Chevrolet Engine code ?
- Thread starter Vintage TX
- Start date
68custom
Addicted Member
283 is/was a great motor as we all know, with the 307 enjoying a little more stroke shared with the 327. either one is well suited as you are saying. but I can not remember the last time I even saw a 307, you can find a 283 if you look hard enough and it is the better motor especially if you can find one with the steel crank which was fairly common. in case you cannot tell I am not a fan of the 305, although the HO305 was a decent runner and would provide a good set of heads for our theoretical 283/307 build!
Shadowdog
Super Member
305 tended to ping (probably long stroke and low power due to heads & compression) , but could get really good MPG when set up right. The better heads on the 305 HO must helped that and FI & knock sensors probably helped also.
The Vortec heads are supposed to be a really good head for the $ & for the 350 also.
The Vortec heads are supposed to be a really good head for the $ & for the 350 also.
Last edited:
whoaru99
Epic Member
I had the "ram air" L69 305HO package in an 84 Camaro. Coupled with the 3:73 rear end it was OK for the time. No race car, but OK. A whopping 190HP.
Last edited:
68custom
Addicted Member
vortec heads will make a pretty big improvement in power over the heads we used to consider factory HiPo like the #461, 462, 291, 186 and 041. those castings are no longer desirable unless someone needs them for a factory restoration. I can preach small block Chevy all night! :yes::yes:
68custom
Addicted Member
I am not as well versed on BBC though I did build a 396 many years back. it was a 961 block with a steel crank, truck rods and small dome pistons. I ran open chamber oval port heads the casting number escapes me though, I do remember they were off a 73 454 if that helps. I ran a 500 inch lift cam a Weiand Dual plane intake and a trap door oil pan. it was in my 70 Kingswood wagon behind a beefy Th350 and a 11inch convertor, it needed a gear set to really be quick and sadly a guy Tboned me when he ran a red light before I was able to install a set in the 12 bolt rear it had. I loved that wagon! 
grillebilly
Empty Head
The oft forgotten engine option in the smallblock Chevy world is the 377. Take a 400 and use the rotating assembly of a 350. You end up with a big bore, short stroke engine that will spin right nicely.
Or you just use an 87+ 350 with a roller cam. More easier to find those.
Or you just use an 87+ 350 with a roller cam. More easier to find those.
Shadowdog
Super Member
I forgot about that one! The aftermarket makes a crank with big mains for that.
Some are even putting 4" stroke cranks in the aftermarket blocks for 427 CI.
You can put one in a 350 block and use 5.85" rods with pistons of the right height that will endure from the aftermarket for lots of torque with 355HP on stock regular heads to 425HP on the dyno with better aftermarket heads.
According to the Car Craft article it's best to fill the block half full of Hard Block fill in case one breaks through into the water jacket when grinding the block for rod clearance. 402 CI torque monster.
68 Too bad about your 396 wagon. That would have been fun!
Some are even putting 4" stroke cranks in the aftermarket blocks for 427 CI.
You can put one in a 350 block and use 5.85" rods with pistons of the right height that will endure from the aftermarket for lots of torque with 355HP on stock regular heads to 425HP on the dyno with better aftermarket heads.
According to the Car Craft article it's best to fill the block half full of Hard Block fill in case one breaks through into the water jacket when grinding the block for rod clearance. 402 CI torque monster.
68 Too bad about your 396 wagon. That would have been fun!
Last edited:
55Redneck
Canadian Redneck
Years ago upon my suggestion my cousin built a 377 for his 70 Nova. This thing hauled the mail big time. With a T400 and highway gears the Nova ran out of aerodynamics before it ran out of gas pedal. Buried the needle easy with 4 of us in the car. None of us were small guys either. GREAT MOTOR!!!:thmbsp:
A lot of worrying about expen$ive engine modifications on a 305....not that I am dissing 305s per se, but as I said before, little value in the 76-84 versions.
Zero value in any 307 from any GM corp. The chevies are so soft by 70K miles the bores are baby smooth and ovalized. the olds 307s have no redeeming values....micro tiny valves no lift, horrible ports - there is a reason the 4bbl versions only found 140 hp and 220ft of T. it does not matter that you can hop one up, why? the parts you need to hop it up are on the 350 inch bretheren (well ok, olds is a bad example, not many of them left that are not made into chinese bridge steel)
need a new motor from the start? GM makes $1600 (or less) warranted brand new drop ins that pull 260hp NET (which is more than ANY chevy 350 ever factory built in the muscle car years did)
dont make it harder than it has to be.
