hey there,

Im looking to do a engine swap on my 87 rs. it has a carbd 305 right now, and i was curious what all is involved with a swap to an older style 350 engine? the 350 is a pre-87 block. i have a few specific questions about this swap:

1. is there any certain thing i should worry about before i begin this swap? label any certain things before removing the stock 305? will the 350 bolt right onto the stock motor mounts? clearance issues?

2. will the 350 accept all the same wiring as the stock 305 does? will i have to block off any circuts? will the stock parts (distributor, carb, etc.) work on my new 350?

i am a camaro newbie and just need some insight as to the extent of my project. any info would be appreciated. thanks

 

Welcome aboard thirdgen.org.

Any idea what year the 350 is? It only makes a difference with the details.

'86-earlier used a slightly different intake manifold bolt arrangement, where all of the intake mount bolts are the same angle. Your '87 intake has the center two bolts on each side at 72 degrees instead of 90 degrees. The good news is more carb intakes had the '86-earlier pattern than '87-later.

'85-earlier used 2-piece rear main seal, meaning you need a different flywheel than what your '87 has. Get one for an '83-'85 V8 f-body (Camaro or Firebird) manual transmission. Don't say anything about "350" or you'll just confuse the counterperson. 305 and 350 use the same flywheel, so don't fret that. But, it does have to be for a 3rd gen f-body (153-teeth).

'79-earlier had the dipstick on the driver's side, and the stock 3rd gen exhaust manifold tries to go through the same space as the dipstick tube (or, you could say it's the other way around).

You should take pictures and label everything as you take it apart. Keep bolts in labeled ziplock bags.

Other than what is listed above, there aren't any external differences between a 305 and 350. All of your stock 305 parts will fit in/on your 350. Switching out a 305 for a 350 is more of an engine "change" than engine "swap".