Vinscully50

I have a 1986 Camaro IROC Z with the original LB9. I know building a 350 is the better bang for your buck. I do plan on building a TPI L31 for my car when finances and space allow me to do so. It will be an engine stand build. For now, since I have the 305 in my car, without pulling it, I figured I'd get some work down.

I do have a very very mild oil leak that only seems to happen when the car sits without starting for a few days. It's likely either from the timing chain cover or the oil pan. The drops are about the size of a quarter and only happen after 3 or so days of sitting. It's always near the front of the engine. The timing chain cover also looks kind of greasy. (I use Mobil 1 0w-40 Euro Oil, but it still does it with 10w-40. However, no bow tie salute with either!).
The rear main seal was replaced a few years ago as well as both valve cover seals and the distributor seal.

Also based on a few symptoms I do believe that one of my head gaskets has had a mild crack in it since I've owned the car. Only when I drive my car for several hours at a time and I'm in bumper to bumper traffic, my temp gauge starts to creep up to 250-260 and I get some mild bubbles in the over flow tank. Even on the highway it hovers below the 240 mark. It's done this for about 8 years now. But only on 3+ hour drives without shutting the engine off. Short hour drives, my temp basically hovers around 180-190 and maybe gets up to 200 in traffic but cools down on the highway.

So I figured to correct this problems, I'd get two birds stoned at once.

My car currently has the full Hooker exhaust (headers, Y-pipe and muffler) as well as the ram air mod to make it less restrictive (removing the part from the ram air and adding the HVAC piping) and the throttle body air foil it flow better. It also has a rebuilt 700R4 with thicker clutch packs and a shift kit, and a rebuilt factory 3.70 rear end. Also a Walbro fuel pump was installed a few years ago.

For my combo, I was thinking of using the World SR Torquer heads meant for the 305, then a Summit Racing Sum-K1102 Cam and Lifters, and 22lbs Injectors from South Bay.

My car is my daily driver and I don't have any horsepower goals. I'm not building a race car. It's just a daily driver that occasionally gets raced at a stoplight.

Komet

I think you should put a 350 in it. Plenty of lonely L98s out there if you don't want to buy a new manifold for vortec heads.

Vinscully50

I will eventually. I just don't have the room right now. Do you know where I can find an L98? I honestly can't seem to find any junkyard 350s anywhere. No L98s, no swirl port motors, no LSXs, no two piece rear motors, nothing.

I can find a few L31s but mostly in other states. They will be expensive to ship and will need a full rebuild. Even if I found an L98, It will still cost a ton just to have it shipped and machined and do a bottom end rebuild.

For now it's cheaper just to do a few bolt ons to the 305.

Komet

I see them on Craigslist and FB marketplace from time to time. Find some local third gen people.
You're talking yourself out of it. Find a runner that doesn't need bottom end work and then you're in almost the same exact place you are now.

NoEmissions84TA

iTrader: (1)

Good luck finding World Products SR Torquer heads meant for the 305.
Don't buy parts for a 305 that you cannot transfer over to a 350.

I'd get two birds stoned at once.

Vinscully50

No thirdgen people near me. I can't find anything on Craigslist or FB Marketplace near me.

I even just went on my local craigslist. I can't even find a Chevy 350 engine. Just a few random parts.

Edit: Nearest 350 is over 3 hours away on Craigslist. It's just the short block and looks rusty as hell. Will need a rebuild. Looks like it's been in a guys front yard for years. Only other finding is a L31, also 3+ hours away that a guy wants over $6000 for.

Vinscully50

They sell them on Summit Racing.

NoEmissions84TA

iTrader: (1)

And Summit gets them directly from...………….. World Products, right?

Vinscully50

So that means they are easy to find then.

NoEmissions84TA

iTrader: (1)

READ OUT OF STOCK.

Vinscully50

Not on Summit Racing though. But either way it's not like they are a rare part that's hard to find and they will be back instock eventually.

They aren't "impossible to find" like you claimed earlier.

Orr89RocZ

iTrader: (20)

Summit says 1 in stock in tx store. Not sure they have 2.

but at 614$ each i’d pass. Id go trickflow 175 heads which also is in stock at summit and only 680-724$ each.
problem is they have like one in stock as well with different spring options. Could get one of each and just change the springs to whatyou really need anyway

Vinscully50

What mild cam goes well with the trickflow 175 heads?

Bill Chase

Where are you located, have a complete 1991 l98 tpi out of a c4 102,000 miles good compression. Even have the stock chip to go with it, complete from throttle body to oil pan.

Orr89RocZ

iTrader: (20)

if you arent looking for crazy performance then anything will work. Just spec it for your driving habits and rpm range which if using tpi still just keep duration closer to stock, maybe 206-216 deg at .050” and high .400’s to low .500’s lift. All depends. You’ll need to tune it either way.
if you carb it or change intake, cam can be same or slightly bigger for abit more rpm

Vinscully50

I'm in Florida. Message me. I am curious. No guarantees though.

Diabeetus_Prime

From my experiences with the 22lb Bosch 3 injectors from Southbay, I do not recommend them. I'm also not quite sure what you plan on regarding tuning the ECM, but it will need a tune after you change the heads, the cam, and the injectors. Nowadays you basically have one option regarding tuning the OBD1 system and that's doing it yourself. There are very few individuals that still tune OBD1 cars. Back to the injectors, I would recommend Southbay's Delphi injectors or a Holley/Accel injector. The Bosch 3s will NOT work without tuning. Furthermore, It's impossible to find injector data on the Bosch 3 injectors. Find a injector that is either a stock replacement (Delphi) or one that provides injector information (Accel/Holley). I'd also listen to everyone else's advice and save the money you want to put towards the heads towards a 350 instead. Besides when you build a 350, your 56cc chamber heads will probably give you more compression than you want. If you want more performance, tap your heads for screw-in studs and put a larger cam in it. The stock 305 cam is pathetically small. I'm running a 210/218 duration, .460/.454 lift (IE), 112 LSA in my 305 TPI with stock heads with 3.73 gears and it's noticeably quicker than stock.