So i have never had any shame in my stock 305. always thought about buildin it just to prove that even a 305 can show some power but, lets be honest, cubes equal hp. or at least faster and cheaper it would seem. well i just got back off of a 6 month deployment from iraq took my car out for a hard drive after two weeks of drivin normal, and now i hear a mean knock!!! well geuss i just took a bite out of the big s**t sandwich huh? well i guess my real question is, in the long run will i be able to repair the unforseen problems inside my engine or do i need to buy a crate 350. i mean what will be cheaper? or is it to early to tell? any help would be great i know this whole thing is kind of generalized but if possible some tips would be amazing right now. thanks to all who read and/or reply

Thanks for servin' in Iraq for us, dude, God Bless ya.
I'm no Pro, But, I think that by the time you get a 305 to 350 standards, you'd be spending the same ammount getting a new 350 in the car... So, I guess it all depends on how much time and patience you have...

Ditto on your service.

And, ditto on the assessment of rebuilding the 305 vs. buying a 350. You could even do a shortblock to save some coin.

ya well what are the odds of me being able to fix the kind of thing that could cause the knock? and what are the odds of fixing it (if possible) costing less than finding a 350 to put in it

Well, If all you want to do is fix the knock, Then it could be a real easy swap of a couple of ~$20 parts, or a trip to the local machine shop for a few modifications on some parts... which, depending on the situation, could get pricey, I presume. But, if you wanted the power of a 350, out of a 305, that could get way pricey... Unless you get used parts. (Cheapskape)
Jegs has quite a few reasonable Crate 350's for several thousand dollars, and you actually have to get a few more parts to complete the swap, if I'm not mistaken... so, I guess, budgetwise, you'd be better off goin with what motor you've got now, provided you've got time to screw with it. If you're lookin to get'r on the streets and ready to eat rice, I'd say order the 350... Or attempt to save money and snoop around the scrapyards, but, yer takin' yer chances there.... could end up with another knocker...

Most likely you've got a hurt bearing, which will likely require turning the crank and all new bearings, and may require resizing the rods, depending on the type of bearing damage. It could also be a broken piston.

Anytime you take apart the lower end of a 305 to "fix" something, it's time to get a 350, shortblock at least, if better performance is your objective. It just isn't a wise use of performance $'s to spend any rebuild money on the bottom end of a 305.

And, I'm not a "305 hater".

well took the hooker headers off and replaced the gasket and the bolts. guess my gasket was pretty banged up. kinda fixed it but to be honest i think it just masked it a little bit. this may be way stupid but i put a stethascope to the valve covers. and sure enough there is still a tapping sound coming from the back passenger side of the motor. nowhere else. gonna pull the motor but wont be able to for a week or so at least.