Ok I've Got about $2,000 to do this and I want to know what your guys' suggestions are to do. I'm pulling my 305 this summer and rebuilding YES REBUILDING it not replacing it wit a 350. What exactually would you guys do to it. Name all that you can please.

 

What about it needs rebuilding?

Most likely, the shortblock is okay, if it runs now and has been reasonably maintained with regular oil and filter changes. Most likely, money spent there will not improve anything.

A good way to spend your money is to concentrate on exhaust improvement, cam upgrade, head flow improvement, and PROM tuning.

What exhaust do you have? Single or dual cat? Are you going to keep the cat? Regardless of those answers, if you don't have headers, put about $400 of your budget towards that ($550 or more if you go with ceramic coating, which is a good idea). If you have the tiny single cat exhaust now, upgrade it all to 3". Figure on half your budget for exhaust.

Keep your roller type lifters. Those cams are more expensive, a good Comp or Crane computer-compatible cam will run about $250-300, toward the higher number if you get a new timing set (a good idea).

Get porting equipment. The actually bits & stuff isn't too expensive, getting a die grinder to run it will cost the most. The inexpensive $15-30 pneumatic 1/4 collet die grinder will do, but you need a good high capacity compressor to run it. Don't forget goggles, dust masks, and ear muffs.

The heads will benefit from 1.94" intake valves along with the exhaust, cam, and porting. Figure about $500 for machine shop work, new intake valves, new valve springs, pinning the rocker studs, and new valve seals, along with the basic tanking and "valve job". This assumes you do all the porting work yourself. You can also use the porting stuff to work on the TPI plenum, base, etc.

That leaves you a little bit for misc. like gaskets and hoses, and maybe get you into PROM tuning equipment. Did I mention an adjustable fuel pressure regulator?

Taking the shortblock apart and putting rings & bearings into it, much less boring and new pistons, would be a waste of your budget.

 

ok first off im not doin any of the work myself cause I don't have any time with work, harvest, and baseball. Second off i was planning on rebuildin it because it doesn't run near to right right now. So i figured if i rebuilt the whole thing I could get rid of the problem and help performance some too. I was planning on putting som comp. heads on and possibly a trick flow intake and headers definantely. I already have a dual cat exhaust with a flowmaster muffler and dual tips so I don't think that that needs upgraded. But after my input does any one have any more suggestions?

 

Why are you so opposed to dropping in a block dimensionally and outwardly visibly the same? It'll cost the same or just slightly more (including the cost of the block) to drop in a 350.

I've seen 'stock' type short blocks (though with flat-tops) go for as little as $900. If you are looking for moderate street-fun performance (as opposed to a street/strip car) I'd get that and spend the rest on decent parts and tuning.


Of course, that $2k won't get you any damn thing close to what you want if you aren't doing any of the work (pulling, installing, etc.) yourself.