350 head and intake work

hey hows everyone doing i recently blew the 305 in my 86 trans am and i was thinking bout putting a stock 350 (because i can find them cheap) for it. some one told me bout putting my 305 heads on the 350 and the edelbrock intake with the holly 600 cfm carb on it to gain horse power. i dont want to much power because of t-tops and dont want to twist body but what do you think would this be worth it because i got all the things to swap it all over and would it gain that much power. thanks for your time

305 heads on a 350 is going to raise the compression of the engine. It may raise it too much to use pump gas, you'll for sure need to run premium gas and even that may not be enough.
Depending on the year of 350 it either had 64 cc heads or 76 cc, the 305 heads are 58cc (or less).

so is it worth doing is it going to wear my engine quik and if i go with a 305 what could i do for things to get more power

so is it worth doing is it going to wear my engine quik and if i go with a 305 what could i do for things to get more power
It won't "wear" it out, it could blow it up..again due to detonation. Also the 305 valves were kinds small, making it harder for the 350 to breathe.
If you can get a 350 I'd just get some 64cc heads for it and be done with it.

Yes, a 350, but... 64 CC heads on the 350 will make it over 9.5:1 static compression ratio. Standard bore 350 would have 9.6:1 and it goes up from there. 9.5:1 is the accepted "limit" for iron heads and 93 octane fuel. Of course, with aluminum heads, 64 CCs would be fine.

You would be ahead of the "game" to use the run-of-the-mill 76 CC heads (chamber volume) that come on the majority of 350s, and a modern cam grind. Comp XE262H is excellent for this application. Nice sound, good vacuum, broad power band. Comp XE grinds are specifically designed for "lower" compression engines.

A couple more things, then I'll leave you alone... Who ever told you to use a 600 CFM carb on a 350, is out of touch, to say it nicely. 700, minimum, and 750 is optimum. And be sure to stick with Performer RPM (or RPM "Air Gap") for the intake. It will make enough low-end for driving and pull well up high.

Lastly, don't worry about your T-tops. The engine you're talking about won't break 400 HP, much less the 500-plus it takes to twist this car. The T-top thing comes into play when power levels get really going. A mild build won't hurt your car.

Jim

I'd have to disagree on the whole T Top thing. While his 350 won't twist the unibody it will flex it (given 350-400 hp) and after time this flexing causes the roof to tear behind the T tops (usually driver side) at the lower corner. I've seen this happen to a number of F bodies with some healthy engines. A simple set of subframe connectors will solve this. I would suggest Jegster SFC's from Jegs. They are bolt in and cost $179. Once you bolt them in, you weld them along the pinch weld at the rockers, then weld them fore and aft.
NOW you're ready for some REAL power. Also get a strut tower brace and make sure you have a wonder bar (either factory or aftermarket).

Morley,

You're probably right. I HAVE seen some pretty tore up, but they had more motor in them, and often were re-geared to "drag race". We just laugh when someone with a 2nd gen wants to put a 461 Pontiac in one... Not without a cage!!! 3rd gen cars are pretty weak to begin with. I should have known.

Jim

naaa, the 3rd gens aren't "weak". They do have weak places, but they can be addressed. SFC's, STB's, LCA's, solid panhard rod's and if it didn't have one from the factory..a wonder bar.
Third gens just "seem" weaker than the 2nd gens because the 2nd's had less power in them (the ending years) and were less stressed bacause of it.
There was a guy that twisted his 79 T/A so badly that only 3 wheels would touch the ground. He did it all with just an engine...a severely built 455. Once he cut out the read subframe and rolled the rear frame from a Corvette under there he ran low 9's. Now, I've seen 3rd gens run 9's all day with nothing more than the items I mentioned above and they survived.
If you plan on "severe" power I would recommend SFC's that also tie into the opposite side of the car and have the trans X member built in, along with a built in torque arm bracket.

I too, have seen 2nd gen T/As TORE up by big Pontiac engines. But small blocks, while making good high-end power, can't APPROACH the level of torque the big Ponchos make. It takes a HOT BBC to do that. There are precious few with the moxy to put a big Pontiac in a 3rd gen car. We're working on one now, where a 440 CID Pontiac will go in where a 406 Chevy is coming out, in an '87 T/A. It's a dedicated race car with a full cage, etc. Car runs 10.40s all week and into the next month (VERY consistent bracket car). But he wants to go for the "big bucks" at the Pontiac meets, and that can only happen if there's an Injun between the rails (by rule, no "corporate" engines compete for the bigger classes). He'll need to go 9.80s to have a shot at the "Pro" class. He won't even be able to make the "Quick 16" fields, as the "bump" in that class at the last couple of races was around 8.40. In fact, a buddy that has a Camaro, was at the last Pontiac meet and was amazed. He had no idea they were THAT strong. There were 6 or 7 cars in the 6s, a couple dozen in the 7s, and mostly in the 8s and 9s... The 11 second cars made up the "street" class. Anything slower than that stuck to the show or the "street" brackets.

Jim