I have a '92 Camaro RS with 5 speed manual, and 305 engine. It still runs good at moment and has 172000 miles on it. I am planning on pulling motor out sometime in near future when I have extra cash and doing a complete rebuild.

Some of my friends are telling me to just put a 350 in it, but for some reason (don't ask me why) I want to keep the 305 in it and build it up to keep up with some of the big dogs.

To let you all know I do not want to go all crazy with this, I want to keep it street legal and a somewhat of daily driver. But want some opinions from some of you who may know a little more on what would be best for me to do (ie. What motor would be best, etc).

I am thinking about putting twin turbo charger on it if possible but like I said before I look more into this I would like some opinions on what to do and what not to do.

So far I have decided on a 350 4 bolt main but am wondering if I can get more power out of a 350 with higher compression and good parts or a lower compression and throw a SC on it. If I can get more out of the motor without a SC on it, I'll just take that extra grand or more and use it for something else.

Also remember that this is going to be a tight budget build over time. So I will not be able to afford LTS's and that.

Thanks for everything in advance.

 

What does that mean? Like, LT1, LT4, LS1, LS6?

"Twin turbo", "tight budget", and "build over time" do not belong in the same topic. Any time you talk about turbo, budget is going to be large, and you need to build it all at once. You don't build a budget engine and turbo it later. Well, not if you want it to run decent before the turbo and hold together after.

The least money is spent when you start with the proper base. The 305 is about as improper a base as you can get. One thing you can count on is the "real" big dogs spend a lot of money - you want to keep up with them, you'll have to spend, too. You save money by not going for things that don't make it faster, like chrome anything. You really waste money when you start lame and try to crutch it to the finish line.

The best base for today's $'s is the LSx family. Simply installing an LS1 is going to make you faster than the 305 will be for pretty much the same money - with a little more, you'll leave anything done to a 305 in the dust.

Of course, the T5 should be considered a historical relic - get rid of it, regardless of what else you do.

 

I have seen and read that LT4, LS6 and LS1 are expensive to get ahold of and are expensive for performance parts.

I mean over time as over many months and not years. But not a week or two. I know turbos are expensive so that is why I am asking about SC.

I am going to get a nice base and just not throw it in the car but work from block up with all new parts. As for the T5 will be replaced with a T-56 along with suspension upgrades to car.

 

Turbo, supercharger, same thing. Same issues. Whether SC, turbo, or NA, power is going to depend upon how much money you spend. The power adder options tend to make the powerplant more user-friendly, but you need to spend more money on the rotating assembly to keep it together.

LSx engines are coming down in price. Really nice high-flowing LSx heads are available for what you'd pay for a decent set of Gen I aftermarket heads. Power gains with simple changes are more effective than with Gen I engines, while maintaining fuel economy that you won't touch with a Gen I. You can pick up an LS1/T56 running and complete w/PCM & harness for about $4k - easy to spend that much on a Gen I 350 and T56 and not have the power or the economy. Yes, it will take a little bit more money to install the LS1, but certainly no more than to build and install a turbo or SC 350/T56.

LT4's are hard to find. An LT1/T56 will cost you about $1k-1500 less than the LS1/T56, but you're going to have to spend more money to get the power back up. HP increases per $ spent won't be as good as the LSx, but better than Gen I and with better economy than Gen I (but still not quite as good as LSx). Turbo and SC Gen II's are common and powerful. Stroking is a simple way to improve power with them.

You can build most anything and get power from it. The real question is which makes the most sense to start building in the first place. Gen I engines will be around for a long time, but the LSx engines are quickly becoming the powerplant to beat.

 

I guess which ever motor I get my hands on cheap and in good shape will be what I build. But I'm in no rush I am keeping my out and options open