Help me jack up my 305 Short-Block

[matts86chev]

I have an '86 C10 Silverado I got on Craigslist last summer for cheap with a rebuilt 305 and TH350 Tranny. I did all the body work, painting and replacing parts so it looks good, got a flowmaster so it sounds good and now I want to figure out what I can do to make it run like a beast... I know, I know 'ditch the 305 for a 350...' but I'm tryin to work with what I've got!

[jensenstage1]

Hey Bud nice truck, im running the same year long box with the standard and a 305. Its pretty basic to make more horsepower, and you'll hear this over and over again. Intake and exhaust, put a open element air filter on it, and a set of headers. right there you'll find just over 15 hp and faster acceleration. if you want to get another 20-30 you can pull the heads off, and swap them with 97-up 5.0 vortec heads. It's a direct swap, all you need for it is a gasket set and a different intake, personally Im going with the edelbrock performer vortec intake, that nets you another supposed 10-15.

And you could do a cam, electric water pump, electric fan, msd ignition. Minus the cam everything is pretty much a bolt on and can be done in only a few hours and you could get roughly 100hp over stock. On a motor that I believe came with 220 at factory.

Just my .02, and my plan for my chevy :P

Jensen

P.S. Damn near everything you put on your 305 can be swapped to a 350 when you give up on the mouse motor

[Pop's C-10]

Preformer intake..headers..ignition...maybe a small cheap cam..Save up for a 350..No hate for 305..you could score a running 350 for tha price of vortec heads & matching intake...

[79gmcc15]

I hope you have thick skin. A lot of 305 haters on here. But ^^^ are right, it's just like any SBC in the way of upgrading. I have a 268he cam in mine and so far I love the sound of it.
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[xrcr]

Drive like it is and save your cabbage for a 350 if you need more azz. No sense spending money on interchangeable parts (IMO) you'll stil need to spend more to have something to interchange them with. With the price of fuel you may want to go the other way.
xrcr

[1BadSS]

Fab a turbo kit for it, problem solved. Do they have E85 up there in MN?

[BigBlocksRule]

Drive the 305 like it is and save for a big block. You'll be money and power ahead.
Yep, I'm one of the 305 haters

[motornut]

save $$ unless it bolts up to both
heck flip the air breather top helps with gas mileage IMO .....thats a cheapie fix

[silvereagle07]

Originally Posted by Pop's C-10

Preformer intake..headers..ignition...maybe a small cheap cam..Save up for a 350..No hate for 305..you could score a running 350 for tha price of vortec heads & matching intake...

I agree. Start small like with ignition, then headers and intake/cam at the same time. You could also try to swap in a better gear in the rear end. I recently put a 3.42 behind my 305 and 700r4. It cruises very well now. Good luck.

[Ol'Rover]

I dont know why there are so many 305 haters, I managed to build my 305 vortec in my 98 to push 270 to the rear wheels. So like 310-325? at flywheel?

I also have an 86 K1500 with a 305, and even i plan on building it. Not anything extreme but better.

if you haven't already, do a tune up (Plugs, wires, Dizzy cap, Rotor, Vacume lines)

then

Open element K&N filter
Headers (I recomend Longtubes)
True duals (if you dont already have that.)
305 Vortec heads off 96+
Vortec Intake
Carb Spacer (I think they work)
Cam (I have an RV cam in my 86 already)
MSD Ignition (you will notice better throttle response)

and even if you realy wanted to you could put heavier jets in your carb, or get an aftermarket carb. I dont see anything wrong with the old rochesters tho.

[matts86chev]

Dang thanks for all the info! I'm fairly new to the performance/adding horsepower game so I didn't have much of an idea on where to start or what I could do. I've contemplated saving up and dropping in a 350 or even 454 in it but at the same time it seems like an added challenge to try to get the underdog 305 to perform and kick some tail!
1BADSS: Not much in the way of E85 here, some places do but not many...which doesn't make sense since the only thing anyone can grow on this tundra is corn... I moved here from CA in November (big mistake weather and road conditions-wise) but they have E85 everywhere out there.

