i know you will all think im pretty n00bish for asking this question, but what is the engine name of the small blocks (305 and 350) used in the 3rd gens?




and....dare i ask.....what exaclty does 305 and 350 mean

 

Uhh, you're new here, right?
Names, well,the smallblocks have all been refferred to as a mouse-motor, the big blocks as rat-motors (if it matters, the Hemi was an elephant,but they also had some wedges, the Fords had a lot of Bosses). The 305 and 350 designators are cubic inches, which is why us American "iron" guys like to say we drink out of bottles that have more displacement than an import's engine. (that would be 2-liters).
There's no replacement for displacement.
The only thing faster than cubic inches is cubic dollars.
and You can tune a piano, but you can't tuna fish.

That should get you started.

 

https://www.thirdgen.org/newdesign/tech/techdb.shtml

Check out the specs page.

305 = 5.0L
350 = 5.7L

 

ok thanks!

 

305 and 350 are the displament in cubic inches of the engine. There were many engine choises throughout the production years of these cars and they can be found in the FAQ on the main page. You will note TPI, TBI, carb, ect ect. People often mix lingo with the induction set-up rather than the engine code itself.

For example. The L98 was a 350 with TPI induction. Many people will just say L98 while others will say TPI. However TPI was also used on a the smaller 305 engine as well. That engine code was the LB9 (and others but I am making a point).

The bigger the engine the more potential power you can make out of it. That is why you see nothing less than a 350 in a performance car. Induction set-ups can be used on basically any of these engines and it is not uncommon for people to change displacment yet retain the fule delivery system. Check out the main page and just start reading anywhere on this site. It will set in really soon once you get the horespower bug and you want to learn how to go faster.

EDIT: you guys beat me to it.

 

and dont forget once you put a blower on a car its refered to as a huffer and a turbo as a hairdryer....LMAO

thier are many many names used to describe different engines and engine related parts but when it all boils down a 305 and a 350 are both just a small block ......

 

305-carb'd
-LG4
-L69 H.O. (high output)
305-FI(fuel injection)
-LO3 TBI
-LB9 TPI
-crossfire(don't know the code)
350-FI
-B2L(L98)

 

ok, im looking for a 90-92 camaro, i would prefer 305 b/c of the somewhat better gas milage (am i wrong?). so a 1992 305 is an LB9 and a 1992 350 is L98...if im looking for a 92, is it likely i will find a 305 with TPI?

i know nothing....im a toyota guy...lol

will i have a hard time finding aftermarket performance parts for a 305, or will 350 parts fit the 305?


thx for all the info

 

You'd be better off starting with a 350. for the same money in parts as the 305 you'll see better gains.

 

well what about the car insurance of a 350 vs a 305...will it be different

how much worse is the 350 on gas milage

they run on regular gas right?

and im not too concerned about HP gains considering i am driving a 91 toyota celica with 130 hp (0-60 mph in about 10 seconds), anything will seem "fast" to me

 

Insurance wont be that much different, if at all. It is things like "Iroc", or "Trans Am" that cost more money.......

Fuel economy is not that much different either. You might lose 1 or 2 mpg with the 350. My 88 formula 350 averages about 18mpg, and gets about 23 on the freeway on cruise control. (and that's the way I drive....... not exactly fuel economy minded.....)


Yes, they run on regular gas, better on premium though.

 

That is about the same as my '88 formula with a 305 got. I used to get right at 20mpg with an even mix of city and highway driving.

Talk to your insurance company about rates on different models and engine sizes. In this case surprises are not a good thing.

 

Where are you located?, if it's in a state with tough emissions then the car's are generally more expensive and you need to keep up with the maintenance. Will you be using the car as a project car, or daily driver. You can check out the local chapters and look through their want ads. there was a post around here that talked about how many miles were on a 3rd gen, Some guys had 250,000 miles on them. These cars are actually very dependable.
These are neat cars, chassis wise they're very close to the 4th gens so they handle, the early ones had carbs for old school guys like me, the later ones had the most advanced of the classic mouse motors. The best thing is that around here, you can find a cherry one for under $2,500.
I gotta go, I'm installin' a huffer on my rat motor in front of the slushbox. This way I can go to the squirt races and run a number.

