i need help choosing the right setup and parts 305 engine

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youngdeezy

G-Body Guru
Jan 4, 2007
797
7
0
cali
i just bought a 305 yesterday from a 86 monte carlo. i know it aint the 350 but i'll swap all my parts over to the 350 later on down the line when i can afford 1. i only plan on doing some basic bolt on mods so what transmission would you reconmind for this type of setup. i just found out that i have the crappy TH200C transmission but the 305 had a 200r4 hooked up to it before....should i go 200r4 again or something else? also will that 200r4 hold up well when i drop the 350 engine in later on down the line.

im not sure if this is to much info but i would like to have 3.42 gear for the rear and a shift kit for the transmission with a 2000 rpm stall torque converter. i see a lot of good th350 trannies in my area should i go for 1 of those and if i do i need to change my crossmember right?

im goin with this summit high performance intake and 600 cfm carb combo
http://store.summitracing.com/partdetai ... toview=sku

edlebrock tes headers

http://store.summitracing.com/partdetai ... toview=sku

HEI distributor
 

megaladon6

Comic Book Super Hero
May 29, 2006
4,006
15
0
Danbury, CT
i personally like the 200r4. they can be built to take over 800hp. the intake and carb will work very well for you. if you have to break in a new/rebuilt engine you will want a set of cheap headers, otherwise the coating can be destroyed. since you have a used engine it's not a problem for now.
 

fodoimp

Master Mechanic
Oct 8, 2006
370
2
0
Southern New Jersey
you might want to consider going with an electric choke on the carb unless you want to run a cable into the car for the manual choke. I prefer electric to manual for that reason.
 

youngdeezy

G-Body Guru
Jan 4, 2007
797
7
0
cali
fodoimp said:
you might want to consider going with an electric choke on the carb unless you want to run a cable into the car for the manual choke. I prefer electric to manual for that reason.

thanks and thats why i posted my parts list so you guys could check that out and lettin me know if its right for direct bolt ons to the engine without any modifications. feel free to suggest any changes or tell me about some things i may be missin. im tryin to go mild performance with this project i want the car to be my daily driver.
 

youngdeezy

G-Body Guru
Jan 4, 2007
797
7
0
cali
great i went back to summit and the intake/carb combo they sell dont seem to have any carbs with electric choke they only have manuel choke from what i see. run a cable into my car for manuel choke how is that done. if its simple i guess i'll do it but if its not then i'll have to think of something else to do then :cry:
 

RITTER

Royal Smart Person
May 26, 2007
2,385
9
38
Hillsdale, MI
It is very simple to run a manual choke cable into your car, you just go get a universal choke cable from the parts store, decide where you are going to mount it and run it through the firewall. :eek:

I personally remove the choke assembly from just about every carb I use, I would rather just sit there and hold the throttle in for a minute and then it runs fine. 8)
 
Sep 1, 2006
6,687
33
0
Tampa Bay Area
The carb looks to be an Edelbrock Performer series carb, which is the same as a Carter AFB. There is a electric choke kit for the Performer carb, and I think it's around $25. I put one on one of the Edelbrocks I have and it worked fine. You need a choke on a daily driver and once it is set up you will be happy you have it. Remember that in addition to how long it takes to go off, you can also adjust the fast idle speed with a adjusting screw on the choke side of the carb. As for whether or not it is a good choice, it will work fine on a 305, but you will probably need to do a little fine tuning on the carb to get the best performance from it. A simple stepup spring assortment and tuning the idle mixture screws for maximum vacuum at idle will likely give you a good responsive combination. I would prefer a non computer Quadrajet instead of the Edelbrock on a mild street car, but the Edelbrock is my choice for an inexpensive aftermarket carb in this application. At least it's not a Holley as they are best suited to WOT and do not have as good part throttle and idle circuits. You will also need a TV cable bracket for that carb. The factory one will not give proper TV cable geometry. I think I paid $25 for one from TCI for my car, but switched to a $25 junkyard Quadrajet before I used it.

