i know everyone says why spend the money on the 305 when you can get a 350 just as cheap. i don't care, i've already got it torn down and cleaned up. so please don't even mention a 350.

i'm trying to keep this as low budget as possible, i have a set of 305 vortec heads i'll be using but not changing the cam unless someone has another lt1 cam.

i haven't measured the cylinders yet but what are the chances that i can get away with no machine work? the engine didn't really have a lot of miles on it and there wasn't any bad wear on anything, but if it is out of spec can i just get oversize rings and not need oversize pistons?

 

If the cylinders are out of spec, you need to have them overbored. You can't put oversize pistons or rings in a worn standard cylinder. You might be able to put file-to-fit rings in, but if the cylinders are out of spec, they won't seal properly, anyway.

There is a reason everyone says to get a 350 instead of rebuilding a 305. You saying you don't want to hear it doesn't make it untrue.

 

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First of all, a 700r4 is not a 5 speed! It sounds to me that your after a cheap rebuild, that's not going to give you any more performance over stock. The best you can hope for is a re-built 305 that will keep your car on the road.
If you want performance, do it right. Don't try shortcuts and expect something out of nothing. There's an old saying pal, "there's no substistute for cubic inches". ( notice I didn't mention the other motor). Take your sabe 900se somewhere else!

 

okay nothing you just said helped me at all, i didn't ask for comments on my daily driver and i know that a 700r4 is a 4 spd auto, the 5 spd is in my saab which makes 260hp that's pretty good for a 2.0 liter 4 cyl. and i never said i was looking for performance in this rebuild. i just need the motor running.

 

thanks five7, that's all i was looking for

 

Why would it be out of spec then? Relatively low miles, and no bad wear, the cylinders should be in pretty good shape. Did you run a compression test before you disassembled the engine? Any engine re-build should include honing, but if your looking for the engine to just run for you though, you can definitely get away w/out having machine work done. Invest in a good set of piston rings, you'll be fine....

 

no i didn't get a chance to do a compression check, it was in a parts car that i had bought, the body was real rough but it ran well, i'm really just looking to freshen it up. thanks for the input

 

I did a $200 O'reilly re-build on my Blue Oval five liter, just a quick (not very effective) hone on it with a hand drill & a borrowed honing tool.. That block had a LOT of wear & a pretty obvious ring ridge. I just threw some new bearings & rings at it & it worked great for quite a while... The reason that motor died was from the 4-bbl I put on it running too lean at high RPM torching a piston. So if a Ford motor can do it yours should be able to also (right everybody?)