 

mmm well beleive it or not premium gave me WORSE gas milage and i didnt see any gains with the way it ran on premium. so i stuck with regular in my LO3 (305 tbi). the choice is yours, these cars are very good for projects and hobby's, parts cost about the same for the 305 as for the 350, also prob one of the coolest daily drivers for the price too, IMO. have fun, my LO3 provided enough thrills for me until i got ancy and impatiant and ripped the motor out to swap in a carbed 355. hah well its an addiction.........

 

lets say i get a camaro (which i eventually will ) and i want to get a new engine. What can i expect to get for lets say..$1000? A used engine with high miles or what? Ive seen the GM performance crate engines that are like $5000, i will never be able to afford that. Would it be more worth it to just get my engine rebuilt than buy an engine on an $1000 budget?


thx for all the info guys

 

Crossfire would be

LU3 for the 305
Lu5 for the 350

 

how easy is it to install GMPP vortec heads, and is it a good idea...are they reliable?

 

Again what's the location, if it's a non emissions state then you can get away with using a different engine, smog states can get alittle funny that way. You can freshen up a good stock engine for under (way under) a grand.
here's a link to what you can do with a little scrounging:
http://www.fl-thirdgen.org/blacksheep1-featyear.html
Also:
http://www.fl-thirdgen.org/blacksheep-1/camaro.mov
(Ok so the valve guides are a little loose, I run the crap out of it)

 

the only uncool thing about vortec heads is that you need a vortec manifold, so it's another minor cost ($200 for a brand new manifold, used around $100 and common on ebay). It's quite simple to put heads on, however setting the valve lash and installing a distributor might be above you at the moment. plus, with those things off, you'd wanna replace the cam. and then... computer tuning. It's very simple, however things add up.

Start with a 350 and you will never regret it.

 

you need a vortec intake manifold and some other things do a search on vortec on these boards and you will find lots of threads on them good bang for the buck

 

i live in indiana, no smog restrictions


i have two tickets and got an insurance quote around $133 per month..does this sound right, because i dont think i did it correctly

i currently pay $77 a month for my 1991 toyota celica GT (130 horsepower)

 

Well, it depends on where you live and your age. The tickets sure as heck don't help. I'm 46 and I pay $1,200 a year on a 97 Ford F-150 and an 83 Z28 both with excess coverage.
If your insurance company goes by VIN number you might pick up a V-6 and then convert it to a v8. (I owned a 56 chevy wagon 6cyl, 3 speed, It had a 327, 2-4bbls a 4speed, 12 bolt with 5.13 gears and would run 13's all day long).
Just a thought, you might want to come south to buy one because you guys up north have that...what is it?,, that stuff.., oh yeah, snow that's hard on cars.
In the mean time stay off the "loud pedal"

 

Um...actually the RPO codes are as follows:
LU5 for the 305
L83 for the 350

 

i was gonna do that untill i found out how hard it is to do the swap

 

Than go with an LO3 car When I got my car my insurance went up $100 a year with full coverage. That was going from a '89 165k Buick Century to my '90 RS with 21k.

 

wow NJ really sucks the big one, im 17 and i pay 2800 a year for freaking liability.... tell me thats not messed up...

 

liability is mainly based on age of the person or persons driving the vehicle and driving record of said persons....

obviously your age is going to up it but your driving record must be horrible...

 

One of the guys I work with just bought a car ('93 Integra). He's 19 and has 7 points on his license! He's paying $300 a month for insurance, and that's after making an upfront payment of $800 to the insurance company!
$4400 a year!!!!

 

that's why it's great to be an old fart like me, I can buy a C6 and pay a grand a year.:lala:

Anyway, depending on the swap, and it not being an emission state, going from a v6 toa v8 isn't that hard, what you need is a "donor car". In other words find a nice virgin great body RS that has a 6 banger in it. Now find a beat up piece of crap with a v8, prefferably a 350, but at least a 305HO. Pull all of the parts out of the s-box and build either that v8, or another v8, and do the swap. You can probably get it done in a weekend. The best donor car would be the EXACT same year as yours, but work with me here. You'd be surprised at the scrounge-potential, i mean read this guys story.............
http://www.fl-thirdgen.org/blacksheep1-featyear.html