So I am interested in purchasing either a 350 automatic or a 305 manual. My question is which one is better racing wise. I am intending in putting money into the car so I kind of wanna get a clear understanding what Im going to have to work with and how much power I can get out of an engine.

The reason I would go with the 350 is becuase its more powerful than the 305 but its automatic and ive had an automatic before and I preferred stick. and the 305 stick I would prefer becuase I can control the car better than the automatic but its a smaller engine.

But I just really wanna see like I said what I have to work with and which one is better investing money into for racing, thanks!

 

what kind of racing are you talkin about? drag or auto cross ? for drag i would say auto for auto cross manual. either way the 305 will have to come out for a 350 , but if your gonna pull the 305 for a 350 might as well just drop in a 383

 

If you're that hung up on a manual I would avoid a 350 car unless you're willing to spend on a TKO or T56.

 

For drag racing or for autocross? I would recommend the 350 for both honestly. I know the 305 is temping as there are a lot more of them out there, wait for a good 350 car especially if you are planning on dumping money into it, as you will likely end up replacing the T-5 transmission anyways if your only reason for getting a 305 is that it is a manual.

305's can make good power, 350's have a lot more options for making more power especially if you are talking about drag racing.

 

The only difference between the 305TPI and the 350 TPI is the block and the injectors. The TPI parts are the same either way. One thing to note however, in my extreme TPI build, the only part of the original TPI system I used was the plenum and the fuel rails. Everything else was replaced with larger hi-flow pieces that could be ported much larger than what the stock pieces can be. The stock system can be modified to support 350HP. With some of the aftermarket TPI intakes available today, 450HP+ is possible(if you know how to make it happen).

Having the pedal assembly already in the car may be helpful, even if you do go with a different trans, though I believe a super T-5 can be installed in place of the stock T-5. The super T-5 is quite a bit stronger. The T56 will give you 6 gears. There are also a few good aftermarket transmissions available. The factory clutch linkage in the third gen is mechanical. For high performance and for something like the T56, you will need to do a hydraulic clutch retrofit. In my Beasty, I had the 700R4 built into an auto manual that can shift automatically when I feel lazy or will hold every gear to 7,000rpm when I want to get crazy.

 

ase doc i wanted a reverse manual valve body in my gta... its not a daily driver but it would be cool to have a semi manual car like that...

 

So it tunrn out that I will be getting a 84 z28 305 with manual transmission its a carburated engine...what do you guys think...and what are some resonably inexpensive ways to add more HP too this car thanks!

 

it was only mechanical in '82. everything '83 and up is hydraulic.

 

What he said except I believe 83 was also mechanical and the first year of the T-5 compared to the '82 T-10.

 

Such a vague question could be answered with millions of responses. Adding horsepower costs money and you need to ask yourself what you want from the car. Do you drag race? Does it see a lot of street time? Figure out what you want out of it and then decide what you want to start with.

 

I apologize for my poor information.

 

My auto manual 700R4 is not reverse pattern. It uses the original shift pattern with a B&M Megashifter to allow shifting one range at a time. I had a TCI reverse pattern, full manual valve body transmission for about 2 days and hated it. I took that trans into Oregon Transmission and they converted it into the brute I have now.

 

Is it the 5.0 HO? If so, the L69 already makes 190HP, a big improvement over the 150HP of the base LG4. If it's a pristine 84 5.0 HO you may want to consider leaving it stock for collector value. Otherwise, a cam, intake manifold and cylinder head upgrade could produce a significant power increase in that motor. Depending on how far you want to go with upgrades, you may want to add headers and higher flowing exhaust.