301 4V how did it compare ?

[pontiacgp]

A friend of mine bought a new 79 TA and the only engine he could get with a 4 speed stick was the 301. In the US I think you could still get the 400 in 79. His 301 still went pretty good but not like my other friend's 74 Trans Am with the 455 SD engine and a stick

 

[tdvick]

My Trans Am had highway gears too, no better than 3.23. It did have a very wide ratio trans though. First and second were very short. It wound for a long time in 3 and 4...

 

[UNGN]

My '79 GP with a 301 4bbl 4 speed was hampered by the tall first gear and 2.73 rear gears. The clutched needed to slipped to about 20 mph if you were racing somebody. The other issue is it doesn't make much power over 4,500 RPM and the valves floated about 5,300 RPM.

I drove this car to college my second year and hated it. First year of college I had my '71 SC360 4bbl 4 speed Ram air 3.55 gears - no comparison.

My hatred of the 301 made us look for a replacement over winter break and we found a '71 'Cuda340 convert Orange with orange interior, color keyed grille and dual rubber bumpers..

 

[buzz77]

The only performance mods you can do to a 301 is a cam, mill the heads (but not too much) and get your 4 bbl carb rebuilt and tuned for an exhaust without catalytic. Mine was slow but reliable. With the engine heated up, it only took a half a crank to start.

 

[buzz77]

I think the 301 would make a great driver with the mods i mentioned in a pontiac G-body with a/c delete. A Posi 3:23 or so and even throw on an overdrive transmission (unless its manual). The thing is the T/A was something like 600 pounds heavier maybe 700 pounds heavier with the A/c option.

I believe the Grand Am is the lightest of the Gbody with a fiberglass hood and a/c delete you can probably get it to just under 3000 lbs.

 

[olds307 and 403]

The 305 was a terrible engine in the late 70's, oil burner, flat cams and gutless. I bet that 301 Trans Am had similar terrible gearing with the 4spd, probably had the HO version. The 170 hp 301 EC was the hottest 4.9/5L till Olds released it's 307 HO in 1983.

 

[Bonnewagon]

I've had several 301's, a 305, and a 307. I felt both the 305 and 307 had an extremely narrow power band that was useless for anything but highway speed fuel economy. I blamed the factory cams and rear end gearing. I went with the 301 and I have one right now in my Bonnewagon. It at least had a usable range from idle to 4000rpm. I know the limitations the 301 has regarding heads and intake- but as mentioned- fit the punishment to the crime. It will never be as good as a traditional Pontiac for power, but It is good on gas, meets emissions, and is pretty peppy with some decent gears. Mine is totally stock. I tried true dual exhaust and it changed nothing so I went back to a quiet single exhaust. I have a 4 barrel Q-jet, Saginaw 4 speed with 3:55 first gear, and 3:23 gears out back. It Moves! I am very happy driving it and it never has let me down. Here is an observation- if you have a 2 barrel version with crummy gears- leave it alone. Switching to a 4 barrel will not help. Change the gears first. A DualJet is the perfect carb for a stock 301 with highway gears and will outperform a Q-jet unless the gears are changed. But once you change gears- these motors will rev freely and surprise you. The Dual Jet is jetted well for a wide power range and unless you are changing other stuff like cams it is probably the best carb for a 301.

 

[Doug213xrj]

Thanks guys. I found what I was looking for. It appears the Chevy 305 and the Pontiac 301 ran about the same in performance. Although the Malibu had a 2barrel carb and the Pontiac had a 4 barrel Q-jet. I didn't know the Oldsmobile 307 did not become a option in tell 1980, Not sure when it was factory installed in a Cutlass, Maybe 1982 ?

1978 Malibu 305 2V, 3sp auto, 2.73 gears runs 18.5 sec @ 74.5 mph
1978 Malibu 305 2V, 4sp with 2.73 gears runs 18.4 sec @ 76.2 mph
1978 Grand Am 301 4V, 3sp auto, 2.73 gears runs 18.7 sec @ 76.3 mph

Doug

 

[motorheadmike]

So what you are saying is that I get to choose between having my nuts crushed in a vice, smashed with a hammer, or driven over with a tank?

If you are stuck with one of these engines just boost anyone of them and put a smile on your face, and frowns on everyone elses.

 

[L67ss]

A boosted 301 won't make too much of a smile lol