Just got the new parts ordered, this setup is to be a little better than stock for a daily driver with a little kick. Not looking to drag race or any hard Auto X. This is to replace my POS 84 Maxima.

This is all going into a 1985 Trans Am. Picked it up for $450 the body has VERY little damage (Front bumper wrinkled a little), just needs a paint job. Had the 305, rod bearing was out (piston smacked around a little).

This is all being done on a $3500 budget, which is all my extra for a year (it sux).

INSTALLING:
NEW GM 350 (4bolt/2pc)
BowTie Overdrives 700r4 Tranny
Summit Balancer 6 3/4"
Complete Energy Suspension bushings all around

NEXT (After CA Smog )
Edelbrock Performer Intake (Already have this)
Edelbrock TES Headers (Gotta keep it legal)
Edelbrock Cat Back Exhaust (Other?)
Random Technologies Cat


Any suggestions? Comments? Questions?

 

What "new" GM 350 is this?

If it's the "Goodwrench" one, DON'T!!!! It is basically a duplicate of the smogger pigs from the 70s, part number for part number. You know, those magnificent 165 HP 350s that couldn't pull a greasy string out of a cat's lower digestive tract. Deep-dish pistons that give compression in the low 8s, 993 "Hecho En Mexico" head castings, the 929 cam. A good mental image to keep in mind when thinking about that motor is "phone company van": it's intended for large fleet customers (like the phone company) who have that occasional vehicle (van) that the stewpid users out in the field falied to take care of properly, and the motor failed, and now the van is disabled; so to get it back out there earning revenue, GM supplied the cheeeepest thing they can cobble together, that will push the van around.

In no way is it even dimly connected with "fast", "power", "performance", etc.

In order to have any hope of making it run even as strong as some later 305s (for example, the 190 HP "rated" L69 or 220 HP LB9) you have to tear it all the way down, and rebuild it from scratch, just exactly as if it was an old worn-out core that you can get for $50. In other words, a waste of money and a bad choice for the application at hand.

When you get exhaust, DO NOT get ANYTHING for LG4, if that's what the car had. Get the TES and cat and cat-back for something else. I'd suggest getting it for the L69. If you get LG4 stuff, you will be retaining the exhaust bottleneck the motor was born with; namely, the teeny-tiny Y-pipe and cat. It all costs the same or nearly so, so get something that replaces that drinking straw with more nearly decent-sized stuff.

Put the exhaust and headers on BEFORE you get it smogged, not after. Print the Edelbrock listing off their web page that shows the CARB EO #s for their headers, and take it with you, because the # is hard to read on the headers. That's what I had to do with my 83 when I lived out there in an "enhanced" smog area (north San Diego county).

I'd suggest a ZZ4 intake instead of the Performer. You can pick them up cheeep on ebay or the classifieds on this site from time to time. The Perf is basically a replica of a stock 305 intake. Again, not very "performance" oriented. I don't know whether it has a CARB # or not; but it has all the ports and places for every switch, sensor, valve, etc. that you need, so that it passes the visual; paint it black like the rest of the motor, and it will sail right through.

 

That is the one, the idea is to get it on the road right now. Its not going to be a "See that turbo Geo" bs.

Kind of a crappy motor im aware compared to the other 350, but it also 1/2 the price. And right now, it needs to be cheap and going. As i said that little Maxima (Maxipad) it dying and i gotta have transportation

was going to get the 1 3/4 headers and new y-pipe. The reason for waiting after smog is the fact of money being depleted. I have replaced alot

New Bushings, 95% of the steering system (old), paints, chemicals, time, wheels & tires, time