Now on to the TES headers. I have them and LOVE them! Yeah, they are not as good for maximum performance as a set of long tubes, but they are so well built and the kit is so complete that installation is a joy! The only Issue I had with them is that the crossover tube that runs under the oil pan hits the pan, but I am not running a GM pan so it may not be an issue for you. My only suggestion is to get them ceramic coated from the get go as they will last much longer. I regret not having done this with mine. Also, get the ones for a G code 305 HO MCSS and not the regular H code 305. This is because the MCSS used a larger catalyst which is a squished down 3 in pipe. It is the same one used on the TPI Corvettes. The H code uses a 2 1/4 in cat and will restrict performance. I ran a 3 inch converter on mine and the exhaust shop adapted it by squeezing a piece of 3 in pipe. For an exhaust, I have a Walker Dynomax cat back and do not like the way they Y'd it as it basically takes a 2.5 in pipe and stretches it to fit the oval catalyst opening. Most Catalysts that are a direct fit replacement for the G code 305 cars do this too, so you would be wise to order one in 3 inch and have it made to fit like I did. I had the exhaust shop put a piece of 3 inch in there instead and they used that flange to mate to the TES Y pipe. Unfortunately, they did not completely cut out the 2.5 in pipe at the Y. So, my exhaust restricts there. I plan on using a Flowmaster Y pipe in this location in the future to eliminate as much restriction as possible, but wish I had bought a better exhaust from the beginning. I believe the Turbo Regals used the same converter and the same placement, so you may wish to see if there is a good setup for these cars instead of the MCSS. Were you local to me, I would have you come over and look at my setup so you can see how it all fits together.

As for the TH 200 4R, like any other transmission, it's good until you exceed it's capabilities. If all you want is something similar to my car, it is fine but I would be sure to have it gone through and have a hardened stator support added at a minimum. This is a known weak spot in these transmissions and even a 150 hp 305 can have problems with it. If you are looking for a good core, you preferably want the newest one you can find out of a performance model car. Turbo Regal and 89 Turbo Trans Am Pace Car transmissions are by far the best factory versions with 442 and MCSS variants being the next best choice. Look for a "BRF" code on the tailshaft tag. "F" indicates a TH 200 4R trans. Other good ones include: KZF, OZF, BQF, CZF, QZF, and KZF. Otherwise, the best thing about them is the valve body and the governor assembly. If you can get these parts from a reputable aftermarket supplier and add good clutches and bands, and a good front pump, you can have a trans that is the same as or better than the performance models. The cases are all the same IIRC.

By the way, if you live in California and go through any kind of emissions test, your car will not be legal with that carb and intake nor without the computer and distributor from a 305 powered GM car (not truck) of the same year or newer than your car. You will also need every piece of smog equipment and every last vacuum line and switch as well. My car was originally swapped in this fashion and if you need the information on how to go about it I can post it all here as well. Just let me know and know that it will not be cheap or simple. It's better to figure this part out now than to buy a lot of expensive parts you have no use for.
 

youngdeezy

G-Body Guru
Jan 4, 2007
797
7
0
cali
85 Cutlass Brougham said:
The carb looks to be an Edelbrock Performer series carb, which is the same as a Carter AFB. There is a electric choke kit for the Performer carb, and I think it's around $25. I put one on one of the Edelbrocks I have and it worked fine. You need a choke on a daily driver and once it is set up you will be happy you have it. Remember that in addition to how long it takes to go off, you can also adjust the fast idle speed with a adjusting screw on the choke side of the carb. As for whether or not it is a good choice, it will work fine on a 305, but you will probably need to do a little fine tuning on the carb to get the best performance from it. A simple stepup spring assortment and tuning the idle mixture screws for maximum vacuum at idle will likely give you a good responsive combination. I would prefer a non computer Quadrajet instead of the Edelbrock on a mild street car, but the Edelbrock is my choice for an inexpensive aftermarket carb in this application. At least it's not a Holley as they are best suited to WOT and do not have as good part throttle and idle circuits. You will also need a TV cable bracket for that carb. The factory one will not give proper TV cable geometry. I think I paid $25 for one from TCI for my car, but switched to a $25 junkyard Quadrajet before I used it.

