i have i 305 and i want to upgrade

[74redmonster]

so i have a 1974 el camino with a swapped 1983 305 small block engine. my budget is about 6000 dollars what could i do with it to get more power out of it? the tranny is going to need to be replaced also as it is pretty burnt out. any advice would be helpful, i was thinking of getting it bored out but i dont quite know enough about that, so if you could shed some light it would be much appreciated!

[Dimitri13]

305 is a bored out 262 with a 350 crank. Not much you can do with it. You can get a helluva lot for 6 grand, especially if you check out craigslist.

I just noticed your region, will you have to deal with SMOG?

[DONE DEAL DONNY]

{ what could i do with it to get more power out of it?}
Tie a rope to it and use it for a boat anchor!!
Buy a 383 stroker or step it up to a big block!!
Donny

[74redmonster]

could you tell me the best set up to go with a 383, i was thinking of getting one, but what would be a good transmission to match it with and also what else would have to be done to the car to get the full potential out of the car would i have to get a different rear end posi traction, what would be the ideal way to build this kind of a car for 6000-8000 dollars?

[jkk]

Buy a 383 Stroker saw a ZZ 383 I think it was cratemoters.com for 5800.00 for a long block. I'm running a ZZ 383 love it so far with the Fast Burn Heads.

[Magus]

Depends on your over all goals for the car and how much power you want at the end. Also, you an put some of that money into other things to improve the car more than just power like drive train or chassis. The good thing about a 305 is they are plentyfull and people litterally give them away.
For instance I actually have too much power (sbc 406) and it's completly useless and I have no traction, not to mention all my torque has killed my transmission and now I need to upgrade that as well, and I still need POSI.
If you engine is healthy. You could invest in a 4 auto speed transmission with like a 2500-3000 stall converter and some nice gearing in the rear. Throw some flat top pistons in and some aluminum heads with like 58 cc combustion chamber ,185 cc intake chamber and keep the intake valve like around 1.85 inch(305 have intake valve shrouding issues). Put a nice comp XE series cam with new lifters, the XE 268 or xe 274 seems to perform well in 305's. Invest in Long tube headers and buy one of those dual exhause kits with mufflers. Get a decent intake manifold like a performer RPM and a decent carb like the 1406 edelbrock 600 cfm. Run like 3.73 or 4.10 ratio and you would have a pretty good running machine. with the smaller v-8 stall and gearing is an absolute MUST. My last 305 was a pretty spunky 305 but I ran it through a 3.08 rear and a low stall (2200). My guess is maybe a mid 15 second car at best, but I think if went to a slightly better cam/intake/ stalled it to 3k and ran a 3.73 rear I may have been able to muster a low 14 high 13 pretty easy maybe even better. A 305 can make a good 350 horse engine, they seem to hit a wall at that point and the cost to performance ratio just goes up there where it makes more financial sense to move up in displacement. They also sell a stroker kit for the 305 to stroke it to 335 cubes if you wan't a bit more.

[p.ward7885]

If you are looking for dependable,and driveable car I would go with and gm crate engine as you can get these turn key with a warranty for $3000 to $4000, and then spend a little to upgrade rear gear and have a car with decent performance and drive ability, increase in rear gear would enhance acceleration, and swap in an overdrive and you would be good to go.

[fauxrs]

A '74 in CA you can do whatever you like. I would at the very least urge you to not consider doing anything with the 305. At a minimum a gm crate 350 should be in your sights. For 6000 and a little bit of hunting you could build yourself a 454 so you have a good many options. But cost wise a 350 mated to a 200r4 will give you years of service and enjoyment.

[Chris Nelson]

Don't waste that money on that old 305,many have & now regret it.Zeg's has brand new 350's starting at $ 1499.99.That's all new metal block ,crank,rods,pistons,heads,etc.Manufactured by GM,with warrantee.You will be well ahead of the game.Many have spent 2 & 3 times that trying to freshen up a small block & never reached the HP of a 350.If I were you I would go for their 383.

[jcote2010]

Defff check out Jegs!!!! They have some good deals...with your budget you could even get a bigger engine and maybe invest in a trans!!!!

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[skinyfisher]

Don't put 5 cents into a 305 unless it is just transportation and fuel economy your looking for. With a budget of 6 to 8K you are able to do it right the first time, answer these questions to yourself, how long am I keeping the car, is it my dream car never to be sold this helps you look at things better. Having done this several times like others, if your keeping the car and love it and want power with a good trans than do some research, start with GM Performance Crate engines they have several that can and will do fine with some warranty that is real but in 4 of these engine SB and BB I have never had any problem, you will pay more but get more and match well. Than go to a real trans builder that does it with matched quality parts to the HP you need it to stand up to, Bowtie Overdrive, TCI Performance Transmissions, Phoenix, and there are several more once again they well run more on purchase but pay it all back when there is no second rebuild.
Look at nothing smaller than a 350 built to what ever you think is your driver need, if you go inot the Big Blocks that will in-tall more work and more money in most cases. Also with a 74 as a starter this work is more money than the car may be worth when your done. so like and drive what you do and get on the road.

[Chris Nelson]

Originally Posted by jcote2010

Defff check out Jegs!!!! They have some good deals...with your budget you could even get a bigger engine and maybe invest in a trans!!!!

Sent from my HTC PH39100 using AutoGuide.Com Free App

Yeah,that's what I meant Jeg's not Zeg's,I wasn't awake yet

[Magus]

What trans is already in the car? What rear? Is is POSI? How much power do you want? How fast do you want to go? If you wan't to run high mid 14's you could do it with some tweaks to the 305 with gears and trans mods. If you wan't bragging rights and big power then moving up in displacement is easier, but you will still need to mess with the rear gear, and obtain a transmission. You can do a lot with surpirsingly low power with the right set up.
OR heres an idea, be different. 305 is already low compression...why not boost?
If you wan't more it will bolt to a 350
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/vo...make/chevrolet
and you got enough left over for a transmission and maybe a rear gear change and fix some misc along the way, and maybe exhaust.

[BillyJack]

You're in an enviable position if you already have an established budget. Now it's just a matter of selecting components to fit within budget. I definitely agree going in the direction of a GM crate engine. You can spend anywhere from $1,500 on up, depending on how much power you want to buy. I'd start my planning with transmission and rear end, then see how much is left in the budget for motor. The stock rear end should be more than adequate for street use, so you'll just need to cost out a posi unit, including installation, as well as a gearset and bearings if you intend to change ratios. As for the transmission, depending on your needs and intended usage you need to decide if you're staying with automatic, would you go for a rebuilt 350 trans, or would you prefer an overdrive? Once those costs are resolved, then your remaining $$ can be spent in the engine compartment. You'll have to deal with all the peripherals such as ignition, intake and exhaust systems, starter, flywheel etc. Will you be re-using your old stuff or replacing them with fresh pieces? Once you get all that stuff priced out, see what you have left for the motor itself, then you can decide how much horsepower you can afford.

Bill

[Dimitri13]

The GM crate engines ya'll are talking about are the GM Goodwrench engines they sell on Jegs right?