Originally Posted by InfernalVortex

The 305 itself is a fuel economy/emissions engine. These smaller bore engines were meant to meet emissions and CAFE regs. Bigger bore = more power. It's just easier to hit those government regs with a larger stroke and smaller bore.

It is, by definition, a handicapped 350.

My L03 got 20 mpg in mostly city driving though? I think that's pretty efficient.

And remember, your choked out granny motor L03 still made more power than an 82 Z28 did. Those swirl port heads were specifically meant to give you V8 torque and great gas mileage and they are GREAT heads, they just dont make horsepower. Expecting them to is like trying to use a screwdriver to hammer a nail.

I may get some flack for this, but I honestly think that if the information were out there and available for people to make informed choices, a properly done TBI system would outperform a hopped up TBI at a drag strip. You'll get better fuel atomization in the very low RPM's where carbs just dont work as well, and then you get all the benefits of fuel injection (although with the drawbacks of a wet-flow system), but as long as you can get injectors that are big enough and fuel pressure high enough, it's just a matter of getting a throttle body that can flow enough air into your motor.

Anyway, you cant buy the base V8 and be mad that it's slow, that's not the point. It sounds great and gets pretty good gas mileage and is a wonderful street engine. Plenty of down low torque when you want it. It'd be great for mud-truckin probably.

And one last thing.. Displacement does not make horsepower. Displacement makes torque. Horsepower is how fast that motor can spin that torque. (HP = Torque x RPM basically) Your 305 makes more torque than that 302, it just cant spin it as fast.