lovemymaro

I finally got another car so i can work on my 91 Camaro Rs 305..But it turns out idk what to do. All together right now i have the 305 out of the car, headers, and a 350 block and some 350 heads. Anybody know a particular path i should go? 350 heads on the rebuilt 305? 305 stroked to 335? Anything interchangeble in the rebuild? im looking for a weekend warrior car, and i have no time constraints.

brodyscamaro

My opinion: Gen III


But w/e you do I would stay away from the 305 (stroked or not). If you use the 350, run the best heads you can afford to run. The sky is not the limit, but there is a significant range in how much heads will cost you. In the end, IMO you would be better off with the economy, power, and drive-ability of the later motel engine...

lovemymaro

Could you elaborate on the Gen III thing? So basically im goin to have to work to build up the 350 from new/different stuff? I can get free machine work so stroking and boring out the 305 wouldnt yield much? im on a small budget

KrisW

iTrader: (5)

Read and search a lot more around here.

Read the ultimate TBI threads and the 305-350. You have a lot of good parts already, you are only a few more trips to the junkyard away!!

BMmonteSS

It's going to be way cheaper and easier to build the 350 from the ground up than it would to stroke the 305. On top of that you'll end up with 15 more cubes with the 350. My quick and dirty recipe:

Use the 305 crank as a core to get a ground 350 crank from the parts store.
Rebuild the stock 305 rods with arp bolts
Order cheap "performance" rebuild from northern auto
This kit contains hyp. pistons, any cam you want, and all the parts you need to rebuild the 350.

Rebuild the 350 heads or spend a little coin and go with vortec heads.

Throw in some DIY tuning and you could be running mid to low 13's.

lovemymaro

Okay so heres my plan tell me if it sounds completly correct.(oh yeah all i have is $1000 will it cover everything)
Take Accesories off 305
Get the 350 Crank
Arp Bolts
Get performance rebuild from Nothern Auto (what cam should i go for for good streetability, but i kinda want a little lope with it>)
I think ill port and polish the 350 heads cuz i can get it for free...
Will i need a new rear end/differential combo?

And why does it seem like everyone shies away from 305 building. All my machining will be free, so id basically just pay for the stroker kit. and the bore over would be free too. Can the the P&P 350 heads go on the 305? Cuz i think with a cam id have a pretty good setup.

Jason89RS

iTrader: (2)

Most everyone given the choice will go with the 350. Why not start off with motor that is already making more power and go from there. Everything you can do to a 305 to make power you can do to a 350. You can put the P&P 350 heads on the 305 (They will physically bolt up) but doing so will drop your compression ratio a lot which will be a loss of power. Basically you'd be going backwards by doing that.

lovemymaro

Ok thanks for letting me know that, im not to big on the whole top end deal of the motor yet, ive only rebuilt 305/350 never tried what im doing now. So does the other list sound about right?

Jason89RS

iTrader: (2)

Sounds pretty much what BMonteSS suggested. He's much more of the expert than I am.

lovemymaro

yeah it is his list i just wanted to make sure it is accepted(not questioning his knowledge)..So at last i now just wanna know about the Cam and Rear End/Differential Combo ?'s.. And is there anything i should watch out for during the rebuild/install? Sorry about the ?'s, next time i will definetly search

Jason89RS

iTrader: (2)

I'm not putting you down or anything, asking questions is the way we learn. Check out this thread for alot of good info. 305 to 350 swap.

I would guess you are probably running 3.08 gears in your RS right now. They should be fine and still get you good gas mileage. if you are looking for more performance then you might check into getting a posi with 3.42 or 3.73 gears.

lovemymaro

ok, i been thinking about making that step, IIRC i actually have 2.73's. Ive heard off pulling gears out of blazers that are actually compatible. would it be better to go new or try to find some from the blazer?

Jason89RS

iTrader: (2)

I would keep my eyes open for a complete rearend out of an iroc or z28 that has disk brakes and gearing that was better. You could always get a rear end out of a 4th gen camaro or bird as well. The only difference is they are about an inch wider.
If you want to keep yours and just change gears, I would save up for new gears.

lovemymaro

alright thanks bro, your a big help to my whole project

Jason89RS

iTrader: (2)

Sure no problem, but remember these are just my opinions. Other people here may have different or better ideas. Hopefully if they do they will post them up and help out.

lovemymaro

yeah its all good, your opinions seem to go closely with mine so im satisfied for the most part

BMmonteSS

Without tuning you can't run anyn more cam than stock. Since you are going from a 305 to a 350 tunign is going to be required anyway. Something in the mid 210 range would have a slight lope and wouldn't be to bad to tune. With that said I HIGHLY suggest getting the tuning quipment now and start learning. Tuning a comletely new combo with no experience is going to be very HARD. Don't kid yourself for one second and think a mail order chip will work.

Tuning is just a fact of life with FI, best to bite the bullet and get into it now, or just do a stock rebuild on the 305.

lovemymaro

when it comes to tuning do you have to burn chips or do those handheld tuners work 2? so far around here i cant understand the burning chip thing but i have seen the other tuners used before.

Jason89RS

iTrader: (2)

With the OBDI computer that's in the car now you'll have to burn chips. I believe you are referring to the handheld turners that are used to program OBDII computers, which have a flash memory chip.

lovemymaro

well it looks like my project has hit a brick wall..

vipershark11

iTrader: (6)

just stick with the 305 itll give you less trouble in the end.

lovemymaro

its kinda hard considering everyone here dogs the 305 like crazy..i dont know what ill do now..ineveitably somethings gotta happen because i need more power..

vipershark11

iTrader: (6)

i bet i hit 13s with a 305 this year easily. i just bought a headgasket up kit for my 305 gonna fix the stock headgasket leak and make it hit 13 off spray this year. less tuning hassle, swappable parts, durable but its your choice.

lovemymaro

How do you think this combination will run right now?:
Delta Cam 203 Duration 450 Lift Intake and Exhaust
Stock 305 Heads ported and polished
Shorty Headers

Oh and would it be safe buying a cam with 8500 miles on it? still looks to be in good condition.

BMmonteSS

IF that cam is a flat tappet cam (not roller) then I would steer clear. You HAVE to get the lifters back on the same lobe or you'll round off a lobe. I've only had about a 50% track record of transplanting used flat tappet cams even when keeping the lifters in check.

Guys, I really wouldn't be so scared of DIY tuning. It doesn't get real hard untill you go hog wild with big cams and $$ heads. A mild cam 204-210 dur. cam with vortec heads will make 300 hp without breaking a sweat and be pretty easy to tune. In fact I tuned my brothers 350 in about 2 hours with this exact combo of parts. Of course it'll take you longer, but there was none of the usually tricky issues that crop up with bigger cams and TB's. He can roast his 275's clear through first gear and he's only got 3.23 gears. I'll be surprised if it doesn't run mid 13's........that's automatic tranny LS1 territory.

lovemymaro

The cam is a hydraulic roller cam, but thanks..im deciding between this used cam and a brand new one, that i can better suit to my combo..
Im finally doing it, ill be DIY tuning my car because its just absolutely needed and will be better for me in the future..After a bit of studyin it actually seems do-able.
But i am building the 305..Stroking to 335, Vortech heads, Shorty Headers, Cam, LSD, 3.42 gears, rebuilt 700r4..(might be switching from TBI to TPI in the future.)Should make for a good weekend warrior, till i get my 98-02 Camaro.(after school)

Ill start a new thread when the build starts and post some pics..

BMmonteSS

It's your money..........but it's still a bad idea.