My first project-1977 Monte Carlo 305

[Monte77]

I just bought my first project car. I was lucky enough to find a 1977 Monte Carlo with a 305. It has 86k miles on it and was only $700. Everything is stock besides a camaro racing transmission.
The Engine sounds great and tranny shifts awesome. It has some rust on the wheel wells, but overall a very straight body (besides the hood crink).
I'm very new to this and have only done minor car maintenace before. I'm looking to dive right in, get my hands greasy, and learn how to install performance parts.
I know the 305 isn't the most powerful engine, but I'm wondering where I should start to get better performance out of it. I want it to be faster and sound mean. What I'm really looking for is the experience, I probaly won't be taking this to the track. Oh, and I'm only looking to drop about $1000 before paint and body work.

These are just some ideas. Any suggestions would be great!
1. Should I get a new carb? If so, which one.
2. What kind of air intake should I install?
3. What kind of exhuast system should I put on it?

[MagicRat]

That sounds like a nice project.

First of all, you can get some more power by making sure the existing engine is set up properly and running its best.

There are 3 devices intended to provide better cold-weather running. However, they inevitably malfunction in older cars, leading to reduced power and increased fuel consumption. Here are some corrections which can be done for free:

1. These engines had thermally- controlled spark advance, that is, when the engine is cold, the carburetor uses manifold vacuum for the spark advance..... then when the coolant gets above 120 deg., a thermal switch changes this to ported vacuum.

Typically, the thermal switch gets corroded and stuck over time, giving you manifold vacuum at the distributor all the time, which kills both power and mileage. You can re-route the vacuum lines to give you ported vacuum all the time at the distributor. This mod can be done for free.

2. There is a thermally-controlled diverter valve on the air intake snorkel. This allows the air cleaner to suck hot air from around the exhaust manifold when cold, but changes to colder air when the engine is warmed up. Just make sure this valve is not stuck sucking hot manifold air all the time.

3. The passenger side exhaust manifold probably has a heat - riser valve inside it. This valve closes off when the manifold is cold, which forces the exhaust gases from the right side of the engine through a small passage that runs underneath the carburetor. When the manifold warms up, this valve is suppesed to open..... but its usually rusted solid and/or broken. This valve can be wired open, with a small piece of wire, or unbolted from the manifold altogether.

Some other repairs....... look under the distributor cap. You will find the spark advance mechanism. Attach a small hose to the vacuum port and suck on it with your mouth. You should see the vacuum advance mechanism move back and forth as you suck. If its stuck, the disrtibutor needs repair. Alsdo look at the advance weights. Polish the underside of the weights with #400 sandpaper to make sure they are rust free and moving freely. Make sure both weights have their tiny springs attached and do not flop around loosely.

Set the static ignition timing to spec. (I think 10 deg BTDC, with the distributor vacuum disconnected).

Next..... do you have a 2 barrel carb or a 4bbl? If its a 2bbl, you may be able to pick up a 4bbl intake manifold and carb pretty cheap. Unless you know what to look for, get a factory - stock cast iron 4bbl intake and a QuadraJet carb. This was a factory option for these cars and is a safe and easy choice.

Otherwise, there are a huge amount of aftermarket aluminum manifolds and 4bbl carbs out there that will fit the small block Chevy. Some research is required before getting one to make sure you make an appropriate choice.

If you do have a factory 4bbl carb already, make sure the choke blade opens fully when the carb warms up. Also, if you look very carefully at the carb, you will see a small linkage that prevents the secondary (large) throttle blades from opening when the choke is on. Often this tiny linkage gets corroded and stuck.... meaning your 4bbl carb is stuck permanently in 2bbl mode. It's easy to free up this linkage or (what I do) use a garbage bag wire twist-tie to wire the linkage so that it's out of the way.

You can flip the air cleaner lid upside down, for more airflow.

Alternatly, , trim off the last few inches end of the air cleaner snorkel, where it is narrowest. Then get some 3 inch flexible air duct pipe, intended for a clothesdryer. Duct tape one end to the snorkel, and run the other end to in front of the radiator, and secure it with tie wraps. This gives you a very inexpensive cold-air induction set up. Some care needs to be taken to get the best routing, and it looks ugly, but till add a couple of hp.

The alternative to this is to simply remove the 305, sell it and install a decent 350. Any 350 has larger valves, better cylinder heads more displacement and more power than most 305's, therefore, imho, it is not worth doing any complex mods to a 305, since those mods will yield better results with a 350.

As for exhaust...... I believe dual exhaust was either optional or easily installed in these cars. Contact a decent muffler shop, one with access to a custom pipe bender, and they could install one with louder mufflers of your choice. Alternately, if you look on-line you could find a dual exhaust kit for this car, which you could install yourself.