Howdy. I just bought back a 1982 Trans Am that I owned years ago. It has the original carb 305 and 4-speed trans. The guy put in 4:11 gears after I sold it. The cam went flat and the motor has seen better days. I would like some advice on what to do. My goals are to make this a low cost long distance cruiser so my initial thoughts are putting in a crate 350 along with a 5-6 speed trans to counter the low gearing.

Am I on the right track? What is the best combination of engine and trans? Thanks in advance!!

 

You said you want "low cost", it would be cheaper to just replace the ring and pinion then to buy a 5-6 speed manual. Give us a $$ figure so we can try to hekp you spend it.

 

I'd stay away from crate motors unless you plan on not going with fuel injection. For example, if you get a used LTX or LSX, there is plenty of help on the web about common problems and how to fix them with these engines. They are just more common and more people are familiar with the all the parts of these engines.

Long distance cruiser to me sounds like a 350/383TPI, LTX, or LSX with a 6 speed.

 

A crate 350 may well be cheaper than a rebuild for the 305. I bought a 350HO for my '72 c-10 and have been tickled pink with the performance. It performs well from idle up to redilne, has a good sound through the flowmasters, and plenty of get up and go.
I would think that a mild 300-350 hp small block that has a good torque curve and a 2.73 or 3.08 gear will be much less costly than an overdrive transmission. My tremec is a great trans mission, but I didn't gain any mpg's with my carb motor, and it was an expensive install. You may need a new bell housing, shorter drive shaft, shifter, speedometer adapter, ect.
A new ring and pinion will be much less expensive. Besides with a 4.11 gear and a mild camed motor, you will never need first gear!
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ltx lsx does not qualify as low cost. And NOTHING is more common than a conventional small block chevy. NOTHING.

 

Thanks for the advice so far. My ideal combination would be a LT or LS swap with 6-speed, but not sure about affording it right now. Perhaps a crate engine with a used T-5 with around .6 overdrive would accomplish what I want right now. I don't know combination of parts needed to do this and I guess I will just have to dive in and figure it out as I go along. Any other thoughts would be welcome!

 

If choosing between a lt or ls I would only go ls. I've driven both and would consider an lt swap as a waist of money and time. As for the ls, it is a cool swap, but you will not likely ever recoup the extra expense in fuel savings. That is simple a very cool engine swap. If you are new to all this, and are not experienced in engine swaps, the modifications involved in a 4th gen swap may be more than you are capable of right now. There is plenty of info on this site that will allow you to make that decision on your own. Dollar for dollar, my first recomendation is still I think the best for a first timer on a budget.

 

I am leaning towards your suggestions, Blackbird66. I was thinking how much easier it would be to just change the rear gearing and leave the trans in place. A crate 350 looks like the way to go. I'll have to do a search to determine if all the accessories etc can be transfered from my 305 to the 350. They are pretty much identical on the outside, right? So, my intake, carb, ignition etc will bolt right up?

I am reentering the mechanical side of things after a 30 year lapse. I even used to be a line machanic at a Subaru dealership in the late '70s so I am not totally unfamiliar with how this all works...Im just short on the details involved. Thanks for the advice!

 

Thankfully you have a chevy, and not a ford. So therefore everything will interchange from the 305 to the 350 with one possible exception. The flywheel is different from a one piece seal block and a two piece rear main seal. An '82 will be the older two piece. Many crate motors are of the older two piece design, and it is clearly stated as to what it is. If you buy a 350HO vortec, or zz4 from GMPP or any edlebrock crate motor based on the zz4 short block you will need to buy a flywheel for a one piece rear main.
otherwise without looking up the numbers on the block, from 283 to 400 they all look the same. And unlike a Ford the deck heights are all the same, and all chevy transmissions fit either small or big block. gotta love that!

 

If you want fuel milage, and going with a 5-speed with a .6 5th or the 6-speed with the .5:1 6th gear, don't put 3.23 or 2.73 gears in the car. Most of the stick cars were 3.42 or 3.73 geared cars. My LT1 in my GTA with a 6-speed and 3.70s gets around 27 on the highway crusing at 75-80mph. My LS1 in my '98 can get 30mpg with 3.42s running 75-80 on a long trip.

I would ditch the carb, and get an LTx/LSx if you're wanting something that will be a long distance cruiser, you can get an entire motor/tranny setup for a little bit more than what you'll have in a crate motor (especially with the LTx)

The LTx is NOT a waste of money if you're on a budget and is a very good motor.

With the 3.70s I'm turning a shade under 2000 rpm (about 1800)in 6th at 75mph
With the 3.42s I'm turning a shade over 1500 rpm (about 1600) in 6th at 75mph