My buddy has an 87 Trans Am with a carbed 305. He wants 300 - 350 horsepower.

He wants to swap in a 350 and add some goodies on it to achieve this goal. He also wants to stay carbed (not fuel injected).

The car will be a daily driver. The budget is 2 grand.

 

with two grand to spend i would think he could easily squeeze 300+ outta the 305, but maybe not. maybe a better carb/intake setup and then maybe a small shot of n20

 

Have him take a look at the gm performance catalog. I believe for another 4-700 extra bucks he can have a brand new crate motor w/ most of the trimmings PLUS a warranty. just my

 

I'd suggest a visit to a local professional engine machine shop for some rebuilding advise and part selection assistance. Scout wrecking yards. You may be able to locate at minimal cost, a good used vortec 350 L31 long block to rebuild. Same idea with just about any good used 350 but, keep in mind that with a vortec motor you wont need to find a good set of heads to go with a good short block.

The costs associated will reflect what the motor costs plus machine work needed and the parts selected or in need of replacement. It's real easy to go butt wild and burn the budget before the short block is even assembled, and a lot harder to stay within a (limited) set budget to build an entire motor. You'll need to be resourcefull to build it for $2K but, that's do-able if you provide the parts and work closely with the engine builder of your choice.

If you want a crate motor that's plug and play... well, just add money

 

This combo will make over 350+hp

350

9:1-9:5:1
vortec heads(with proper springs)
performer rpm intake
comp xe 262

or if he wants to stay with the 305

280+320hp (depending on cam choices)

9:1-9:5:1
305 vortec heads(proper springs)
performer or performer rpm intake
comp xe256-262

Most of these combos will not pass emissions and of course all need full headers and exhaust to achieve this power.350hp is not that hard to do for a 350 with vortec heads and a mild cam and a 305 can do 300+hp with a cam in the 212+ duration area.The crate motor is the 350ho crate motor, it is hard to beat though for a great performing motor that comes with a warrenty.

 

One hp per cubic inch is really easy to achieve, you can use a oldschool close chamber head, rpm intake, flat tops and a 270H comp cam with shorty hedders will easily make the power he is looking for, the vortec heads are a really great head, but you can find a set of old schiil heads for cheap and will usually have guide plates, studs, and big valves if you search for them.

 

Check out these crate motors: http://www.cmengines.com

You might find something to your liking

 

The first thing to budget is exhaust. You aren't going to get 300 HP using factory '87 exhaust parts. It all needs to go.

After you decide how much the exhaust is going to cost you, you will know how much of the $2k you have left to work on the engine. Most likely, you aren't going to get a 300 HP crate for what's left. However, with the exhaust taken care of, the remaining funds should be quite sufficient to get 300 HP out of either the 305, or a money-well-spent rebuilt 350 (such as a 350 shortblock with the 305 heads on top of it with a good cam in it).