I have the opportunity of rebuilding my engine as part of an engine rebuilding class in college. I'd love to use this opportunity to get some performance out of my car. I'm wondering what you guys would suggest. My engine is a stock '84 LG4 305. My budget is 750-1000$. I've been thinking about swapping blocks for a 350. There happens to be one I can buy from the garage. What parts can I carry over from my old 305 into the 350 block? Will I be best off getting new heads? I'm thinking something on the lines of a better cam, carb, and some sort of change to the exhaust.

Thanks!

 

I would go to the Junkyard and pick up a Vortec 350... get a mild cam and rebuild it...

 

^THIS^

 

You can get just as much wrench time and wiring time working on refurbing smaller things than if you just do the old pull smaller motor and stick in bigger motor.

If you blow your budget on the bigger motor, you'll just have a car with a bigger motor, and all those old parts still to deal with. While its true that its the motor that gets you down the road fast, its the small stuff that will put you off the road even faster.

If all your brake systems, and electrical systems are already perfect, then disregard my observation.

But I doubt you can go over that old car with even a voltmeter and not find plenty of stuff to work on.

 

I did what your doing for 1500.
Took out the LG4 and used the flexplate, starter, waterpump and fuel
Pump on a 4bolt 350. The parts on my 305 were still good though.
Sold the LG4 for 200. I used that towards building the 350.
I put vortec.heads on it with the intake manifold it needs. Put a mild cam on it.
Some new hypereutectic pistons I got for dirt cheap
Uses the rest for.some short headers and y pipe and that's it.

It runs a lot better then the 305 but of course my weak.point now is
The transmission.

 

Thanks for the imput. After seeing the same suggestion other places aswell, I indeed decided to go with a Vortec 350. The shop said I can buy one from them to rebuild.

My budget turns out to be a little higher then I first thought so I'm still thinking about a better manifold, cam, and some sort of exhaust upgrade. I'd love to get alteast 300hp out of the set up.

 

I would do a cam, and some port matching... You can always upgrade the intake later fairly easily!

 

stick with the vortech and put the extra you came up with into putting that power to the ground with a set of wheels and tires as they are the only thing that actually touches the road no point in all that power and it just costing you $$ in tire smoke

 

Clean up the Vortec heads and find a complete camkit with springs, a 224 or bigger cam. check P to V clearance, airgap intake.. Your car has a Q Jet carb now?

 

Best use of 1k ? I'd say put it in the bank and add to it until you get around 5k.
Then you can do more and have some fun.

 

Save it for a rainy day