87TAWS6

I'm gonna completly have my 305 rebuilt. Summit has a Sealed Power piston kit with forged pistons for $430. Comes with pistons, rings, all bearings, high volume oil pump, all Fel Pro gaskets, brass freeze plugs.

Who would you reccomend for the crank and connecting rods. I wanna go with forged since im thinkin of throwing a ATI Procharger on it eventually. Would i need forged at like 5 or 6psi? Or would cast hold up. I'm lookin for like 350-400hp
JE makes pistons for it too. Would you reccomend them over sealed power?

I'm gettin a built 700R4 off a guy my gfs dad used to get trannys for his race car from. $550 for 700R4 with shift kit and 2400 stall. It will handle 500ft/lbs of TQ.

DuronClocker

iTrader: (1)

I'm just saying this because I'm sure someone else will. Why bother with the 305. Why not go buy a 350 block for $200, get it machined (since you're going to have to get your block machined probably too), and buy a 350 rebuild kit for the same price as the 305 rebuild kit. You'll only be spending another $200 or so and you'll get much more power.

I have a 305, and I'm doing a lot to it but leaving the shortblock (minus cam) completely stock. Everything I'm doing (intake/heads/cam/headers/etc.) can all be swapped over to a 350 block. I'm keeping the 305 in the car as long as I can and want to see what kind of power I can get out of it, but when it needs to be rebiult or I blow it up, I'm going to be dropping a 350 in.

ede

get a 350 don't spend your own money for ammo to shot yourself i nthe foot with, as RB likes to say. either build it for a power adder or don't, but don't build it for something thinking all you have to do is bolt on a power adder later and all will be well. any power adder at any level needs forged pieces.

ljnowell

Ditto on the dont waste money on a 305. Use your 305 heads, get a 350 short block from a junkyard for 100 bucks, rebuild it. Give the heads an at home port and polish, have bigger valves installed, and you are on your way to a nice engine.

gchu

Who are you using to do your engine rebuild? I have a 305 V8 in my 88 Iroc Convertible that I wanted to have rebuilt but was looking for someone good in the area - I work in Warminster, PA. I was going to check out L&M Engines - they are only a few blocks from where I work. I want to stick with the 305 V8 since I'm not going to race it, just want to make sure it's realiable.

Also, is the deal for the Tranny for you only, or can other people get them as well? I thought I would have both done at the same time - to save on some of the labor costs.

Thanks!

N8MAN1068

for $435 i'd junk the 305 and get a junkyard 400sbc shortblock, port your heads, sell your tpi intake on ebay, pony up for a lt1 intake and be done with it.

RB83L69

Everybody says "I just want it back like it was, I'm not going to race it"; then they spend $2000 or whatever, and their car is no faster than it was, in fact, usually slower; and then they wish they'd spent the extra $50 for a 350 block.

It's the cheapest power you can buy. Don't think that "rebuilding" your motor is going to make it run better than it did before; it probably won't. What will happen, is you'll spend all that money, and you'll be disappointed, and then it's too late.

However, in your case, you're going to have $5000 easy in this by the time it's done; that makes the decision to rebuild a 305, even less sensible. That $50-$100 for the 350 block, which is an instant 15% boost in power output, will look mighty stupid to you at the end of it all, it you don't spend it up front. Think about it.... 15% more HP for $50. That's 15% more if you can get 300 HP out of your 305, 15% more if you can get 400 HP out of your 305, 15% more if you can get 500 HP out of your 305.... in other words, the more you build it up, the more that 15% increase in displacement for almost free, will net you.

gchu

I'm not looking for more horsepower - just trying to get rid of the puff of smoke upon start up as well as an oil and coolant leak. I am very satisfied on how it runs, the rebuild is just to take care of the nusiance (sp?) items. I am sure I can just keep driving it as it, but was thinking about taking care of the minor items.

The only way I would be disappointed after a rebuild is that if these things still existed afterwards. If your post is correct that a rebuild would costs $5,000 then, I would live with the minor issues. I was expecting a rebuild to stock specs to cost less than half of that - which would make it worthwhile for me to address the minor issues.

When I say I am not interested in racing it, I really am not - this is my weekend car that I use to enjoy the sun with my wife and 2 year old. Back in the day when I used to race, it was with motorcycles (0 - 60's in under 3 seconds, 1/4 in the low 10's). That was then, this is now.

