Technical If you found a cheap 305 SBC....

none of the cool kids have 305's in their cars. my 305 will be a 383 for anyone who asks since the most important aspect of any car project is that the cool guys nod their heads in approval and think I am one of them.

 

Plenty of info on a 305, Car Craft did a nice build with Bolt-Ons if you decide to pump it up some. Google is your friend, Hot Rod Network.com

 

The deal is sealed for the 305. It came out of a Monte Carlo SS, has an RV type cam, and is a 305 HO! The owner just sent me a shopping list of Kobalt air tools and sockets he will trade for it. I can get them all for less than $250! So I will have the rebuilt engine in the photo for less than $250. I will check it out in person, and then do the trade in a couple of weeks.

 

I ran a junkyard 305 in my T Bucket for 3 VERY hard miles. Never gave me trouble. It was pulled from a high mileage PU and I didn't rebuild it. Just dropped it in and ran the shit out of it. When my money got right, I got a 350, but that 305 moved my T Bucket very well.

 

I have only owned one 305. It was original equipment in a OT ‘89 Camaro RS. It wasn’t the fastest car I’ve ever had but it was no slouch either. I put a lot of miles on it and had a lot of fun with it. I’d own another if it was like that.


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'79 305 in my 4,500lb daily barge. It was really underpowered. Now when I mash the pedal it's a 454! 12mpg, before and after, uphill, downhill..

 

Since all SBC's are Corvette engines anyway, just get some Corvette valve covers and join the party!

 

Ran a 305 in a dirt track car for 3 seasons at 5 grand 10 laps ever Saturday night in a Camaro never had any trouble with it. It wasn’t a beast but it stayed up with the 350s. The only thing that I done to it was put a z28 cam in it and it had a Quadra junk on it. They are not bad engines


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The heads said it.

 

Go for it man! Any engine works well for a cruiser, as long as you can get out of the way if you pull out in front of someone on accident. Pretty sure Chrysler proved that with how long the slant 6 stuck around for

 

That could be a quote for a hobby full of posers. Sadly, it's the case a lot of times. Building what's thought to be "cool" is so 80's.

 

I would get the heads too. 100 bucks for done heads and your 283 is a runner again.I have had one 305, bought it for 50 bucks from a buddies junk yard cause no one wanted it. sprayed it with carb cleaner and half a can of chevy orange pint, and dropped it in a 400 dollar truck. I ran that combo all over the state, hauling anything for anyone. got 20 mpg empty, was reliable as hell. the only real power problem was trying to pull 8500 pounds over Donner Summit. it was very slow, but did it. I abused that engine, and she always was ready for more.

 

I ran a set of mildly worked 305 heads on my 283 with a RV cam and it screamed. Ask HotRodPrimer. He ended up with the car and he’ll tell you the same thing.

A 305 won’t push a big heavy Chevelle or Nova down the quarter mile at anything super impressive but for an around town driver they’re great engines. Especially in a light weight car.

I wish I knew where a good, clean cheap 305 was. I’d buy it in the morning.

Besides, you can dress them up with some traditional goodies and 90% of the smack talkers wouldn’t know it wasn’t a 283 or a 327.

 

Didja get the other 305 heads too? It'd be fun to build both the 305 and the 283 similarly and do a "comparo" with them.
In a related story:
My dad had a ford pickup with a 360 FE motor. He ran it till it wore out and rebuilt a 352 engine for it. He'd run the 352 till it wore out while building the 360. When I asked which one he liked best he said they both got 17 MPG while pulling his little boat or not. Said the 352 had more compression but couldn't tell the difference in them.
Wasn't that interesting?

 

The 305 will shove your hot rod around just fine.
The 307 ,,, from the factory,,, WAS a dog. Don't take very much standard entry level hot rod trickery to wake them up and make 300 hp with it. Cheap too, the dollars per HP ratio can not be beat.

 

I am still working on getting the heads for the 283. The kid that owns them takes his time getting back to me. I plan on building the 283 down the road for sure. Your VERY interesting Ford story motivated me! Lol.

 

The 305 is the most complete? Go with that, it will be good in a light car.

 

So have I, and I'm as nostalgic about 283s/327s as they come. But a ready to go 305 is a no-brainer, for the time being in a cruise-around vehicle. The little better low end torque is a plus too. Hell, put on the old style tin-script valve covers and it's a 283 to 90% of the lookers. I'd rebuild the 283 too, later.

 

It's a SBC. Don't sweat it, because regardless of HP, CID, dress, trick parts, it's still a current fashion statement to hate on it. No, that's not directed at the fans and logical builders. We all know what I mean.

That 305 will have a LOT more mid-range TQ than the 283. If you want to do some silly shit you can go 327 with it, "the hard way" by adding a stroker crank and the related parts.

About 307s, I agree that they were a limp-wristed lump in as-delivered form, however they were damn near IMPOSSIBLE to blow up. 283 bore, 327 crank, light rotating mass, knew many a kid in my youth that tried hard to purposely destroy them from within. In a light car with pocket change bolt ons they'd be quite nice for weekend cruisers and NOBODY can tell the difference short of looking at numbers.

Get the 305 and don't look back. Don't doubt your choice. Don't listen 6 ways to Sunday about what you need to do it. You're not even braket racing, right? If they pulled 2 ton pickup trucks around how hard will it be to have fun in your fly weight hot rod? Lucky bastid...

 

I have to pull some fly shit out of the pepper for clarity sake here. 1962 and up 327's before the large journal 327 came along was of "light rotating mass". The 307 is a product of the large journal era.

 

.... And that 307 crank in a 2-bolt er 4-bolt 350 block with those 305 4-bbl heads can give you the best of both worlds....
That's the way I would do it....

 

I have a set that I've beveled the chamber for a 4" bore. Used bare block to scribe. They still set on the shelf to this day awaiting a bottom end.

 

I have had a bunch of these over the years, they work fine. Have to run at least 89 octane in them, and 91 is better. Will ping and run on with 87. I have one in my 37 Buick from an 86 monte carlo SS, nice cheap reliable engine with a Qjet and an HEI.

 

Didn't take long to get the money right Fred, I had to read that a couple times but it still says 3 miles...ha ha ha
The only 305 I owned was in an 85 suburban with 3.08 gears and a 40 gallon gas tank, talk about a slug, that sucker was it !

 

Really can't go wrong with what you'll have invested in that 305 long block. If someone asks, just say it's a small block just over 300 cubic inches, and give them a sly wink. They might think you have a 302 Z/28 motor.

 

The engine in your avatar is BADASS.

 

49ratfink, grow a pair and forget what the "cool kids" think. LOL. Your mindset is what causes some rodders to end up in broke city.

 

CHING GAU ! It should be a federal offense to sell a monsterous suburban with a 305.

 

UPDATE! I brought the supposed 305 home today. I am trying to decode what I have. The heads are 305 #14014416, but I can't seem to find the block numbers on any lists. The casting number on the bellhousing is #408855, and the numbers on the front deck surface are in two rows: #1GL187053, and VD423DDA. I shopped online for the tools he wanted to trade for the engine (see photos). Grand total for them all? $241.21! I will be pulling the pan and inspecting, but it all appears new as promised.

 

1986-92 14088551 305