Okay, I've got a good price on a rebuilt and unused 305 engine from a '74 Camaro. My car is a 1990 with TBI 305. Will I be able to just bolt on the rest of my '90 stuff to work with the '74 engine, or is it not compatible?

 

yes its all compatible only if you use the 305 heads from the original block. it will actually boost the compression a lil anyways. but yes, it will work

 

there was no 305 in '74. ALL '74 Camaros had either the 250 straight 6, or a 350 V8. '73 was the final year for the 307, and '76 was the first year of the 305. So make sure what it is, because it does matter.
Then, you're gonna have to find a suitable flexplate or flywheel. Also, if it's a 350, you're gonna have issues with your stock injection. Your stock intake won't just bolt up to any pre '87 heads, either. Nor will your passenger side exhaust manifold.
These are some of the reasons to find out what it really is. If the seller can lie about that, then they can also lie about if the engine has any internal damage.

 

It's possible he may have been wrong on the year of the car. It's definitely a 305, though. I'm looking into this a lot further before I actually buy.

Would the heads on my current 305 work on an older 305, so I wouldn't have issues with stock intake/manifold?

The engine hasn't been installed in anything since it was rebuilt; the guy who has it rebuilt it for college under the supervision of someone certified, so I'm assuming it was put together properly.

I don't absolutely need a new engine for my car right now, but my car is 200,000 miles and I figured while I was redoing the severely messed up wiring, I might jump on a rebuilt engine. I have no idea if my current engine was rebuilt or if it's not the same 305 my car originally came with, but I was told when I had my lifters replaced a few years ago that the engine had been out of the car at one point. So I'm not certain whether it's a 200,000 mile engine, just that the car itself has 200,000 miles on it.

 

Make sure the dipstick is on the passenger side, not on the driver or it will hit th exhaust manifold, you'll have to swap the flexplate out for one with a 2 piece RMS instead of the 1 piece. Your heads will work on it.

Check the casting number on the back left corner of the block next to the distributor hole to make sure what the motor is.

 

i would be wondering if all the serpentine brackets will bolt to it or not.

 

Right, thanks all for the suggestions! I'm planning to go check it out sometime this weekend.

Anyone know about this question, though? Will they bolt up?

 

if you use your 305 heads it will bolt up.(the serpentine set up) I DID IT TO MINE. also, you can use a flexible dipstick tube from summit for that problem. I DID IT ON MINE. they are right though about what they said about making sure everything internal is good first. i would pull the pan and check everything first, doesnt hurt. a pan gasket is only around 10-15 bucks. its worth it to keep from further headaches.