I know there's alot of debate on this subject, but i just want to find some answers from people who have actually taken this route (no "i heard it's blah blah blah" please, facts only).

1. what's the stroke on the crank?

2. rod legnth?

The reason i'm asking is because i'm seriously thinking about getting this kit. I know that stroking a 305 isn't a popular idea, but cheap, and decent condition 350's aren't too common here in hawaii.
I also know that most ppl will recommend a crate engine, but try and ship one of those puppys approx 2500 miles by air and see how much more it'll cost OR, you could send it on the slow boat, and get it in say...3-6 weeks?

Anyhow, sorry about the ranting, but i just wanted to avoid alot of the criticizim that most of the other threads on this subject seem to attract.

thanks, and aloha

 

I thought it was a 334? Just wonderin.

 

Boring it .030 over will result in a 3.765" bore and a 3.750" stroke which is 334.0 cubic inches.

 

i have a 332, but math never was my strong suit

 

1. The stroke is usually the same as the stock 400 stroke, 3.75".

2. Rods can be any length you want, from the stock 400 length of 5.565" on up. 5.7" is most popular. You buy pistons to match the rod length you choose.

 

Humm, you aren't getting many responses from "people who have actually taken this route". Wonder why?

FWIW, if you take pi out to 13 decimal places like my Visor does, a .030" over, 3.75" stroke 305 comes out to 334.17 cubic inches. Whatever.

The most popular source for this kit seems to be Powerhouse (www.enginekits.com). They have a catalog you can download, it says the kit comes with 5.7" rods. They also call it a "335" - guess math isn't their strong suit, either.

I am not one of the "people who have actually taken this route", because I researched it last year before deciding to do the mods in my sig. Consider this: The kit costs $599. You need the externally balanced flexplate and damper to go with it, add $199 ($269 if the crank is one-piece rear main seal). You will have to do some clearancing of the pan rails and bottom of the cylinders in addition to boring out the block so the rods don't hit anything as they go around. The flexplate will be 168 tooth, so you need a ministarter. You still need a cam - small circle types work best, again because of rod clearance, and if you use one of them, you'll need new pushrods, too. All of this is the same as building a 383 from a 350 block (except the 334 kit is more expensive than the 383 kit - volume , you know).

For all of that expense, you'll get an engine that will produce about 20-25 hp more than a 305. But, you still haven't addressed the real power problems of a 305 - exhaust, heads, intake, air cleaner. Spending the same money on just those other things (and a new cam), without the cost of the stroker kit or the extra machining required for a stroker, and you will still almost double the power of a factory 305.

So, see why so few people stroke 305's? Sure, go ahead and modify your powerplant, but stroking is probably not the best $'s/HP route, even in Hawaii.

Besides, air freight on that crank isn't going to be cheap, either.

 

thanks for all the input guys

ede, is the motor torquey like the 400's/383's? or is it more of an rpm motor like the 327's?

five7kid, thanks for pointing out the finer details that powerhouse conveniently left out of their catalog. i guess i'll have to call them and ask if they internally balanced the crank, or left it externally balanced.

 

It's a "torque" motor, with very limited HP potential, for a number of reasons...

First, the stroke ends up almost exactly the same as the bore; a 383 is the next worst case, with a stroke to bore ratio of about .93. What this means is that there's not much cylinder, and it has to heave the rod and piston a long way up (uses enrgy), stop it (uses energy), heave it back down (uses more energy), and stop it again (uses energy). All that accelerating and stopping of the reciprocating mass is a pure loss to the engine, i.e. gasoline you're paying for whose energy never makes it to the crank flange. Poor efficiency.

Second, and worse, the 305 bore is so small that heads with large enough valves to flow well enough for a 5.4 liter motor won't fit. If you try to put valves past the stock 350 size in a 305 bore using most stock castings, the valves will hit the top of the deck. This limits the cam profile. Even before they actuall interfere though, they sit right next to the bore, so no air can get around that whole side of the valve. It's possible to actually make a head flow less on a 305 by putting larger valves in the intake side than it would flow with small valves.

And of course like five7 pointed out, a 350 is much cheaper, and will run better. More bang for the buck. Look for a 350, be patient, I saw lots of old Chevy trucks over there, sooner or later one will die and you can be the vulture that snatches the motor.

 

mine is a 327 +.060 in my 1st gen

 

You just gotta be different don't you? why can't you just stroke your 305 like everybody else?

Do they make 4" stroke cranks for the 305? Would that give us "the 350 Chevy should have made"?

 

can't you get 4" cranks for the motown blocks? wouldn't that fit a 305 too? might require a little grinding for clearance. i might be wrong, motown blocks are a little bit out of my range so i don't pay much attention to what specs they have.

 

How about a 427 BB .030 over for a 433. Then lie and say it's a 305