shanep1991

hey all i just sold my firebird, im looking at a camaro now, the guy says it has a 350 in it, 10 bolt posi, 700R4 and runs great, the car sat for a couple years without being started but he started it about a month ago and said everything still worked, he wants a 1000 for it but he bought the car how it is now and he was also told it was a 350, is there any way to be sure that it is a 350 and not a 305? the vin says 305 but it looks like the engine was swapped, i cant get to the vin or anything on the engine, it looks clean and everything with true duals all the way back, if i drive it will i be able to tell in the power difference maybe? its also got signs of a 350, new intake/carb and accel distributer/wires, headers and valve covers, i might just go ahead and test drive it and buy it, other than the passenger side fender the body is amazing, no rust underneath at all.... and its got a 305 harmonic balancer on it, but about 2 weeks ago i bought a completely stock 350 from some guys garage that has a 305 harmonic balancer on it too though, did 350s come with 305 balancers sometimes?

what would you guys do? he wants a $1000 for it

camaronewbie

There's only one way to know what the block is - get the casting numbers off the driver side, rear of block - its not easy to see, but it's there. You'll see 5.0 or 5.7, or else a casting number of about 6-7 digits, like 3970010.

campin1983

iTrader: (4)

In that price range, your looking at a project. If its a rust free car that doesn't need a major overhaul, it probably doesn't matter which motor it is to be worth $1,000. Sounds like a decent deal. If its a 350 it could be a great one.

ymenic

iTrader: (1)

I would pull a valve cover off and right down the head number. If they are 350 heads then its a 350 for sure. If you get like 416 heads " 305 heads" it may still be a 350 with 305 heads on it. Make sure to check for blow-by, water in oil, tranny slip and if you got a compression gauge; I would do a compression test on the motor.

shanep1991

idk if its actually a project, if it runs as good as he says it does then it should last a long time, im just worried about what the engine is, but thanks all, ill do all that stuff

xX89RSXx

iTrader: (1)

If you look at the bottom of the block there are 3 digits. It may give you a rough idea. For instance, if it says 627 like mine, it is definatly a 305. A little easier than trying to get casting #.

maks10

behind drivers side valve cover you will see a series of numbers...i believe it will say GM5.0 or GM5.7 and series of numbers/letters that follow...if you dont want to pull valve cover off you can try to look behind valve cover by going on top of engine and using a towel and some degreaser....thats what I had to do to verify 350...lol sad but at the time was unsure about pulling off the valve covers...either way 305 or 350 $1000 for this car seems like a great deal