dbrochard

iTrader: (3)

Hi guys, back in November I finally joined the thirdgen family and got my first car, a 91 Camaro RS with the 305 and 5 speed. I still don't have my license (only 15) but towards the end of the summer my dad and I are building a motor for it. We have a spare 305 block from a friend with 90k miles (I know-350 is better but my dad wants to keep what the car came with...) so we are building it into a 305 stroker- about 329 cubic inches because I'm too poor to have it bored .030 into a real 334 stroker...
Here are the specs
Ported 187 heads
Ported intake manifold
Headers
y pipe
no cat
cat back dynomax exhaust
ultimate Tbi mods
bigger injectors
EBL computer
3.42's
open element air cleaner
powerhouse 335 stroker kit
should be about 10.5:1 compression
Cam specs are 288/308 adv duration, 431/451 lift, 109 deg lobe separation
I want it to be faster than my dads 2011 v6 mustang 6 speed (with a few bolt ons), how fast will this setup be?

86Z

iTrader: (4)

it's going to be slow especially compared to newer cars. 350 minimum. you are doing all that work anyways...

Es_91rs

With all that work you might be able to keep up. I don't know about beating it unless your dad isn't a really good driver but not all hope is lost. To be fair the 305 is not as easy to get big hp out of as a 350 but it's not as much a boat anchor as many on this site would tell you. I like my 305 and will most likely build one similar to what you're doing when the time comes.

I would recommend looking at the after market throttle body from Holley. It's a bigger cfm throttle body with an adjustable fpr and will be able to help you keep up with fuel demand.

Also make sure to take a close look at that 5 speed or consider doing a t56 6 speed swap. The t5 in my 91 blew up after I started doing bolt ons and tuning my 305 with the EBL. If the trans is in really good shape it should handle it but if not it's a recipe for disaster.

With doing all of this you also should seriously consider some suspension mods. I did all new springs, umi wonder bar, and tubular panhard and LCAs from founders. All in all I think that was around $260 and it REALLY helps plant that power to the ground and keep traction. I would recommend some subframe connectors though as that will help with body flex and improve cornering.

2QUIK4U

iTrader: (1)

I think you should complete the build on a budget and have fun learning as you go. I personally wouldn't dump a ton of money into the 305 TBI after you get it in the car. You should have a good, reliable motor with this build. My uneducated guess is 250hp/300tq @ the flywheel maybe? I hope someone corrects me if I'm way off on those numbers...
That's more than enough power for you to learn to bang gears, and do sweet burnouts. I'm guessing high 14 seconds in the 1/4 mile. Your dad can probably go low 14's in the stang with minor mods. I'm basing this on what I see at the drag-strip in real world conditions and drivers. The magazine stats are usually .5 seconds faster than what I see in reality. There are so many variables besides HP that decides a race.
Once you get the build complete, you and your dad should go to the strip and get a baseline average ET. Then switch cars and see how much the "driver mod" comes into play. Analyze and keep your timeslips as a reference. You will watch the ET's drop as you learn your car and build it. Welcome to the party pal!

midias

If you have not bought the dynomax exhaust yet dont. You want 3" piping. If you are on a budget get the summit house brand one.

RedLeader289

iTrader: (2)

All comes down to the driver. To give you an edge you could gut your interior lol.

Having the fastest car isn't everything though, although at 15 I know it is.

I'd just worry about getting a reliably running engine in the thing and then go from there. Unless it was somebody's baby you're probably going to have to replace all soft components in the suspension too.

-=Z28=-

iTrader: (3)

I agree with 2QUIK4U. Have fun with this build. Learn as you go. I loved my 305 too and am going to rebuild it and prob put my car back to stock. When i did my swap, I tryed blowing the 305 up but it wouldnt. I will never for get how hard my friends were laughing. So, have fun with the build, ask around and read up. So when you want to do a heavy 350/383 or what ever, you have experience in what you are doing. Good luck!!

zraffz

Sure it is but not all of us have the money to have the fastest car haha.

OP, enjoy your build. As stated, I'd start with a 350 but for a first build and not a super crazy one at that I suppose it doesn't matter. My first build was a 454 for a 3rd Gen and I did a lot of things wrong which lead to a piston skirt breaking, jamming into the bottom of the bore and ruining the long block! I hope your first build is more memorable than mine but I've since built several motors that have taken a serious beating.

dbrochard

iTrader: (3)

Thanks for all the support guys, but I'm deciding to sell that extra 305 my friend has. I finally convinced my dad that the 350 is the best option, but instead of a regular 350 build everyone does, I'm going with an LT1 swap. Part of that is because the EBL tuning confuses the heck out of me, and this way I'll just drop in a wiring harness from a 4th gen along with computer. What's everyones thoughts on that idea?

zraffz

I've sworn off the LT1 many times but keep returning to them (in the 4th gens)!