Now on to the TES headers. I have them and LOVE them! Yeah, they are not as good for maximum performance as a set of long tubes, but they are so well built and the kit is so complete that installation is a joy! The only Issue I had with them is that the crossover tube that runs under the oil pan hits the pan, but I am not running a GM pan so it may not be an issue for you. My only suggestion is to get them ceramic coated from the get go as they will last much longer. I regret not having done this with mine. Also, get the ones for a G code 305 HO MCSS and not the regular H code 305. This is because the MCSS used a larger catalyst which is a squished down 3 in pipe. It is the same one used on the TPI Corvettes. The H code uses a 2 1/4 in cat and will restrict performance. I ran a 3 inch converter on mine and the exhaust shop adapted it by squeezing a piece of 3 in pipe. For an exhaust, I have a Walker Dynomax cat back and do not like the way they Y'd it as it basically takes a 2.5 in pipe and stretches it to fit the oval catalyst opening. Most Catalysts that are a direct fit replacement for the G code 305 cars do this too, so you would be wise to order one in 3 inch and have it made to fit like I did. I had the exhaust shop put a piece of 3 inch in there instead and they used that flange to mate to the TES Y pipe. Unfortunately, they did not completely cut out the 2.5 in pipe at the Y. So, my exhaust restricts there. I plan on using a Flowmaster Y pipe in this location in the future to eliminate as much restriction as possible, but wish I had bought a better exhaust from the beginning. I believe the Turbo Regals used the same converter and the same placement, so you may wish to see if there is a good setup for these cars instead of the MCSS. Were you local to me, I would have you come over and look at my setup so you can see how it all fits together.

As for the TH 200 4R, like any other transmission, it's good until you exceed it's capabilities. If all you want is something similar to my car, it is fine but I would be sure to have it gone through and have a hardened stator support added at a minimum. This is a known weak spot in these transmissions and even a 150 hp 305 can have problems with it. If you are looking for a good core, you preferably want the newest one you can find out of a performance model car. Turbo Regal and 89 Turbo Trans Am Pace Car transmissions are by far the best factory versions with 442 and MCSS variants being the next best choice. Look for a "BRF" code on the tailshaft tag. "F" indicates a TH 200 4R trans. Other good ones include: KZF, OZF, BQF, CZF, QZF, and KZF. Otherwise, the best thing about them is the valve body and the governor assembly. If you can get these parts from a reputable aftermarket supplier and add good clutches and bands, and a good front pump, you can have a trans that is the same as or better than the performance models. The cases are all the same IIRC.

By the way, if you live in California and go through any kind of emissions test, your car will not be legal with that carb and intake nor without the computer and distributor from a 305 powered GM car (not truck) of the same year or newer than your car. You will also need every piece of smog equipment and every last vacuum line and switch as well. My car was originally swapped in this fashion and if you need the information on how to go about it I can post it all here as well. Just let me know and know that it will not be cheap or simple. It's better to figure this part out now than to buy a lot of expensive parts you have no use for.

your the man and thanks. check your pm
 

RITTER

Royal Smart Person
May 26, 2007
2,385
9
38
Hillsdale, MI
85 Cutlass Brougham said:
You need a choke on a daily driver and once it is set up you will be happy you have it.

You really don't need a choke for a daily driver. I am not saying a choke isn't nice, I am just saying you don't NEED one. A carbed engine will idle on its own in less than a minute (i know because the choke on my Regal doesn't work)
 
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