I'm faced with a dilemma here, that I could use some help with. I have a chance to get some 305 heads for free, only cost of shipping. And would port the heck out of them. And would probably raise my compression a whole pt.

Now, should I go this route and suffer a little less performance or buy some better heads?
If I get the 305 heads, I can buy a higher stall TC now most likely. And I'll be able to have some money set aside for a cheap paint job (including a new driver side fender ).

So, what would you do? Get 305 heads and higher stall TC, and save a little for a new paint job
or get some better heads, and wait for the TC, and prolong the paint job longer?

I'm really thinkin of option A right now.

oh yeah, I have horrible 76cc heads right now.

 

Mark,

I would not even waste my time to change out the heads and put on 305 heads. A little bit of compresion is the only thing you might gain from swithing to the 305 heads,but they suffer from there small ports. I say just save your money and get some Trick Flow 23 degree heads and put on your motor.

 

Putting 305 heads on will cost you a bit of time & shipping will cost a bit with the weight wouldn't it? not to mention you will have to port &p so I'd not go with that option, but that just my opinion!

 

I think shipping will be around $40-$60

 

eh, TC should be the LAST thing on the list, because it depends on your entire powertrain setup................

 

Go for a good set of heads. Remember, the power is in the heads, so don't skimp there. Even if you get a set of cheap heads and do porting etc, by the time you get done with everything you'll have spent more money than you thought, and almost enough to get a decent set of aftermarkets.

 

Well, once I get heads, that is all that is left performance wise on my list for now.

 

buy the best heads u can afford then buy the TC. that way when u get the TC u will feel the diffrence more and it will make u feel better and it will all seem worth it. and ur paint is nice so work on that last.

 

Guess you haven't seen this. though it looks pretty good in this pic, i 'll get a worse one.

 

Bad one.

 

The fender is no excuse - do not waste your time with a head swap and $hitty heads. No brainer.

 

power over looks, always!

 

looks llike another one of those ****ty third gens on the street. i would get a fender and just have it primered. then get some bad *** heads then the TC then paint

 

Gee thanks, don't have to be a di(k about it. But you would rather a new fender and primer? hmm i've thought about it, but wasn't sure.

 

id save up for some decents heads then do the tc then the paint and fender. If your gonna spend the money and time on heads you mys well do it right the first time.

 

sure is easy to say.."hey, just buy some Trickflow's"...not all of us can afford that luxury.....
RBL and Sittingbull have made some great suggestions in previous posts...seems you are beating this head dilema to death....the 305 heads CAN be made to flow well....How much HP you want? That is the question you need to answer...then buy the heads that will give you what you want...as for the fender, Most junkyards have what you need...real cheap!
Come on Mark ...make a decision here!!

 

Ok Mark just curious: coz prices in USA are so differant to OZ for car parts
what will 305 heads cost + shipping + porting?
Whats a guard & paint cost?
Whats a real good set of heads gunna set ya back?

 

have you gone to the Junkyard to look for a fender? I know around here i could probably find one thats pretty straight, and it might even be painted red already. you might also want to check with people parting out there cars, and see if any of them are red. Buying a used fender thats already painted will save you a whole lot of dough, and you can put that towards some good heads...

just a thought

Eric

 

don't matter how ugly it is as long as it's fast...

 

Good point.

 

Well, I had wanted to hit very high 12s with new heads and higher stall TC, but most guys here say that's not possible with those 2 mods. So, I"m just lookin to go fast as I can with the money I do have. which ain't much. That's why it's hard to make a decision I guess. Maybe I might just get a fender and blow some money to get the paint to match even if it isn't perfect.

 

You need more than a fender there..Your door looks like it needs some trim also. So For now get a good fender on there. If you primer the fender remember this, it will need sanded again and primed. Why dirt grease and all that over period of time.. Save for the best heads that are going to fit your needs, for your cars future.

 

Mark, buy another set of heads, so that way next summer at the meeting we're planning we can race against each other and see who comes out on top...

I am planning my 350 swap around 305 heads... same cam as Mark, headers, Holley... ect...

 

I would keep your heads, port them and see if you could run a thinner head gasket to increase compression. and then the TC. and save some for paint

 

I'm just goin to get heads. speed b4 looks.

 

Do yourself a favor and don't go cheap on the converter either. Wait untill you can afford a nice one.
I'd deffinately go with a good set of heads first.

 

Go to a Junkyard and find some big valve 327 heads! Thats what ya need!:hail:

 

hang on a sec....Mark..do you have a 305? From what I understand (and I'll tell you the page and paragraph where I read it), 350 heads won't work on a 305.

 

Mark has a 350. 350 heads will work on a 305, 305 on a 350 all else equal. Do the fender mark. I care about how my car looks and I bet you do to.

 

this is really a personal decision.

whatever bothers you more, fix first. If the first thing that pops into your mind about your car is "that *!@#$%^ DENT!" then fix the body. on the other and if the first thing is "it's !@#$%^ SLOW!" then do some power mods.

and as for heads and torque converters and whatnot. Yup - good heads cost bucks. Since you are already carb anyways, maybe a vortec setup would work for you...the carb vortec intakes are available relatively cheap (edelbrock performer RPM air gap, and i say relatively compared to say a TPI vortec intake) and your cam doesn't have outrageous lift, so you could get by with probably less than $600 into a set of vortec heads ready to bolt on + a bit more for the new intake (and you can sell your weiand intake to recoup a bit of the loss..) from what i've seen the "budget" aluminum heads don't have many fans (such as trick flow etc.) so in my mind and personal opinion, it's either go budget with vortec or go all out with AFR.

and with your cam's fairly long duration / narrow lobe seperation angle, your motor would be very happy with a higher stall torque converter.

so...options in my opinion are
(1) fix body
(2) vortec setup
(3) new high quality small diameter torque converter with around 2600-2800 stall

Do #1 if the body bugs you, do #2 if you don't think you'll ever want to afford AFR's, and do #3 if you think you want to save up for AFRs at some point in the future.

 

I just bought a $110 stealth intake, I don't want to pay $150 for a vortech.

 

Mark A good Paintless Dent Repair technician can repair that fender without paint.
As long as the paint is not gouged through or cracked
you would be amazed at what they can do.

Find a Dent Wizard or Ding King (Phone book) and go show him the car.
They will tell you wether thay can fix it or not. And $$$

From the pic I'd bet they can. they'll have good access to work on it after removeing the inner fender.
Do not try to pop it out yourself before talking to a PDR tech.