I finally said screw the Jones's. After shopping for a new car, i realized how much I could save by keeping my 89 RS 305(TBI). I want advice on rebuilding, or swapping for a stock crate 350.I am leaning toward rebuild to save money. I still want to use it as a daily driver, and I need reliablility. I drive the car 100miles a day 5 days a week. I can pretty much cruise past most moms and riceboys now, so I don't need a full on drag racer. If I rebuild, should I get a kit, and what has to be replaced? I used to own a 5.0 and I do miss the seat of the pants power. I would like to have 20 or 30 more HP at the rwheels if I do a rebuild . Any advice would be appreciated.

 

Check out the P.A.W. catalog, all 1200+ pages of it. Lots of good engine rebuild kits/ ideas

 

My 86 305 is burning oil like crazy at a rate of 1qt/100miles.

You can get a rebuild kit for your 305 somewhere arount $300-400, maybe a little bit more. A basic kit should include crank bearings, rod bearings, pistons, rings, oil pump and gaskets.

On the other hand, you could find a used 350, buy the rebuild kit (around $200 for pre 1987 350s) and build the engine while you can still drive your Camaro. Then do the swap over a weekend.

Look for rebuild kits at naparts.com, enginekits.com, summitracing.com or paw.com. Everyone has prices online, except paw, which is still in the 20th century; you have to order (buy) their huge catalog.

If you want a step further, get a cam kit (about $400-500 for your roller cam setup). It should include the cam, springs, retainers, seals and locks. A cam with numbers around 204/214 dur @ 0.50 lift should give you more power and still yield good mileage. This is what I'm aiming for. A hydraulic cam kit should be around $200-300 at most

Good luck. If you need more help, just ask.

 

While shopping around witht he same ideas, I figured a Powerhouse 335 stroker kit would actually be a wise investment. It is a couple hundred more, but it has a complete brand spanking new rotating assembly, plus more cubic inches to play around with. Might as well enjoy the power increase while you are at it.

I will rebuild my '90 LO3 as a pet project during the summer.