my 80 cutlass is in need of a new heartbeat. i let my cousin make a few passes in my car at a local track. got it home and found out my block was cracked after his "victory burnout" in front of the house. long story short i have acquired a 305 outa a caprice. the engine ran when he took it out. he upgraded. i already started the disassembly. my question lies in the top end. would it be better to get my heads polished and what not or just do it myself like i had planned? and what are my options as far as new intakes? also wanting to put a lunati cam and a good carb on it. maybe get somethin from painless and msd too. but im tryin to do this as a in garage type build. need the best bang for the buck right now. any advice is greatly appreciated.
pointers on a mild build
- Thread starter That 4 door guy
- Start date
- Status
as far as your heads i did my own which save me hundreds of dollars. summit racing has the kits and video to do it. and as far cam and carb combinations you can call summit or email them tell them what you have and they wil recomend what you can do. its worth it.
I'll say this before everyone else starts telling you: There's no replacement for displacement.
You're much further ahead in the power & torque department by starting with at least a 350 or better. The 305 is great for reliability and ok gas mileage, but since the parts cost practically the same (in some cases less for the 350) why not step it up a little bit? Do a little digging and I'm sure you can find a good 350 block for next to nothing.
Personally I'd stick an Olds 350, 403 or 455 in it but that's just my opinion. Good luck!
You're much further ahead in the power & torque department by starting with at least a 350 or better. The 305 is great for reliability and ok gas mileage, but since the parts cost practically the same (in some cases less for the 350) why not step it up a little bit? Do a little digging and I'm sure you can find a good 350 block for next to nothing.
Personally I'd stick an Olds 350, 403 or 455 in it but that's just my opinion. Good luck!
trust me i want a good tree oh five but the mortgage and raisin two kids kinda hits the wallet. the 305 was picked up for a mere 50 bucks. i dont want this to be a racer. just a peppy lil v8. somethin i can mash the gas to get on the freeway with and have no problems with muscling thru the grannys doin 45 on the highway. believe me, i make fun of myself for it. but im just workin with what i got. so maybe a cyl hone, polish the heads myself, lunati, msd, flows out the back, and maybe forged pistons are a not so bad alternative right? bein on a low budget n all...
You'd be better off getting a 350 from a wreckers for 150 bucks than spending 1 cent on the 305. Every performance mod you do to the 305 is money you could be spending on a 350. Just for the cost of your mufflers, you could buy a 350. Add up the cost of all the performance parts you want: MSD igntion, lunati cam, flowmster mufflers. well over 150. You could get a used 350 for 150-300, no problem, and be way ahead of the game.
That's my 2 cents.
That's my 2 cents.
If you were to just drop in the 305 and maybe change the intake to an aluminum one that I'd say fine. But once you get into changing the cam, pistons, porting the heads. Just sell the 305 and buy a 350 as everyone else has said. But a buddy of mine had a 78 regal with a 305 in it. The previous person put a different cam in it and an aluminum intake and it had decent power....for what it was.
- Status
Similar threads
BUILD THREAD
83 calias build
