Ok, sitting in the corner of my garage is the TBI 305 out of my '92 RS. The more I look at it the more I want to do something with it but I cant realy decide what. I wanted to get a 335 stroker kit, a larger TB, pistons, probably a head job, and some other minor things. But today a freind of mine said that he has a late model 350 block sitting at home that I could take my crank, rods, and heads and put on. Which option would be better/cheaper/yield more power?

------------------
-'92 RS with self-installed '95 LT1
-Heddman Headers
-TPIS throttle body airfoil

Kills
-'97 Mustang Cobra
-'98 V6 Camaro
-'89 5.0 ****stang
-'97 Sebring
-'96 ****stang Cobra

Losses
-'99 Mustang GT
-'96 Mustang Cobra
-'95 Z28 (good race)

 

um. whats wrong with the LT1 in ur car now!

 

Even though the stroke and journals are the same on a 305 & 350, the balance is not. You'd have to get it rebalanced to do the job. Harmonic dampner is different as well.

You also wouldn't want 305 heads on a 350. They're not so great for 305's, let alone 350's. Get different heads.

I know that most anyone who has an opinion would say do the 350 instead of the 334. But, the question still stands: What's wrong with your LT1?

 

Both of those options are a very poor use of money. The most efficient use of money would be to call a scrap dealer and get rid of that motor; then get yourself a 350 core and a set of decent heads. You will spend more money making an inferior 334 with TBI garbage for heads than you will buying a 350 core.

Now maybe I'm old-fashioned or I just don't get it or something, but... hmmmm, let me get my financial adviser on the line here right quick.... OK, I can buy a kit for ... how much? and go through the hassle of clearancing a block and all that, and then put a bunch of swirl-port crap on top of it and make sure I have no horsepower, and about $1500 later I'll have... at best 8% more power; or I go to the junkyard and spend $200 for a 350 core, spend all my machine work and prep money and all my time on that instead, and even if I get a crap 350 I still have at least 15% more power, but it cost me hundreds of dollars less..... hmmmm, this is a real struggle, adviser, help me out!!!

Bottom line: working over a 305 gives far less bang for the buck than spending the same, or fewer, bucks on a 350. The core (the thing siting in your garage) is simultaneously the cheapest part of the whole project, and the part that most limits the final outcome. There is no point is spending your money on an inferior core. Put a $3000 paint job on Pinto, it still looks like a Pinto.

Throw the 305 in the trash and move on.

------------------
"So many Mustangs, so little time..."
ICON Motorsports

 

RB83L69 is right on.

------------------
Big 454 '86 Camaro Z28 '72 Nova w/454 BBC

 

sorry, I didnt make clear my intentions. Im keeping my LT1, I will never part with it! I am trying to find a Camaro or Firebird for cheap that needs some work and I wanted to be able to put a little better engine in it. Im not talking like thousands of dollars or anything, $1000 max. I also wanted to be able to use parts I already had or could get for cheap. Let me say it this way, I dont want a 500 hp powerhouse that would break other parts of the car. I wanted to get some experience with rebuilding engines for when the time comes to do my LT1. sorry about not saying that first. The only reason I posted the 305 heads on a 350 is I had seen other people talking about it and it was just a thought, I wasnt actually going to do it. that should clear things up some, anymore help you can give me?

------------------
-'92 RS with self-installed '95 LT1
-Heddman Headers
-TPIS throttle body airfoil

Kills
-'97 Mustang Cobra
-'98 V6 Camaro
-'89 5.0 ****stang
-'97 Sebring
-'96 ****stang Cobra

Losses
-'99 Mustang GT
-'96 Mustang Cobra
-'95 Z28 (good race)

 

You might want to get a PAW (Performance Automotive Warehouse) catalog and see what you can get together. Since you already have a usable 305 shortblock, I'd say start there. Maybe get some Vortec heads and have them milled, install a PAW cam kit and a small block intake. Using that catalog I put together an estimate of $1,800 for an entire engine build up that included rebuild kit, heads, machine work, throttle body, intake, headers, cam kit, HEI distributor and miscellaneous parts. I know that exceeds your budget, but you could get the less expensive cam kit and headers, and there are lots of other cheap parts in there. I should probably mention that the heads I am using are Vortec 350 heads that a friend is selling for $100. I included $200 to machine them.

 

Archives didn't help? How could you miss https://www.thirdgen.org/messgboard/...ML/000409.html . Talk about flames (great ***** of fire!).

If a 350 block is available, do what DaBird said for that block. Except Vortecs can cause some problems - can't see using them with the work that is required (machining for screw-in studs, better springs, special intake) when Worlds will get you there with just as good or better flow using standard intakes for about the same or less money. But, that's just me. Also not sure why both an throttle body and HEI are included in his list - if you use TBI, you need a TBI distributor. If you go with carb & mechanical/vacuum HEI, you don't need a TB.

As for just rebuilding the 305, check the thread for some ideas. Again, heads & cam are the keys. Upgraded exhaust is assumed.

 

What makes a TBI distributor different?

 

A TBI distributor is controlled by the computer. If you're building up a TBI, you cannot use a "standard" mechanical/vacuum advance distributor.

 

HEI and electronic control are not mutually exclusive. There are electronic HEI units, they only require a simple wiring mod. If you're programming your own chip, this is not a problem.

 

Understood. I have a CC HEI under the hood of the Camaro. Also have had several non-CC HEI's through the years. Even a "bastard" on an '84 van that has vacuum/mechanical advance and a 4-wire connection to the computer.

What would you be buying from PAW? I assumed (perhaps incorrectly), that the 305 TBI sitting in the corner of the garage after the LT1 swap would have a distributor on it. The "typical" HEI from PAW/Summit/Jegs is a mechanical/vacuum advance unit. Although electronic/computer control aftermarket versions are available, if your factory engine already has a distibutor on it, there isn't any reason to go out and buy a new distributor. And risk getting something that won't work.

 

The unit I checked out from PAW was just for a generic price. It's probably not the right kind. Jegs has a Pertronix unit that's about $205. The reason I would opt for that over the stock unit is my old theory that you should upgrade all parts equally. If you improve air and fuel, you have to improve spark in the correct proportion. An electronic HEI is cheaper than an ignition box/coil combo. Plus, I think any stock distributor should be rebuilt before putting higher spark to it. The price of all that together would be a lot higher than the old HEI. That's all just my engine building theory. It's what makes me comfortable, so I go with it.

 

The primary weakness of the factory distributor isn't the basic unit, but the module. An aftermarket upgrade will take care of that. Some aftermarket pieces have ball bearings on the shaft, which might be nice if you're running a really high volume and pressure oil pump at really high RPMs, but the standard bushing type is fine for all but the harshest usage.

The other "weakness" of the typical factory ignition is the coil. That should be upgraded anyway, and they aren't that expensive.

Those two things are a lot cheaper than an entire aftermarket distributor, and performance-wise get you where you'd be with an aftermarket piece.

Carb conversions are an entirely different story...

[This message has been edited by five7kid (edited February 27, 2001).]