78 Pontiac Lemans

[grandamman]

You will want a set of these if you are going to paint the Rallys

Ecklers 14 Rally II Wheel Paint Stencil

Painting your Rally II wheels is easier than ever with this wheel stencil kit from Eckler's Firebird. Simply sandblast and paint wheel silver, then apply stenci

www.ecklers.com

 

[CDUNIGAN1981]

I've always been scared to start tearing apart steering & tie rods because it can be so easy to never get back correct. Been around long enough to know that. What difficulty level would you give replacing bushings.

Toying with idea of lowering the car slightly...like a 1" drop max. Definitely needs new shocks. The Rally II's are going to get repainted to exact stock specs, knock off what little rust is there. Run with trim rings or without? I know running without is a thing but can't say I've seen it often. Window tint is in the works as well.

As for the 305...I'd like to add a 600 cfm 4bbl, and put a set of shorty headers on it with some duals. Open it up and let it breathe.

I'm not an expert but managed a successful front end tear down.

Spring compressor and PB blaster. The coil springs are nerve wrecking but it can be done safely.

Remove control arms, buy bushings and take those bushings and arms to a garage to be pressed.

I understand the fear. It's not so much getting it back to straight that should concern you. Alignment come easy.

If anything it's the rabbit hole that is bring a car back from the dead or even a really long nap for that matter.

Personally, watch videos, do research, ask questions while also weighing your own passion, interest, understanding and capabilities but above all stop if your not having fun or enjoying the process bc that what it must be about once you start turning wrenches.

 

[TURNA]

A 15 inch set of wheels will feel like night and day compared to the 14's

 

[fleming442]

A 15 inch set of wheels will feel like night and day compared to the 14's

And, 16s are even better!

The front steering gear isn't that bad if you do it all at once. Get everything, take it all out in one piece, assemble the new as close to the old as you can get, and reinstall. You shouldn't need a Pitman arm, unless the tapered hole is trashed. Pop the outer tie rods, 2 bolts on the idler arm, and the Pitman arm, then remove. I've run both Moog and ProForged, but prefer Moog. 1 thing I really like are the Spohn adjuster sleeves; they're well worth the money.

 

[TURNA]

They may be better but the tire selection suxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

[5spdCab]

I'm not an expert but managed a successful front end tear down.

Spring compressor and PB blaster. The coil springs are nerve wrecking but it can be done safely.

Remove control arms, buy bushings and take those bushings and arms to a garage to be pressed.

I understand the fear. It's not so much getting it back to straight that should concern you. Alignment come easy.

If anything it's the rabbit hole that is bring a car back from the dead or even a really long nap for that matter.

Personally, watch videos, do research, ask questions while also weighing your own passion, interest, understanding and capabilities but above all stop if your not having fun or enjoying the process bc that what it must be about once you start turning wrenches.

I did the upper and lower control arm bushings, ball joints, shocks, and springs on my Caballero two years ago. I took the CA's to a shop for the bushing R&R. The shop charged me $30 per bushing x 8 bushings = $240. Ouch!! When it was time to get the rear CA's done two months later, I purchased a 20 ton press from HF on sale for less than the cost of having the shop press them, and the job was done by the end of the same day. The most difficult part of the rear bushings, was getting the two out of the upper portion of the differential, I had to burn them out. The most difficult part of the front was fishing the spring compressor into, and again back out of, the new springs that I installed.

 

[pagrunt]

Anytime you do anything to the steering linkage it's always a good idea to get everything aligned up again at a good shop. There is a higher level of skill needed for the bushings as you'll need the specific tools to press them in/out plus the need to safely compress the springs (which would be the best time to replace them too.) Alot of us have done this ourselves so some skill & commom sense plus doing it safely. Another thing would be looking at those ball joints cause if it all is apart, get them too. You can cheat & get assembled arms so it'll be somewhat easier.

For those wheels, ever thought of going 15" Rally II's?

Then for the 305, what I did was I went with a Holley 4175 Q-Jet replacement (650 cfm) on a stock intake, Heddman headers, true duals. But I also replaced the cam with a basic Summit cam in a similar grind to Edelbrocks Performer cam since I was upgrading from the original 229 V6. A good Q-Jet would be just as good. You could contact techg8 (Everyday Performance) here on the site about redoing your Q-Jet.

 

[fauxfour2]

Just read through the whole string of comments and everyone is giving great advice. You are blessed to have a family heirloom like that. I would kill to have my Grandpa's 65 mustang (loved riding in that car) and his 71 Dodge Dart (the car i learned to drive in). When i hear an old dodge starter engage the sound brings me right back. Im sure you have fond memories of that car. With that in mind i think the preventative maintenance should come first and it looks like that's what your doing. If it was me after that stuff i would do rims tires and suspension tweaks. Then some headers and exhaust. Car will sound nice and still give you the nostalgia but with a little more pep and better handling. Regardless of what you do i wish you many happy miles with it.

 

[fleming442]

I forgot to mention the control arm bushings. If it were me, I'd just get the Dorman or Moog S-10 arms. You get all new for about half the price. Granted, they won't be poly bushings or tall joints, but they'll be perfect for 75% of the street cars out there.

 

[BronzeLemans78]

So, I'll stick my nose in since this is a Pontiac. First are you sure it's a 305? As has been stated that's not what would be expected so a pic would be cool just cuz we are nosey. But after reading all the posts I would say leave the car alone. Clean it drive it and most importantly learn what it takes to work on it. This car has no computer so when it starts acting funny you need to know what you are about. The car isn't going to help you. Posting my car won't start to a web board will work but you will get a lot of advise and just wading through it without any real knowledge will wear you down.
You may have noticed a variety of responses to your question. We all have our opinions/experiences that inform our comments. They are all valid, except the LS guys.... They're weirdos. Your question is like asking which supermodel is hotter. Dude, they're all hot that's why they are super models. Except the LS one. She's ugly and her momma dresses her funny.
Now, based on what I've read you are reasonably new to cars or old ones any rate. So with that consideration any motor swap is a bad idea. There's a reason every sale rag has a section loaded with abandoned projects. People bite off more than they can chew, get discouraged and give up. Then they go buy an LS powered car.
So assuming you have a 305 start with the basics. Hedders, dual exhaust, cam, intake, 4 bbl. All these things will literally bolt to the Chevy 350 you will replace the 305 with. If you do. Look on YouTube or ask Google. There are 305s making real power with modern parts and have Dyno pulls to back it up. That may be enough for you.
When you get ambitious and decide to get away from the Chevy Kool-aid my vote is Pontiac. But this is important, ANY motor you use other than another Gen1 SBC is not a simple swap. Every other motor uses different mount, accessory brackets, sometimes accessories like the AC pump you mentioned, not to mention exhaust manifold, starter location which means the battery moves to the other side of the car or you need a ultra long cable and the bell housing is different. A BBC is easier than a Pontiac. Of course it's hard to work on cuz your skirt will ride up.

A lot of this was meant to be slightly humorous. I'm long winded, old, and in love with the sound of my virtual voice. The advice is solid. Enjoy your car, it's really awesome. Welcome to the nut house.

P.S. the LS is a perfectly fine choice it's a great motor and makes gobs of power. It's just not unique, and frankly it easy to make power. The swap is a reasonably high bar but not insurmountable.

Pontiac Guy...you asked for pics under the bonnet, so here you go. Tried to capture as much as the light would allow.