I found a 350 for only $300. its been bored .040 over but it was being used in a 56 Belair. i just wanted to know what y'all think about it. all i would need to do is put my waterpump, my crank pulley and my intake on it. i think it would be a beast but it doesnt have the bolt holes on the heads for my alternator and a/c compressor...so i'd have to drill and tap which i reallly dont feel comfortable with. It was driven by a high school student and then the car wouldnt pass safety inspection.....but seems in decent shape. the guy will even help me install it.

 

Sounds like it has heads from before about 1968 or so. Take them off and sell them to someone restoring a car that old. Assuming you're wanting to put this in your '84 Z28, and assuming it has it's original 305, those heads can be used with good results, if your 350 has dished pistons in it. You'll know just as soon as you pull those old heads off it. If you find flat-tops, it's not a disaster, you can get enough $ for those '60s heads to buy something better.

 

The casting No: 3970010....so it's been rebuilt. But he can't tell me when but it has a metal tag from "national motors" with all the info saying it's been rebuilt...being bored 040 over, do I have enough space between cylinder walls to drive it hard??

 

The first thing you do is check the engine serial number or pull the heads and make sure its a 350. The second thing you do if you already have'nt pull the heads and check the valves you might get lucky and they are the 202 and 194 valves. It's very simple to drill a hole in the head provided you have a little common sence. I just did it to my 1980 chev pickup to put serpitine belt on it. The next thing you do is pull that 305 out and give it to a guy with a boat so he can use it for a boat anchor cause thats all its good for! Just like the 265,307 and most of the 400 blocks.

 

did that.....its a 350 alright, but whats wong with my 305? i like it so far.......

 

its a 305. end of story. theres power but a 350 has more capabilities

 

If you've never tried a 350, then it's no wonder you're okay with the 305.

 

oh haha.....how difficult do you all think the swap will be? it's practically a 357 engine. how much power will i gain from going from a 305 to 357?

 

Depends whats in it... factory 350's got as low as 165hp, and as high as 370hp, and much higher when built with aftermarket stuff. So it really depends whats in it.

 

well im gonna buy it and keep it until im ready to put it in. take a look at my album nd tell me what you think but beware its kind of scuzzy....but it ran great before it was taken out

 

see what the cast #s are on the heads. that will tell you how much power the engine should have. so it does not have accessory bolt holes?

 

from what i saw the first time i looked at it some were there and some were not....im thinking i could drill and tap....when i go get it i'll see about the numbers on the head. but for $300 im wont feel too bad if it flops cause i'll have the 305 as a spare. you wanna put it in? if i get stationed in florida ill drop it off at your house with my truck and just drive it up the street to my parents house when youre done. you'll be well compensated...

 

crane makes an ignition module with a built in rev limiter that converts your point dizzy to electronic. ive never used it but it sounds cool. those valve covers are later valve covers so they will work.

 

sounds like fun!!! i saw only one accessory hole. thats odd.

 

hahaha.....youre lucky the neighbors didnt say anything about yours without the exhaust and dont be runnin my **** through neighborhood either....my parents got secret agents watchin and all i need is for one person to say something to them...lol i guess i could tow it next time i come home...

 

any 305 to any 350 will be a dramatic improvement. Even if you go from a TPI 305 making 230 horses to a lame smogger 350 rated at 155 hp, the difference in the off-idle torque, the low rpm throttle response, it's so very worth it. And it can only get better.

 

so "skirkland" what should i do about the accessory holes? or what do you wanna do?

 

i thought you got a new muffler...i'll research to see if anyone has ever drilled the accessory holes before.

 

alrighty then

 

Awesome! I love my 350 Tpi and she really likes to eat rice!

 

ok i picked the engine up today. it is a 350 bored .040 over and has forged flat top pistons making it a 357. i also bought a pair of heads that came off a another 350 that were rebuilt by jasper and ave 40,000 miles on them. the heads casting number is 14102193. i have seen some bad stuff posted about these heads! now i'm wondering did i screw up? i dont plan on racing the car but i think i'll have better gains than having the 305 in it. would i be able to get away with putting my heads off the 305 on the 357? supposedly the guy i bought the car from said the shop he went to a year ago had 350 heads put on it. what do yall think?

 

Those are just smogger swirlies. They're a pretty crap head casting but at least you got a solid short block out of the deal. 300 bucks for that is a pretty fair shake. Now you can avoid tapping those boat anchors and just dumpster-dive yourself a set of better castings withthe accessory holes already drilled :].

You can more than likely pull your 305 heads and use them as long as your motor has dished pistons. I would suggest doing a bit of pocket porting, because the tiny 305 runners and valves will strangle it at about 3 grand. HOWEVER the take on this is that the itty bitty combustion chambers will give you a fat boost in compression and make you some pretty solid low end grunt.

What's that you say, you want to rev past 4 grand and not fall flat on your face? WHAT ARE YOU, SOME KINDA IMPORT TUNER NANCY-BOY?! WE DONT TAKE KINDLY TO YER TYPE 'ROUND HERE.

Seriously though if you want a real solid runner find yourself a set of fast-burns and stick 'em on there.

 

why are people bashing these heads? what are "swirlie" heads anyway?

 

it's got a little "Swirl" ramp inside the valve bowl that supposedly shapes the charge to confer a better burn. Just another "it looks good on paper but this is the 80's so we're gonna implement it before we do any testing" kinda thing.

Some people have been able to produce results with them, but not without extensive porting and a lot of t&e.

 

i just want a decent strong motor for now..... better than the 305...but i'll keep the 305 for a back up or im just gonna use it in my honda..hehe

 

here's those valve cover hold downs

 

tightened my valve cover today and got leaks!!!! AAAARRRGGGHHH!!!!