I do agree that if I was looking for my HP, stepping up to a 350 is a very cost effective way to gain HP.

In my case, the car is a collectible for me (it's a convertible) that I want to keep long enough for my son to enjoy when he is old enough - another reason why I do not want to turn it into a hot rod.

Hence back to my original question, anyone recommend a good engine rebuilder in the Philadelphia Area?

ljnowell

Performance isnt an issue, just order a smogger short block from recon or GM. It'll be the same and probably cost about right, after the core.

five7kid

iTrader: (14)

Those problems don't require a rebuild. They require seals/gaskets - as in, valve stem seals for the former, and gaskets and/or seals for the latter.

gchu

I guess the issue here may be vocabulary.

I had thought that the rebuild would replace all the seals/gaskets as well the wear items (i.e. bearings,rings,oil pump,freeze plugs,etc.). I had thought it would be cost effective to have the wear items replaced when the seals and gaskets are done - I'm assuming the engine would have to be pulled to replace the seals and gaskets.

At minimum, wouldn't the top end (intake stuff) and the heads have to be removed to replace the valve stem seals?

I suspect that the main seal may be leaking, so can that be replaced without pulling the engine? If I have to drop the oil pan, why wouldn't I have the oil pump changed at the same time? If the crank is exposed why wouldn't I change the bearings? If the crank is out, why wouldn't I replace the rings?

See how I wound up thinking about a rebuild?

Or am I completely off base in that a rebuild can be completed for under $2-3K? I'm talking about having some else do everything.

five7kid

iTrader: (14)

The heads don't have to be pulled to do valve stem seals. Valve covers and spark plugs, yes, but that's all.

On an '88 engine, the rear main seal can be replaced by removing the transmission. The engine doesn't have to come out, the pan doesn't have to come off.

The coolant leak depends upon location. If a freeze plug, it can be replaced w/o removing the engine. If head gasket, the head will have to be removed. Most any other is just a matter of replacing the leaking gasket.

For $3000, you could have a new 350 engine installed.

sellmanb

i think the reason people are getting confused as per your rebuild is that you want a 305, and for it to be reliable and not fast so you can give it to your son when he's old enough... yet you hope to add a supercharger to it eventually? Heheh, one or the other my friend

gchu

That's odd - what gave you an indication that I wanted to add a supercharger to it? How did you get that perception? I do apologize if I had mis-typed something, but I my plans for my car is to keep it as stock/original as possible so that I can give it to my son when he is old enough. Figure there shouldn't be too many 88 Iroc Convertible left that are completely stock/original so it will be something special to own.

RB83L69

When you attempt to hijack somebody else's thread, it helps to at least read what they wrote; that way when someone replies to the original post, you can avoid making yourself looking like an idiot for not knowing what was in it. Plus, of course, it will be easier for people to answer one question at a time, without getting extraneous stuff mixed up into the original situation.

cgb

If ALL you intend to do is "freshen" the exisiting engine up, but keep it stock...it makes ECONOMICAL sense to just buy a replacement 350 long block engine from GM.

look here http://www.goautocenter.com They have good prices, very reasonable shipping and GREAT tech support and customer service.

If I remember correctly, a alum headed 350 was only like $2300 for a long block.

One of the main reason so many 3rd gen's ( as well as other makes that only came w/ a 305 from the factory ) are touted as 350 cars by their owners, is the simple fact, that not too long after these cars were new, when replacement engines were needed, 350's were installed in place of 305's all the time.

When I was a GM tech, we used to give the owner the option most times...the 350 was cheaper for us to use anyway.


As for leaks / puffs of smoke...as stated...sounds like valve seals.

If you're not mechanically inclined, ask around for a decent mechanic.

Request they do a leakdown test and a compression test on your existing engine.

If this passes muster, it means the internals of your engine are in decent shape.

The problem is labor. A mechanic is going to charge you the same amount of labor to pull the 305 and drop in a 350 as he would to pull the 305 and put back in the 305.

If you keep it...

Have 'em pull it.

Replace oil pump, oil pan gasket.

Intake gasket.

Rear main seal, valve cover gaskets, and valve seals.



Hope this helps.