Well, I am about to get some cash, so I think I am going to mod my '88, cause who wants a stock V8 F-car? I am thinking at this point of porting anp polishing my intake plenum and TB(I do pretty good P&P, but only for myself, i'm not THAT good )

Some new runners, either SLP or AS&M runners, on that, are the siamesed that much better on a 305? The little bit of extra work for port matching the manifold and plenum, that's no problem at all .

Aftermarket lower manifold, ported and polished.

Some aluminum home polished and slightly ported AFR, L98 or fastburn type kind of head.

Some Comp R lifters(if neccessary on a modded LB9, if new Melling's are sufficient, they are fine by me, I am not going to overrev the engine).

The LT4 Hotcam or equivalent cam.

Valve springs are my biggest issue. I need to know what works well with up to probably .550 lift, though I don't think I'll be going near that high, I believe in getting a better spring than you need. Most likely at this point, I'll be running a 1.5 equipped car, and then throw on my 1.6's just to see the difference. I am guessing LT4 springs don't work due to install height or diameter or something, or will they?

1.6 RR's or 1.5RR's, depending on my flowbench numbers.

an AFPR, of course...I hear Holley is one of the best?

It won't get done ALL at once, but a bit at a time, with me and some friends doing the installs. I personally have broken down and put together LT1's before, and I don't see this being too different, just Gen II and Gen 1.5 engines, mostly the same.

Does this sound feasable? Any input? In the future, I am thinking of building a 9:1 355 with a blower cam and a Procharger, and reusing the ported stock uppers, the runners, and such. Oh,and an 8.8 at that point, too...


I do plan on other things, like LT's, suspension, and some tranny and rear end building, but that's for other forums...

So, what do ya'll think?

 

pretty good and basicly what Im doing... minus the 5spd.

few things... Id find a better cam then teh LT4. The LT1 intake is set up differently and the cam pattern for the LT1/4 is different then what is needed for a LTR set up.
Heads... not much there. You have a few choices.. .port the stock heads, port teh aluminum vette heads, get teh SR 305 Torqquers and port them, or ventrue to vortec land, but remember the vortec head is from a truck. Emissions will also play a big role. You are spending a lot on this 305. I realize that Im gunna spend money, but also not pour money into the 305. Think about what could swap over to the 355. LT's are gunan cut your ground clearnance too. And Holley is the best, but people have reported the gasket blowing a lot.

 

Cool, thanks for the info Al. I hadn't heard that about he gaskets, I'll have to watch out for that. I was thinking of a cam of about that profile, with some changes to fit my set up. I know that a 305 isn't going to react well to any bigger of a cam right off the bat with that cruddy stock bore. I do have a new 350 .030 over block in the garage that I am slowly building up, but it's not going to be ready for quite a while...I'm doing it right, totally forged, balanced, and blueprinted engine built for a supercharger...

 

Yeah, i hear ya on the 350 build up. If your gunna do it, do it right the first time. Im thinking of building up bigger... but you never know.

 

i was running the al. L98 heads with LT4 springs, comp cam(210/220 .480/.480 112lsa) and a few other things. it was pretty strong running 305 once i got a 5spd in it.

 

Ok, cool, so the LT4 springs, or other LT1 springs will work? That's great to hear.

 

Do you guys think it's worth upgrading to a 52mm TB on a 305, or does the smaller displacement make the stock one more suitable?

 

unless you have a blower or some type of forced induction, or somehow sucking in a ton of air, then no its not worth it. and this is gunna turn into a big mega flame fest.

 

That's what I figured. My 305 is NA right now, and I might eventually get a ProCharger, but until then (or until I get a new short block) I'll stick with the stock unit. I ported the plenum several years ago so my air flow is pretty good through there, and if anything, the stock TB probably keeps the velocity up, right?

I still have the stock cam as well -- don't know what to get there, so I'll search the boards and do some research.

Thanks!