We have a spare 350 block sitting around in the garage collecting dust, so I put some thought into pulling the 305 TPI out of my bird, and swapping in the 350. Now comes the fun stuff.

My knowledge is basic at best, pretty much enough to pull the motor, bolt on stuff, and drop it back in. Aside from that, I don't know specs or their meanings of say, certain cams, heads, etc, etc. Willing to learn though!

Pretty much what I'm looking for is to build a 350 TPI that will run 13s, yet maintaining the stock 2.73 rear and 700r4 trans. Is that doable? What all can I swap in off the 305?

I don't have any objections to considering changing out the rear end, as I'm sure I'll get around to that eventually anyway. If the 2.73 is junk, what should I look to put in it?

Thanks for any input and opinions!

 

You need to know more about the 350 you have before too many decisions can be made. Is it an older 2-piece rear main seal block or the newer 1 piece? Is it a roller cam motor or flat tappet? What heads does it have? These are all important in helping figure out what can and can't swap, and what items should be upgraded to reach your performance goals.

 

Honestly, I have no idea other than it's a 350, and it came out of an 88-89 Chevy Silverado, if I remember correctly. As mentioned before, heads/cams are over my head lol. I can get a few pics if needed. Thanks for the help.

 

That's a good block to start with, but the heads & pistons are trash. Those blocks came with flat tappet cams, but were capable of running roller cams with the addition of factory roller lifters & lifter keepers. A nice rebuild with new pistons, new roller cam, aftermarket heads, a Stealth Ram and a custom tune would make for a great motor without laying out a boatload of cash.

 

If that pic helps at all.

Keeping your response in mind, what should the specs on those be? I'm completely lost as far as all those go lol. Also, what would I be able to interchange from the 305 to the 350?

 

Phx suggest you start reading the boards and learning, all yr questions are answered here 1000x over. Then when you ask edumacated questions people will be more likely to give useful feedback. Also suggest you pick a budget, sounds like you are going to have to pay someone for the rebuild, or get a mentor. Otherwise buy a remanufactured or used complete engine. FWIW.

 

Oh and here's an active thread on building a 305. Pay attention to OrrRoCZ and other longtimers. These guys are gold mines of knowledge and experience.

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/engi...305-build.html

 

As mentioned before, I'm willing to learn, and I'm reading different threads as I type this. I have no intentions of paying someone for a rebuild. I'm a DIY guy, and there are multiple people in my family that would be willing to help if I happened to get stuck. I'm learning through experience. The reason for no established budget is that first, I asked if 13s were possible with that setup, and what I could use from my current 305. Second, all I asked for were specs on the parts that Jim suggested.

 

From the looks of the head under the valve covers, the engine wasn't very well taken care of. Have you done a compression check on it?

The heads won't get you into the 13's with 2.73 gears. This probably is more than you want to spend, but this kit would go a long way in getting you there: http://sdparts.com/details/scoggin-d...er/sd8060ratpi

The truck cam is also going to hold you back. There's about a 90% chance that the block is roller-lifter/cam ready, so a mild aftermarket roller lifter cam would be a good thing. Even your current 305 TPI cam would be a step up. Scoggin Dickey used that head/intake kit along with an LT4 Hot Cam to make 360 HP on a 350 (with headers and aftermarket runners).