Hey guys.. its been a REALLY long time since I have posted but we have been focusing all our attention on the 86 Monte SS that we were building.. its our little weekend car.. the bird is my car i drive to and from work.. anyways.. Now the Monte is done and its time to turn back to the Bird.. He is the story. My L0-3 has 240,000 on it now with stock everything internally.. I figure she cant last alot longer with me takin it to the track EVERY thursday. My buddy has the same engine in his 91 RS but he rebuilt his about 30,000 ago.. as far as i know its a stock rebuild .30 over.. only thing different is the cam.. i know its a compucam but not sure which one.. and he is going to give the intake and TB with it.. its an edelbrock intake and the TB is stock except turbo city flow matched injectors. It also comes with accel 8.8 300+ race wires w/the dividers.. of course the oil pan and timing cover are included. And i know he just installed new vavle seals for the sale. Oh yeah.. and underdrive pulleys too.. What I am wondering is if that is really worth 500 bucks or not.. i figured for 500 bucks it would whoop my engine in power and i could get a custom chip burnt for it and have alot better then what i got.. expecially if i hold out putting it in till i get a set of world product heads to put on it.. i just have to wonder if its really worth 500 bucks or if i should say to hell with it and save some more money to get alittle more power.. George Caldwell is the owner of my local machine shop.. he builds good motors.. his deal is a 4 bolt 350 with my choice of cam for 850 bucks.. but all you get is the long block and it will be the old head style with a hydrolic flat tappet cam.. im not sure what kinda power im lookin at with the 350 cause all he said is 4 bolt .30 over with 1.60 2.02 heads and my choice of cam.. I guess the simple question is which one???
thanks for the opinions guys.. i know for power its an easy choice but the 305 comes with some goodies that I thought might make it worth it.. let me know

 

are the 350s freshly rebuilt to? Sounds like there is over 500$ in stuff on the 305 but of course a mild 350 will still be alot faster than the mild 305...it just depends on what you want to do...305 would be good for everyday driving but if you want a really fast firebird start with the 350...hey you never know the lo3 may last another 240k

 

I just can't bring myself to say yeah go for the 305 even if it is only $500. I have never had a rebuilt engine last NEARLY as long as the original did. I have known people with high $$ Jaspers that ran as long as stock but they cost nearly as much or more than a new GM crate engine. Whether you should spend $500 on it would depend on the quality of the rebuild and how the car was run afterwards. If it is already leaking ANY amount of oil then I would pass. My car has 128k miles on it an does not leak any oil at all. So if it has the main seals leaking in or leakage around the valve covers would be an indication that the best care was not taken in reassembling the engine. Check the intake to see if it as rubber sealant sticking out around all edges. Sloppy installs like that is another indication of poor assembly. If it passes those tests then go for the $500 engine and save for some headers and cat-back. You will need headers before heads since the stock y-pipe is REALLY bad on the TBI cars.

 

I'd buy it, if you're sure yours is soon to go. But if not, then just stick with what you've got, or get the 350.

Like said earlier, it also depends on your TRUE intentions. Since the Monte's done, is it gonna be your "***** to the wall" car, and the 'bird your daily driver, or visa-versa?

For an engine that complete, it may not be a bad idea. But don't hold him up on selling it elsewhere.

My age old saying is "If you're not sure, then obviously you don't want it."

AJ

 

Yes the Monte is a weekend car.. it has an engine built by the same guy at the machine shop.. its a 383 though.. lots of goodies on it.. me and my dad take it out to mess with the local guys and have fun at the track on test and tune day. My car is my daily driver but that doesnt mean i need to keep it "mild".. I dont mind payin for the gas.. I just dont want something EXTREMELY radical.. The 305 is tempting me cause its a car that I have seen run at the track and I know he did do a good job on the build.. he has put 30,000 miles on it so far with no problems. but i also am taking into consideration that the 350 will have 0 miles on it with a warranty. No goodies with the 350 though.. grrr.. i know the 350 will give me the power im lookin for but its a good bit more money after i buy the engine and everything i need to put it in. but if i get the 305 off my buddy is just a simple matter of yankin mine out throwing on a set of headers to the engine being dropped in and throw it in there.. will be ready to run right then and there.. of course i would need a chip too.. but that is with either motor.. things im weighing in my mind are the fact the 350 wont be a direct bolt on as far as intake is concerned, and im not sure about the flywheel.. it may need to be changed also.. Im just trying to weigh out the "speed" to "money" issue... I know which one would be quicker.. but which one is the most bang for the buck.. thanks guys.. I just lookin for this.. if you were in my shoes what would you do?? thats the question.. ill answer any questions you need to know to help you decide..
lata
scott