307 modding

[Fox ozzy]

since i got my cutlass first thing i decided is to go with a chevy 350... And so far all i hear is that the 307 is a good motor for regular driving but not worth modding... Should i stick to my plan or do y'all think other wise

 

[-83MONTESS-]

Whats the plan for the car? I wouldnt jump straight to a chevy 350. Why not look for an Olds 350 first? The 307 can be woken up with a good intake, carb setup and exhaust but it wont beat anyone without alot of money and at that point a bigger engine puts you miles ahead. I would look for an Olds 350-455 because Im pretty sure they are a direct swap and that way you have something that doesnt have the same 350 Chevy in it......This is coming from a Chevy guy

 

[my86442]

since i got my cutlass first thing i decided is to go with a chevy 350... And so far all i hear is that the 307 is a good motor for regular driving but not worth modding... Should i stick to my plan or do y'all think other wise

depending on what type of heads are on the 307, you can definatley wake it up some with like what MonteSS said. A good dual exhaust, Intake (i did a performer dual plane on mine with egr block off) with a 1 inch carb spacer and a 600 holley turned out 2 and 3/4 screws on the air/fuel screws. If the heads are a 7A, its not worth the time. If they are 5A heads, than you can work with it. You will find the castings of 5A or 7a on the driver side on the top #1 exhaust port on the driver side. i cant remember if the same is on the passenger side front or back. I want to say the back on #8 but theres more in the way to see on the passenger side. The 5A heads and a 200r4 give me about 26 on the hwy and 18-20 around town. But if you want to go big than go with the 455 olds with C heads. the motors a direct bolt up with the transmission and the only thing you'll have to do is move the frame mounts up and closer to the front of the frame. the 455 motor mounts will fit in the stock 307 frame mounts but you will have to move them.

 

[DoubleV]

The first thing you should have decided to do was put in an Olds 350, not a Chevy 350.

Another one bites the dust....

 

[Fox ozzy]

is there a good after market for the olds 350? And which would do better if they had the same mods

 

[Peter]

is there a good after market for the olds 350? And which would do better if they had the same mods

An olds 350 has everything available aftermarket but prices can be more expensive compared to a chevy, you're also less likely to find second hand parts on craigslist like intakes and such (i did though) The Olds 350 has just as much power potential as a chevy 350 of the same era, you just gotta get the right combo. good heads, good cam....

 

[Fox ozzy]

so what your saying is it'd be cheaper to make the same power with a chevy

 

[UgotBronx]

I did have a 307 and spent BIG money in all the suggestions that have been given to you here and I did notice some good improvements in performance but eventually you become limited and will reach a performance/more power wall or worse the engine will get tired and you will have to redo things on it again.

I am in the process of putting in a 350 olds and only because i can swap over all the new parts I have in my car.

If you haven't done any modifications on the 307 and you are removing the 307 COMPLETELY then go with what is more practical in getting parts,fixing, tuning and modifying later on down the line.

If you plan on keeping it ORIGINAL then search out for an OLDS 350 motor. as stated above the 307 is good for a daily but not much more.

 

[Fox ozzy]

i have 2 chevy 350s so i already got that going for me if i decide to go with a different engine i'll have to go out and find one... Another thing is the car is pretty rough even though i plan on painting it i don't intend to restore it to original so thats already out the window