I know the first thing everyone wants to jump on saying is "OH DUDE! YOU SHOULD GET A 350!". No, lol i'm not getting a 350. I like the Camaro a lot and for me, it drives fast enough!! I don't need to go out trying to race and all that. I like the sound of the engine, the whole car just has a feel to it. It's the best car I have ever driven =].

ANYWAYS, the place i'm picking the new 305 up from says it has "180 compression". I tried to look this up on what it means... but came up hopeless. Glad I have this site!!
Is 180 compression good for a 305 v8 or no?
Its throttle body Fuel Injected.
Thanks!

 

Probably means the cylinders have 180 PSIG (lbs) of compression when measured with a compression gauge.
Rough rule of thumb is 9.5 to 10:1 static compression ratio.

 

Yes 180 is very good. So is consistency between the cylinders (within 10 psi is still good). So you're fine as long as the guy isn't telling stories, or didn't mean the best cylinder has 180, but some others have way less.

 

You have a 305 throttle body Fuel Injected in there now? If not your going to need a lot more then just the engine.

Compression is only 1 test of many that can be done. Can you hear the motor run? That is the big one. It is tuff to check for bearing clearances and cam condition if you cannot hear the motor run. A motor can have good compression and be junk for other reasons. For me I would want to hear a 305 start cold because rod issues are common. As a general rule for 305's it is a buyers market, I have personly sent at lease (3) 305's to the scrap yard that had under 50,000 miles on them because no one wanted them. In the race world we use them as counter weights on the engine lifts.