Have I got my bases covered? 305/350 swap.

[CAChevy]

Hey Gang…new on the forum here. I’ve been searching around this site for quite some time and have found most of the info I’ve been looking for regarding my newly acquired 1984 C10 with a CA emissions 305. I’m a Ford diesel guy at heart but I picked this truck up on the cheap to rebuild/restore for, (and with), my 15 year old Son who will be driving by this summer. What I’m in the process of doing is swapping out the now seized up 305 with a GM crate 350. I just wanted to post the general game plan on here so that if I have anything screwy or if I have overlooked something in my research, someone can chime in and stop me from doing something that isn’t going to work. I’d much rather learn from your guy’s mistakes than my own. No offense.

The foundation of the build is going to be the GM 260hp/350tq, (yeah right), crate motor (Part #10067353 off Ebay. Crazy but it’s from Jeg’s and cheaper than their website). I plan on pulling the cam/lifter/springs out of it and replacing it with an Edelbrock 3702 cam, (includes CARB EO#), and 5903 springs, also from Jegs. So far, as long as the smog guy isn’t looking at casting numbers or checking cylinder volume, I’m good to pass the visual. The intake I’m looking at is a Holley/Weiand 8000. I see a few used ones on Ebay for cheap which is about the only place I can find them. I think they are out of production. That intake has an applicable CARB EO# and I haven't been able to find another that does. It’s got to better than the stock 305 one though, right?

Still haven’t quite got the carburetor nailed down which I think will be a big determining factor of what comes out of the pipe for the sniffer test. The Carb # is 17084527 which apparently only came on CA emissions trucks. I’ve chatted with Ted via email over at Mountain Man Fuel Systems in Hackett Arkansas about rebuilding my carb. He seems to think that a simple rebuild to factory specs will be fine with the cam/induction combo we’re going with but can’t guarantee it’ll work because he hasn’t done this combo himself. I can respect that. My thoughts are that the cam lift/duration isn't that much of a deviation from the 305 cam so the computer should be able to compensate for the added cubes. No? It should also have as good if not better vacuum production as stock. No? Another thought is if Chevy put a CCC Quadrajet on a CA emissions equipped 350 in 1984, wouldn’t that carb work? I would think it would visually look identical as the one on the 305 but perhaps have more flow on the secondary side during WOT. Just guessing, I don’t know. I’m still a little perplexed on why there is a CCC carb, a 4 wire distributor and an O2 sensor but no knock sensor. I looked. On both sides of the block. Where Google images told me to look. All I found were plugs. Is that normal? As far as spark goes, I’m sticking with a factory replacement distributor, nothing fancy plug wires and whatever spark plugs. This build isn’t going to be a ball of fire by any stretch of the imagination.

After saying that, one would wonder why we’re going with Headman 69891 LT headers, Magnaflow Super Cat and a Flowmaster. The answer to that would be I also got those on the cheap off Craig’s List. I couldn’t turn it down, especially because the headers and cat have CARB EO#’s that get me through smog inspection. Can’t hurt, right? I'm thinking of using a "not for application" 2 1/2" vacuum operated exhaust valve in place of the factory restrictive efe valve. It looks pretty darn close to factory and I'm sure I can sneak it by. I'll have to weld in a bung on one of the collectors on the headers for the O2 sensor as well.

I plan on putting a 4 row aluminum radiator from Champion (MC716) in it to help with the cooling. Not the best, I know. But it is cheap; like me. We're in the central valley where temps are regularly in the triple digits in the summer.

I’m looking at a rebuilt 30 spline, (that is if I already have the 30 spline and if not can swap in a 30 spline just by using the correct torque converter), 700r4, (a rebuilt one from a local shop that has them for $400), behind all this with a tranny cooler to again, help with the valley heat.

Seriously considering lower this ranch truck with a Western Chassis 2.5/4 kit using front spindles and rear drop leafs. From what I read on this and other forums, that drop seems to be o.k. with long tube headers and ground clearance. The only down side to that I see is a 16 year old boy and speed bumps in the high school parking lot.

Other than putting all the smog junk and typical misc. parts, (fly wheel, starter, engine acc...etc), that’ll just swap over, am I missing anything specific that’d be needed for the swap? Thanks a head of time for any positive criticism/feedback and for all of you who unknowingly have already helped me out thus far.