I know its a bad decison to do this but I would like to keep the car as close to original as possible. So I am going to do the assembly and my plan is use one of the kits from Summit with some.003 over pistons and beef up the valve train. My question is what do I have the machine shop do other than the bore. Should they do anything to the crank? I am unsure of the miles on the block but everything thing seems to be in order and it has not been puched out yet. Any help or past experiences would be greatly appreciated

 

Welcome aboard thirdgen.org.

Why are you rebuilding the engine? The shortblocks on 305's will practically last forever with just regular oil changes.

Tell us more about the engine/car as well - year, model, induction, transmission, etc.

 

Well it all started in 88 when my dad bought a new black Z28 convertible with the 305 tpi and 5 speed. The car has roughly 450,000 miles. The engine was claimed to have been replaced but I can not prove or disprove this. The trans was rebuilt last year and only needed bearings and bushings. He also decided around 150,000 that oil changes were unnecssary because the car leaked so much. The short block does not look to bad but I was able to remove the timing chain with out taking any thing off. Should I just hone out the cylinders hot tank it and maybe balance the roatating assembly for the new pistons? What about the heads, I live in SoCal and everyone knows about how messed up our smog requirements are.

 

Neglect is another matter.

The block should be fully rebuilt by a machine shop. Cylinders bored and honed to match the replacement pistons, crank turned to clean it up and properly sized for an undersized replacement bearing set. Cam bearings replaced. All core plugs removed so the block can be thoroughly cleaned prior to replacement. Most of that is machine shop work, although final assembly can typically be done by the hobbyist.

The heads should similarly be disassembled, cleaned, and checked by a machine shop. Valve guides are typically required, as well as valve springs and stem seals. 305 TPI heads are pretty decent parts, so they should be considered for retention. If valves need to be replaced, it isn't that much more to go ahead and have the heads machined to accept 1.94" intake valves.

I understand the California part. But, consider this: A 350 TPI was also available in 1988, and externally is identical to the 305. Instead of spending all of that money rebuilding the relatively lame 305, just get a 350 shortblock and put your rebuilt 305 heads on top of it. The same machine shop that would rebuild your 305 can most likely do a 350 for you, including supplying the 350 core. It would run better if put back together with 22 lb injectors (stock 350 parts), and would need a 350 knock sensor and module, but the cost of doing this is the same or not much more than rebuilding your 305. In fact, by the time all is said and done, it would probably be cheaper to just get a rebuilt 350 such as http://www.rebuilt-auto-engines.com/...57107321808.05 , even with shipping and without returning the core, and it will look exactly like your current engine does now.

Just some food for thought.