Is there any possible way to tell what size motor (305 or 350) is in a camaro by just looking at a picture of it?? Meaning not haveing the VIN, RPO codes or serial numebr of the motor.. just a picture. I am hoping that there something that is diffrent could be as little as the way somethign is monted or something like that. Thanks Matt

 

assuming the engine hasn't been swapped a 5 speed car will always be a 305... you can also check the emissions sticker

all the parts on the 305 and 350 TPI engine look the same... even the corvette engine parts are the same... when GM ran out of camaro parts in 92 they started using corvette parts

 

On some third gens 87 and up it will say "5.7 tuned port injection" on the back bumper, or "tuned port injection" for the smaller engine.

 

Why couldn't you just take the time to use the Vin someone told me that could tell the size motor by the way it started, but I dont know about that. but theres no way by picture cuz they all look the same like the others said..

 

you can look under the hood or on the radiator support for the sticker that states; engine size (in liters), initial timing, and routing of vacuum lines. this only works as long as the engine hasn't been changed.
the vin will only tell you what the car cam with. i have heard some pretty mean sounding 305s, and they work in the exact same way as a 350.
there are only two ways to verify the engine size.
1) look for the number stamped in the block and use an engine book or call a machine shop. or if the block has the vin, you can compare it to the one in the dash to see if they match.
2) pull the head and compare bore sizes. i believe a 350 has a 4 inch bore, 305 obviously has less. in this metheod you must also watch out for someone putting in an old 327/302.
jess

 

Hey i WANT somone to "sneak" an old 302 into my car! that would rock! even a 327! they rock too! I think the 305 is like the worst production motor ever made to match the car. sure the gas mileage is O.K. and it runs good lasts a long time but in my opinion, even the old 289s had more power. i would still take a 302 over the 350, NOT because of the power benefits, the 302's are WAYYY over rated, not the terror of the street... but it would be PERFECT to restore an old 1969 Z-28 camaro with!
<- /rant ->