Zero value in any 307 from any GM corp. The chevies are so soft by 70K miles the bores are baby smooth and ovalized. the olds 307s have no redeeming values....micro tiny valves no lift, horrible ports - there is a reason the 4bbl versions only found 140 hp and 220ft of T. it does not matter that you can hop one up, why? the parts you need to hop it up are on the 350 inch bretheren (well ok, olds is a bad example, not many of them left that are not made into chinese bridge steel)
need a new motor from the start? GM makes $1600 (or less) warranted brand new drop ins that pull 260hp NET (which is more than ANY chevy 350 ever factory built in the muscle car years did)
dont make it harder than it has to be.
Shadowdog
Super Member
Chev 307 cranks are good to make a 327 with it's 3.25 stroke and the block has actually the same bore as the 283 so one could make one with a med crank journal main from the aftermarket . They must of used a low grade of Fe alloy for the block as it was their price leader.
As for the other 307 (Olds 350 with a smaller bore) it wasn't powerful but could last for ever as my father had one in an 83 Buick LeSabre and it had 350K on it when got rid of the car and that engine still ran nicely with no oil consumption.
Synthetic oil and better block and crank materials etc. helped it last even if it was driven fast. They say in the old car mags the Olds 260 was similar, but even less HP, but quite good on gas.
I agree FI engines from the late mid to late 90's should be very affordable and in good shape thanks to the FI causing much less cylinder wash down on cold starts. They should get nice MPG if the FI is kept also and another nice thing they had was roller lifters for better cam life and efficiency. Add DIS for even better efficiency and HP.
As for the other 307 (Olds 350 with a smaller bore) it wasn't powerful but could last for ever as my father had one in an 83 Buick LeSabre and it had 350K on it when got rid of the car and that engine still ran nicely with no oil consumption.
Synthetic oil and better block and crank materials etc. helped it last even if it was driven fast. They say in the old car mags the Olds 260 was similar, but even less HP, but quite good on gas.
I agree FI engines from the late mid to late 90's should be very affordable and in good shape thanks to the FI causing much less cylinder wash down on cold starts. They should get nice MPG if the FI is kept also and another nice thing they had was roller lifters for better cam life and efficiency. Add DIS for even better efficiency and HP.
Last edited:
grillebilly
Empty Head
This is the cheapest one I could find from GM. Looks like all it needs is a balancer and carb.
http://www.chevrolet.com/performance/crate-engines/small-block-350-290-hp.html
Here is the same one without the dress-up stuff and intake for a little more than two grand http://www.gmperformancemotor.com/parts/12499529.html
Last edited:
68custom
Addicted Member
Scoggins/Dickey always has the best deals, like this one. but you do need intake distributor Etc.
https://sdparts.com/details/gm-goodwrench-replacement-engines/12530283-0
https://sdparts.com/details/gm-goodwrench-replacement-engines/12530283-0
grillebilly
Empty Head
I could spend the rest of the night looking at all those dream engines. While none of them make the power of the one in my Nova, they are mostly all run on pump gas. Looks like a good deal on the LS9
https://sdparts.com/details/gm-performance-parts/19201990
The biggest potential problems in a 305 of that era (1977) were that, AFAIK, they were still using chrome-plated piston rings (they went to moly coated a few years later). Those rings would wear out very quickly- those motors would oftentimes start burning oil. as early as 60K miles, in the worst cases.
The other is the aforementioned cam problem, due to improperly hardened cam lobes. If I had a 305 of that era, I'd change the cam on general principle, if it hadn't already been done.
In defense of the 305- I used to regularly drive a 1982 GMC pickup, with the ESC (electronic spark control) 305, at one of my early jobs. That was the unkillable truck. The crazy thing would even get close to 25mpg on the highway. No, it wasn't a hot-rod- but it had plenty of power to get out of its own way, and it just RAN and RAN and ran...
Regards,
Gordon.
The other is the aforementioned cam problem, due to improperly hardened cam lobes. If I had a 305 of that era, I'd change the cam on general principle, if it hadn't already been done.
In defense of the 305- I used to regularly drive a 1982 GMC pickup, with the ESC (electronic spark control) 305, at one of my early jobs. That was the unkillable truck. The crazy thing would even get close to 25mpg on the highway. No, it wasn't a hot-rod- but it had plenty of power to get out of its own way, and it just RAN and RAN and ran...
Regards,
Gordon.
Vintage TX
Analog forever
Well, my intention was not rebuilding a 305 engine, it was already done by previous owner of the car, but wanted to know what year it was made.
He bought a long-block from a machine shop with everything new inside.
It's been parked for 5 years but got it running again after a new gastank and other small stuff.
My plan is a daily driver for the next couple of years, so hopefully engine will hold up without any major problems.
"Cold start video"
https://youtu.be/7R6_MKr624w
He bought a long-block from a machine shop with everything new inside.
It's been parked for 5 years but got it running again after a new gastank and other small stuff.
My plan is a daily driver for the next couple of years, so hopefully engine will hold up without any major problems.
"Cold start video"
https://youtu.be/7R6_MKr624w
Similar threads