They aren't terrible motors and factory aluminum heads that flow on par with l31 vortec heads. They do have their quirks for sure though. crappy things are the optispark distributor, water pumps and plug wire routing on them.

A bolt on LT1 in a third Gen shouldn't have any issue laying the smack down on your old man's mustang.

Billgluckman

I watched a bolt on 11-14 mustang run a 13.4x with bolt-ons so I wouldn't be so sure with a stock lt1.

If I were you op, I wouldn't worry about having the fastest car. A clean thirdgen is rare, I'd focus on just having a really nice, well maintained thirdgen. The 350 will definitely be fun though.

zraffz

I had a full weight 94 z28 go 13.6 over geared with 4.56s and a CAI. We've had them go high 12s with bolt ons and 4.10s.

Putting it in a lighter car with full bolt ons should go high 12s.

dbrochard

iTrader: (3)

My dad read that and told me he's buying a supercharger if mine gets faster...


And how much do you guys think I could get for a complete LO3 engine on craigslist? I'm still getting it from my friend for free and it has 90k and runs fine... need the money for the LT1 swap

Billgluckman

What tires on that car?

I'm not hating on the lt1, just don't underestimate the newer engines. The highest I've ever seen a stock lt1 run in person was a very low 14. New v6 stang will do that all day.

zraffz

Yes, bone stock with 3.42 gears anywhere in the mid to low 14s. Full bolt ons and gears, high 12s to low 13s.

The 13.6 was on 275 40 17 street tires but that car did have the original style (lt5 corvette) zr1 magnesium wheels on it. I honestly think 4.56s hurt that pass too because it went into 4th with about 100 feet left. Off the top of my head I think it went 13.6 @ 100.2 with a 2.0 or 2.1 60'.

Don't forget a 3rd Gen with an lt1 will be lighter than a 4th generation by 100lbs or more.

The great thing about the LT1 heads is how well they respond to a cam too.

dbrochard

iTrader: (3)

What gains could I get from an LT4 hot cam kit? It will also only have headers and a good exhaust, nothing too crazy

zraffz

Their are way better cams out there than the lt4 hotcam but it's the cheapest kit to buy.

The LT4 hotcam with short tube headers, cold air intake, MagnaFlow exhaust, 3.42 gears and a 1,800 stall went 12.70s and had a healthy idle. It was a fun street car and did wicked good against some pretty quick cars on the highway. On drag radials and in a lighter 3rd Gen it could have went 12.50s I bet.

SilverChicken

iTrader: (1)

To say the LT1 was slow is to show your inexperience with one I'd say. Or maybe I was just lucky. I had a 1995 Firehawk and it had no problems running right beside or in most cases outrunning the LS1 cars I came across. In particular was a friend's '00 Z28 6-sod that dyno'd multiple times on multiple dynos at 330whp. I hung or beat him regularly from a dig and on the highway. He'd pull away a little bit at the top of fourth. My mods were just a PCMforLess mail order tune and then the factory 3" TOTL exhaust and ram air hood. I really do think that hood and induction design was the biggest secret to the car's power. Straight shot of about 12-18" from the outside into the throttle body. If you look at the factory induction path it has to make a tight squeeze between the radiator and some other body work putting a kink in the airflow. That was a long time ago, miss that car. It was a T56 car too.

dmccain

iTrader: (2)

The first LT-1 car I saw at the track in 1993 ran a 13.8 bone stock straight from the showroom floor to the dragstrip. Not too much work can put them in the 12s. Id bet my $ on the LT1 cars over the new V6 Stangs or Camaros any day in stock form.Make no mistake LT1s are no slouch. Most I have seen ran 13s stock especially 6spds.

Thirdgen89GTA

iTrader: (5)

Bolt-on LT1 with B-body baby cam and a bad transmission shifting about 800rpm past peak power. Aka, it wouldn't shift until it hit the 6000rpm rev limiter. you can even hear it double tap on the 2-3 shift.

If I had decent tires along with a not-bad trans and TC Lockup, I would have gone 12s.

Es_91rs

Not to start an argument but you do realize you're comparing apples to oranges by comparing newer v6's to the LT1. The LT1 is a straight up HP generator and it's laughable to think that it should be compared to newer v6's. One of my buddies in Mississippi had a 2011 Camaro auto v6 with a CAI that he wanted to line up with my (at the time) mostly stock LO3 305 T5 5 speed. To say that I was horribly disappointed in the performance of his car is an understatement. I expected him to fly by me but it seemed to be a fairly equal run with him getting me by less than a fender at the end of the straight away (just under a 1/4 mile). At the time I couldn't dream of touching an LT1 and still really can't. So to anyone saying that a newer stock v6 is comparable to an even stock LT1 I say .