engine swap? 305 for 350

[AgnosticFront]

Hi, Im new to the forum but it looks like you guys give real solid advice, and thats what I need.

I have a 91 Caprice I bought at a police auction for $450 The origional plan was to get it running good and then sell it. But I like it so much that I want to keep it. Its got a 305 with 245K miles, smokes a little and leaks some oil. I think i want to throw a 350 in there if its not too much trouble. Increased horse power would be nice. I dont like driving a car that doesnt have muscle. What kind of problems will I run into? will the transmission work good with a 350? what about all the hoses and junk?

[AgnosticFront]

I was thinking about buying from this site

http://www.rebuilt-auto-engines.com/...tml?p_vid=5388

anyone ever do business with them before?




"Additional performance options are available for most engines. To request additional options, simply type 'I'd like additional options' on the comment field located on the order form and we'll contact you with the list of options available for this engine before we build your engine."

What kind of performance options should I be considering?

[kahjdh]

$1300, no way. You could find an lt1 for cheaper than that.

[AgnosticFront]

Originally Posted by kahjdh

$1300, no way. You could find an lt1 for cheaper than that.

I read that you have to swap the transmission for an LT1?

hook me up with a link dude. Im new to this...


What about this one? http://www.high-performance-engines.com/ce09.html

thay have free shipping...

[Cyrix_2k]

Originally Posted by kahjdh

$1300, no way. You could find an lt1 for cheaper than that.

agreed. You could get an LT1 , work on the tranny some, and new gears for the rear end (well, maybe not new, but pretty close to it if you do the work yourself and shop around first) for that!

[1986Z28]

do you want an lt1 or just a 350 tbi?

[AgnosticFront]

Originally Posted by Cyrix_2k

agreed. You could get an LT1 , work on the tranny some, and new gears for the rear end (well, maybe not new, but pretty close to it if you do the work yourself and shop around first) for that!

I dont know how to do all that. I dont want to go in over my head. Looking for something simple. throw it in, bolt it on, drive away. know what im sayin?

[AgnosticFront]

Originally Posted by blownalcoholboy

do you want an lt1 or just a 350 tbi?

I dont care, I just want something with more power then the 305.

not looking to race or anything. just want a car that has balls.

[silicon212]

Originally Posted by AgnosticFront

I dont care, I just want something with more power then the 305.

not looking to race or anything. just want a car that has balls.

Get a 350 TBI, and a knock sensor for it. replace your PROM with one for a 350 although the 305 will work, you won't get the most out of the 350. Your transmission might not be up for the 350 though - I believe it's a 200-4R - you can beef it up or replace it (and the driveshaft) with a 4L60/700R4.

[AgnosticFront]

Originally Posted by silicon212

Get a 350 TBI, and a knock sensor for it. replace your PROM with one for a 350 although the 305 will work, you won't get the most out of the 350. Your transmission might not be up for the 350 though - I believe it's a 200-4R - you can beef it up or replace it (and the driveshaft) with a 4L60/700R4.

Sweet, thanks man.

So you think I could throw this in there? http://www.high-performance-engines.com/ce09.html

and just get a knock sensor? and it should work with my transmission? Everything should fit? Do you know of any good places to get 350 tbi engines?

[Cyrix_2k]

Originally Posted by silicon212

Get a 350 TBI, and a knock sensor for it. replace your PROM with one for a 350 although the 305 will work, you won't get the most out of the 350. Your transmission might not be up for the 350 though - I believe it's a 200-4R - you can beef it up or replace it (and the driveshaft) with a 4L60/700R4.

The 200-4R should be fine with a little work. The Turbo Regal's and GNX's used a performance version of it without trouble.

If you don't know what you're doing, you might as well skip the engine swap IMO and just beef up the 305. Contrary to popular belief, with a little work, that's one heck of a motor and should be able to blow away a 350 TBI with bolt-ons.

Also, if you want to accelerate faster, get lower gears. They help ALOT. I recommend 3:23's to 3:73's depending on how much you care about top speed and gas milage. Be sure to get the B&M WOT OD kit while you're at it.

[AgnosticFront]

Originally Posted by Cyrix_2k

The 200-4R should be fine with a little work. The Turbo Regal's and GNX's used a performance version of it without trouble.

If you don't know what you're doing, you might as well skip the engine swap IMO and just beef up the 305. Contrary to popular belief, with a little work, that's one heck of a motor and should be able to blow away a 350 TBI with bolt-ons.

Also, if you want to accelerate faster, get lower gears. They help ALOT. I recommend 3:23's to 3:73's depending on how much you care about top speed and gas milage. Be sure to get the B&M WOT OD kit while you're at it.

Well the 305 im running leaks oil and smokes and its my transportation so I dont have the time to take it out and rebuild it. I think replacing it is a better option. If im already going to replace the engine why not throw a 350 in there? its not that much more expensive... I have a friend that does alot of work on cars and he says he'll help me put it in. I just dont want to run into any suprises that stop me from getting the car going and i dont want to make it a huge burden for him trying to figure out all this junk that doesnt fit/work right when it comes time to do the job.

[Cyrix_2k]

ok. Get a 350 TBI from a camaro or caprice and rebuild it. It should be a no brainer to drop that in, but it will still take the better part of a weekend to do the swap if you're lucky. Personally, I suggest you get new gears in the rear-end first. That doesn't take long at all and makes a huge impact on performance, plus you can upgrade to POSI (limited slip) at that point.

[AgnosticFront]

Originally Posted by Cyrix_2k

ok. Get a 350 TBI from a camaro or caprice and rebuild it. It should be a no brainer to drop that in, but it will still take the better part of a weekend to do the swap if you're lucky. Personally, I suggest you get new gears in the rear-end first. That doesn't take long at all and makes a huge impact on performance, plus you can upgrade to POSI (limited slip) at that point.

Like this? http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/IMPAL...spagenameZWDVW

[silicon212]

The GM regular production option number for the 350 TBI engine you want is L05. Any car with an L05 in it would make a good donor car.

The TH200-4R that comes behind 305s is missing a plate on each clutch pack vs. one that works for HP use (the GNX, turbo GNs etc) and won't live too long behind the torque of the larger engine - experience prevails here. As far as it bolting up - the TH200-4R will bolt to any GM 90-degree V6 or any GM V8.

Also, the 305 can be modded but when it comes to brute force torque, there's no substitute for cubic inches and the mods you do to a 305 to get it close to a 350 will also work on a 350, pushing it higher. I've built several of each - basically it comes down to this - the 305 is a better economy engine than the 350 is, but the 350 powered car is much more fun to drive.

You can always build a 327 and have the best of both worlds. Use a 350 block, a large journal 3.25" stroke crank (found on CHEVROLET 307 engines, not Olds 307s used in the 80s) and some 327 aftermarket pistons.

Getting back to topic, the L05 is the engine you're after. They always came bolted to a 700R4.