pontiac 305 or chevy 350 engine

[86 TWIN BIRD]

I have a 86 pontiac firebird trans am. As of now i have a pontiac 305 engine in. Soon im goin to put in a chevy 350 in, thats if its a good decision. I just want to know wat would be better to do, leave it or change

[tuske427]

That 305 is a Chevy engine, actually. Pontiac stopped offering V-8 engines in their F-body cars in '81. 1982 was the year of the "corporate" engine in the F-body.

All this aside- what do you want to do with this car? Drive it, race it, collect it?

What is the condition of the 305? is it fine? is it ailing/ ready to die?

Once you figure out what you want to do with the car, then you will know your answer.

If more power is your goal, then dump the 305. 350 engines are more receptive to bolt on parts, there is more aftermarket support for them and they are a better engine to improve.

Good luck

[86 TWIN BIRD]

Im planning on racing it short and long distances and the 305 is in great condition with very few miles on it

[tuske427]

If you're racing the car then dump the 305. you'll realize more power gains with the same parts when installing them on the 350. the 350 had a better rod to stroke ratio- making the engine more efficient in making power. Plus, more cubes typically means more power. so, for the same size and weight, you'll have more power to work with.

The only time you/'d want to keep the 305 is if your class of racing mandates the smaller cubes or the original engine. but if you had to keep 305 cubes or less, you'd be better off de-stroking a 327 to make a 302, just like the original Z28 camaros had in the 60's. you could make a high revving/ powerful engine with more power than the 305 and keep within the specs.

[86 TWIN BIRD]

Thanx ... i have a 327 already that i can put in and i heard the 327 has more upgrades to get and it will make it faster than a 350. now i just have to decide between those 2.