I got a 1987 carb'd iroc a couple weeks ago. I don't think I will be satisfied until I can get my front wheels off the ground when I accelerate. What kinda torque numbers would I need for this. Would I have to swap a new motor in? It has the 305 coupled to a 5 speed right now.

 

Lifting the wheels off the ground shouldn't be your sole goal in, if it is then just remove your front shocks and go to town. If you want a quick car then worry about getting deeper gears, better suspension and then more power. Note the stock 5 speed won't handle a huge amount of power so budget upgrading to an aftermarket unit. 305s can be made to have large power, but dollar for dollar, a larger engine is the better choice.

 

There is a 350 from a old pontiac for sale here for $400. It runs but I would probably rebuild it. Would this be a better option to get power Faster. The 305 I got is a tired one and it burns oil so it needs a rebuild anyways

 

Not if its a Pontiac 350... Chevy, Buick, Olds, Pontiac, and I think Cadillac as well all had their own 350s built from their individual engine designs. It wasn't untill the 80s that the Chevy 350 became GMs "universal" 350 and all the other 350 designs were scrapped. Get a Chevy 350 as a base to build from. '70s and '80s trucks are usually the best place to look to find a good one to start with.

 

I dont want to sound like a jerk, so please dont take this the wrong way. If you are asking whether or not the 305 with t5 will be able to lift the tires, you probably need to do some reading and researching on SBCs for a while before you jump into performance modifications.

 

It'll be pretty easy to tell the difference between a Chev 350 and a pontiac 350. $400 isn't the best price either. I got my 350 last summer from a 78 pickup truck for $200 canadian... And It came with the truck. So I yanked the engine and got $232 from the scrap yard for the chassis.

 

Parts are pretty hard to come by in hawaii. I waited almost a year to find a third gen with out rust holes. I don't wanna sound stupid or ignorant but whats a SBC. Kinda new and don't know all the abbreviations

 

SBC=small block chevy

 

oh, duh. haha. There's a taken apart 350 for sale for $150. Its from a 70's chevelle and it comes with brand new gaskets and alternator and a bunch of other parts.

 

If it comes complete, thats a good deal.

 

can ireuse most of the things from my old enngine like water pumps and exhaust manifolds

 

manifolds?? Lol... dude. Yes you can, but if you want to add some serious power to a small block, one of the very first cheapest/most significant steps is to throw out your manifolds and get a set of headers and possibly get/fabricate a true-dual exhaust system. Read up on exhaust systems in the forum and look at people's posts. If you want to build your own fast car, best way is to keep collecting money while you read up on how you really want to do this.

These cars can add a lot of horses very quickly and cheaply, but you also need to make sure that you're spending your money in the right places.

 

I wouldn't really bother with a true dual set up, a good 3 inch y pipe design will be fine. The stock setup is no good though. Headers are a must as well. Water pump, distributor, basically everything that can bolt to your 305, will bolt to a 350 of similar age.

 

So a 350 is a good way to go? I would probably get it and rebuild it and build it up outside the car then put it in

 

Generally you do build the engine on a stand and then put it in the car. What exactly are your plans, or what are you trying to accomplish?

 

I was gonna get the $150 350 thats already disaambled and bore it out and rebuild it and clean it up real good. its a really rough plan and im open to all ideas

 

How much are you willing to spend on this project? Big factor in what kind of parts get suggested.

 

I have $1000 a month after all payments for my car. So just do cheapest parts first