I was wondering if the conflicting opinions had to do with differences in the 305's. I have an '81 Suburban that was a DOT fleet truck. It has no interior trim panels or headliner and a 305/3+1 Tranny with a Posi rear. I never had the engine apart but it has a lot more balls than the other 305's I've driven in full size and intermediate sedans. The 'Burb has a Quadrajet and a lopey idle which caused me to wonder if some 305's perhaps received a truck "HD" treatment of different cam and/or valve timing. Powerband
Had 2 of them......BOTH went over 150 thousand miles with no problems....One in a El Camino and one in a full size Impala.... Both were factory installations..Not real quick but both were good on gas. In a HotRod...........would rather have a 350......
I ran a couple in roundy round racing, and like said on here before, I could not blow 'em up. One time I had one get so hot that the oil leaking from the valve covers cought fire but the thing kept running! I shut her off but she never started again. After I shut it off, a couple pistons welded themselvs to the cylinder walls.... But they were good, cheap and I had fun! For Free?... I say yea! A 350 will drop right in it's place when your ready and have more cash. BYC
The problem as I see it is ,it will cost you as much, if not more, to rebuild the 305 as it would to rebuild a 350. The 305 might be ok if you don't require a lot of power, and it didn't have to be rebuilt Carlg
It will cost more to rebuild the 305. You will have less power. Some 305's are better than others(HP wise). Will do for a mock-up or while your building something better.
Cheap Power" I got one in my 61 Apache , Circle Track Cam .Holley. HEI. Headers Muncie" I carnt kill it" Man I have tried Thing thing churns the rears tyres no problem" Grunt
Are red fire hydrants cool while yellow ones suck? I bet if you snuck up in the night and painted a yellow one red nobody would ever know the difference...even the "experts" who think the red ones really put out 2 GPH more than the yellow ones! As long as the fire gets put out, does anyone CARE?
I really don't care about fire hydrant colors...but someone who's looking to spend a grand or so rebuilding an engine probably ought to spend their money wisely.
I would be REALLY interested in seeing an HONEST head-to-head dyno shoot-out and IN CAR EVALUATION between a 305 and a 350 built on the same budget within given restrictions. My money says the DYNO just MIGHT show a SLIGHT favor to the 350...but in the CAR, the ET would likely be within a few tenths, if there were any difference at all. BOTH engines have the same 3.48" stroke and perform well with basic mods. Pistons and rings will be the only part that will cost SLIGHTLY more for the 305...but not enough to offest the cost difference involved in BUYING a 350 to replace a FREE 305! (I threw out a 350 yesterday...whereas I'd keep a 305!)
i run a 305 in my 50 chevy with a cam and a intake and a few other goodies. im happy as shit with it. suuure a 350 is so much fucking cooler and so much better. but i get killer gas millage out of my 305 and its dead nuts reliable. and guess what every one thinks its a 350 its a damn shame they cant mesure the bore size from looking at it. the motor has some hard high miles on her and is getting tired but i have another 305 out of a 84 firebird (high output) sitting waiting to go in the chevy when the nerve strikes. But yea 305's suck so have the guys send it to me and spend money on a 350.
Everyone has an opinion...you know the saying. Run what you can afford. Be happy when you can afford more.
325 HP can be easily had for a few hundred in junk yard parts with a 305 Chevy. Read this. It will open some eyes: http://www.goingfaster.com/spo/carcraft325hp305.html To many bag on the 305 or dismiss it out of hand without giving it a fair chance.
Well, I've got a daily driver 86 Monte Carlo SS that I bought new. It has over 230,000 miles and the engine has never been opened. It has never let me down. It's getting a little tired now (yah think?) and when I replace it, it will get a 350. I would not rebuild a 305, but this one has been great for what it's meant to do.
You have to decide if you want ultimate horsepower or fun horsepower. A 305 will look the part but will be down a little on power from a 350. Personally, I'm not convinced its a big difference in how much fun you can have on the street. Your not going around flat out all the time and street racing is a bad idea anyway... I could have fun tuning and messing with one. Besides, with the smaller displacement you can use smaller CFM carbs, smaller headers, milder cams etc. All that stuff is cheaper and easily available used because it's considered pure street stuff for a 350 plus engine, but its as much as you'd want for a 305. Considering you were aiming for a 283 - 327 smaller displacement engine anyway...I honestly think I would grab the 305 HO. HO's were the cream of the 305 crop. Keep in mind, it might be worth looking at the heads of that HO engine even if you do decide to go the 350 route. The HO heads are the best (non-Vortec style) factory cast heads for the 305 and other small displacement Chevys. Dirt racers seem to search them out and you might make some bucks towards whatever engine you do decide to build.
yep, it runs and will do the job until you decide if you need that 350 you can even tap the front motor mount holes if you want to make the motor mounts there so an old 283 will drop in if it don't have the side mount holes
So....let's say he decides to build the free 305 for $1000, and later decides to sell it for $300 and build a $200 350 for another $1000. Doesn't make sense. Now, suppose he decides to build the free 305 for $1000, and keep it forever, because he likes the slightly better mileage, and the performance is adequate. That makes sense.
put it in ,a old loose motor is hard to hurt.if it runs ok than fine you havent lost anything.(its free) if it takes a dump sell the heads to a dirt tracker and build something else.a 350 or 400 will drop right in where it was.
Good point. Go to a used dealership and try out some cars (driving as you would your own car.) to get a feel for both sizes. Make your decision and stick with it. If you were just talking a 283 or a 305 with no real WANT for the coolness of a 283, I'd say grab it for sure. BUT, when you add in the best (in my world!) of all the small blocks, the 327....you made it complicated! LoL
[Are these good motors? I've never owned a vehicle with one. Are they just as good (and interchangable) as all the other small blocks? Todd[/quote] Yes, they are good motors, they are the basic SBC that's been around for years. They are just as interchangeable as any other small block (depending on year of manufacture as the intake/heads on late models is different) If you mean by "good" are they reliable? Yes, for the same reason, they are a small block Chevy for God's sake. Now, lets talk about power. There is no way you can give up 45 cubic inches and make the same power if you build two "identical" engines. It's just not going to happen. It's been mentioned that there would ONLY be a few 10's of a second difference between the two. What the Hell, a tenth of a second is 4 car lengths in the quarter mile. Even if your street racing it still makes one the loser over the other. Why build in a deficite when spending your money. Cubic inches always has ruled the day, and always will when EVERYTHING else is equal. Besides, the last time I checked the rebuild kit for a 305 was more than one for a 350. Can we spell NO BRAINER? Frank
Can the heads from a 305 be bolted safely to a 350? I have heard that there are some issues with putting 350 heads on a 400 with a steam hole or something. I would think the 305 and 350 would be an easy interchange.
Quote, Fat Hack (I threw out a 350 yesterday...whereas I'd keep a 305!) Sure you did, and the Ardun heads I put out to the curb for trash pickup are still sitting there. No interest I guess. If the 350 was in the same condition as the 305 that you would keep then we won't have to discuss that decision in relation to the last two words in my previous post. Frank
I've had a couple of 305 engines. They are ok but don't have as much power as the 327/350 motor. I also don't think they get that much better gas mileage. But for a free engine and if you are on a budget I would use one. You can always build up a 350 down the road.
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