After doing many a search on this forum, it is easy to see that the 305 is a gaint paper weight at best.

My 84 Trans Am with a 4 barrel 305 is my daily driver and is going to be for a long time to come. It is in need of a rebuild and this is where decision time comes in.

I am looking for good driveability along with good power. So I was thinking of two things for the power on demand I wanted. Either go the N20 approach or go the turbo approach.

So here is the question:

Can a 305 be built with a turbo setup that will meet my criteria?

Yes, money is an issue, I don't have a money tree.

I was planning on rebuilding the 305 to stock specifications so that I can have a reliable daily driver and taking my sweet time building a 350 with lowered compression and run a twin turbo setup that way.

I am not in a hurry with the 350, so in a way that is a better approach, but I was just curious if a 305 with SOME part upgrades will be able to handle boost. I figure she is running about 220 rwhp with a bit more torque right now, n/a. So I would like to aim for 320 rwhp on full boost.

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

ttt

 

You can certainly build your 305 to handle boost. Run your 305 with a good turbo system, and then swap it to your 350 once you get it built. You could probably even spec your turbos for the 350, they should still work ok on the smaller displacement 305. You can get all your tuning and experimentation done while turboing your 305, so you will be an expert by the time you build a serious TT 350!

I feel that basically any engine in good shape will be capable of handling a mild turbo boost (5-7psi) if properly tuned.

 

If the 305 is such a slug, do me a favor and let me have it… I'll use it to replace my L98 or my L05 when I blow them up.