[MARKDTN]

Add TPI fuel injection. Tuned Port is really designed for 305. It will really wake it up. You can probbaly find a complete F-body 305 setup with harness for under $500 if you look hard enough. Use an 87 fuel tank and swap the pump and hoses and you are good.

[Pop's C-10]

http://camaroforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1860

http://www.hioutput.com/tech/343hp/343hp.html

[Ol'Rover]

I wouldn't worry about TPI, or Heads... They could cost you money $$,

[mooseknuckles]

wow! I WAS a 305 hater! but a 325 hp 305 isnt so bad.....looks like the 262 comp cam is the way to go..I have a performer intake allready and was thinkin about getting headers someday, maybe a cam as well...not sure about putting on a 750 dp tho... with gas at $120 per liter!

[matts86chev]

Originally Posted by mooseknuckles

wow! I WAS a 305 hater! but a 325 hp 305 isnt so bad.....looks like the 262 comp cam is the way to go..I have a performer intake allready and was thinkin about getting headers someday, maybe a cam as well...not sure about putting on a 750 dp tho... with gas at $120 per liter!

There aren't quite as many total 305 haters as I expected! And what is with these gas prices!? Sucks driving a truck that gets 12 mpg tops... but still totally worth it.

[Pop's C-10]

305 haters are like 4.8 ls haters...yea more cubes equal more horses, but you can do pretty good with a 305/4.8ls driver. I have a stout 350 in my camaro i'm itching to drop in mine, but i wanna see how this 305 treats me as far as millage, dependality ability to do what i need it to do.

[79gmcc15]

The haters live in engine drivetrain. Lol I wish my muffler sounded better or I would post up what my 268 can sounded on my 305. Pretty nice!
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[SBTork]

I say nothing wrong with the little 305. Best money spent is like suggested above, things that can/will transfer over to a 350 if you so choose to go that route should you blow up the 305.

And yes, it does suck for winter driving around these parts. I am about 2.5 hours SE of the cities. I park my suburban in the winter. You picked the worst time to move to this area. The spring/summer/fall months are awesome. But, I have noticed that the general conditions of the pavement on the roads in the twin cities and in Minnesota in general are not the best, reguardless of the weather conditions.

[DetroitDan]

I used to buy into the "305 is junk, you need a 350" garbage, until I owned a 305. I think part of the reason the 305 got such a bad rep was they put so many into Camaros and the Mustangs could kill them. Took an IROC with a 350 to take a 5.0 GT. One of the best trucks I ever owned was an 81 K20 with a swapped in 305 out of an old Impala. All stock, q-jet and iron manifolds. I plowed hard for years with it, ran 35s all summer, and towed a 24 foot camper. It would spin the 35s if I tried real hard, got okay mileage (for what it was) and never, ever, felt slow or underpowered. I couldn't break it, and I've broken plenty of small and big block Chevys. I've owned built and stock big and smallblocks, and I just can't say enough good about that truck. Over the years I actually bought both a 350 and then a 454 to rebuild and put in the truck, just to make more of a hotrod out of it, but I was waiting for the 305 to die and it never did. Ended up selling the motors and leaving the 305 alone. I sold the truck for only $1000 less than I paid for it after several years of faithful service.
So put a checkmark in the 305 lovers column.

[Ol'Rover]

I have managed to find the weak spot in these motors lol... Rod Bearings. My stock 305 vortec in my 98 found the revlimiter in the wrong spot one night Around 7200 RPM.. (Computer flaw) The next morning i started it at my buddies house and it started knocking reaaaallly bad. then 2 months later after i just packed up my tools and quit my job at canadian tire, on my way home right across the highway from my house, she died. Oil pressure dropped and it just stopped running. SO as i see it... pretty damn dependable motor. It even got me home (within walking distance)

[Pop's C-10]

I keep seeing 305 vortec..i had no clue that there was one....learn something new all tha time

[Ol'Rover]

Originally Posted by Pop's C-10

I keep seeing 305 vortec..i had no clue that there was one....learn something new all tha time

96-98 305's all had Vortec Heads. And intakes. There for 305 Vortec aka Vortec 5000 or 5.0 Vortec