as the title states thats exactly what I'm doing this weekend.

the motor on my TA took a suddent change for the worse, and is making lower end noise. currently it's my only car, as my 05 GTO is already in the garage in pieces, and fixing the Gen IV SBC for that is rediculously expensive.

Sooooo... I found a local '89 TPI 350 w/ the whole TPI setup still on it, all sensors, etc. it's got a blown headgasket, and otherwise ran fine. So I'm buying it, and since the condition of the 350 heads is unknown I'm going to run my stock 305 TPI heads (car is a 305tpi/auto so it's the peanut cam).

what can I expect? I hear the CR will go up, but from what to what? can't be that much, besides won't it just make more power if the CR bumps a little? I believe my GTOs compression is in the 11 to 1 range already, and I already run premium in the TA anyway......

w/ this 350, i'm expecting I can just swap heads throw it in the car and all should be fine. I'm still trying to see if he still has the ESC module & the PROM.

i'm not looking to make a fast car (yet) I just need decent reliable transportation.

please help me out, I am new to old school Gen I SBCs. i'm used to the Gen IVs.
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also any info asap would be greatly appreciated.

I'm looking to start on this saturday, and have the car back together so I can drive to work monday morning.

 

Right at 10:1 with shim head gaskets. Thicker composition would probably reduce it some, but may increase the propensity for pinging due to reduced quench. Kind of a catch-22. Flow will be reduced due to the smaller intake valves, so power will be down.

Fix the 350 heads if you can afford the down-time. It would be a good idea to check the block flatness while you're at it.

 

ok so it looks like it won't be bad and will work fine for the time being.

are the 350 heads honestly any good for a performance application?

and as for a typical going rate, what could I expect to pay for Vortec heads and a Scoggin LIM?

seems like the stuff for GenI is nice and cheap. Hell I spent $1500 just for a set of stainless Long Tubes for my GTO, so this is nice.

I can't afford the downtime as I'm pulling the motor saturday, swapping them w/ each other, then swapping over my 305 heads and installing new headgaskets.

the 350 heads might be perfectly fine, but since the reason that 350 went down is due to a blown headgasket, I can't be too sure.

right now top priority is a running TA, a side benefit of going w/ the 350 will just be a 40/40 gain in HP and TQ hopefully. mods like LTs, heads and cam can come later. seeing that I already have a 400+hp toy, I'm in no rush here, besides currently the car isn't a toy, but rather a work beater.

and honestly, it would ping with only 10:1?? wow the goat stock is 10.9:1

 

The L98 350 heads are pretty decent after cleaning up with basic bowl porting and port cleaning, good valve springs, and something more secure than the normal press-in rocker studs.

You can get upgraded Vortec heads for .525" lift from SDPC for $400 each. The base is also $400. Runners $330. Just assume $400 chunks for each thing you need, and you'll be pretty close. . .

Don't forget the LS2 has aluminum everything and much more sophisticated combustion chambers. Quench in the neighborhood of .035-.040" is what SBC I's seem to like best.