Ive seen tons of used 350's on Evilbay, but who the hell knows what you are buying from some monkey 24 states away. Most of them are 'pickup only'. I was looking at a short block about 6 hours from my house. Hell of a deal, it almost seemed to good to be true. Id hate to drive the 12 hours round trip just to find out I bought a turd. Im hoping that one of my friends will find an engine, but Im betting I will go the Autozone route when its all said and done with. It may not be a performance motor, but at least I get the satisfaction of a warranty. Id love to get one of the crate motors of Egay, but freight costs will negate and savings versus buying from a local speed shop. Hell, a buddy of mine (works at GM dealership) priced a new GM crate motor for 2100 bucks!!! That was EMPLOYEE PRICING!!

 

alot of the crate distributors on ebay have free shipping and alot of them have websites where you can buy direct. i guess some people have had bad experiences on Ebay. fortunately i haven't. i usually contact the people by phone and i only buy from reputable dealers. i myself am an Ebay Seller with a 100% positive feedback. if your not careful i guess it could be easy to get ripped. every part on my engine was bought off ebay. Sick

 

Asking Sick if you should put a 350 in place of your 305 is like asking if a Catholic believes in Jesus. The answer, more often than not is a resounding "No." For alot of reasons, I have to agree with him for the most part, for a number of reasons. The engine swap can leave you with more heartache than horses if you aren't careful, and if you treat it right, a 305 can make alot of power, it's just a little more involved to make that 305 have the extra power, but it's also more rewarding when you tell people they just got smoked by one, too. Just look at Sick's signature, there's a 305 in that beast...

 

"The engine swap can leave you with more heartache than horses if you aren't careful"...Like converting a 305 to monster power is any easier. I know what you are saying, I agree that a 305 can be worked into a hell of an engine, but I want a simple swap, something I can handle. A stock 350 will be much easier for me to obtain in terms of money, manpower and hours than a worked 305 will be. I think its great what Sick has done with a 305. Im just not interested in going that route.

 

Thanks for all the info guys. I'm just trying to get the most bang for my buck. Since here in NY most people live in the realm of the Mustang being the elite sports car so I'm all alone. Atleast I know there are good people out there who are smart enough to know that chevy is the way to go. I'm weighing my options as far as cash goes. I know I found a site on this forum that actually tells you how to get 300+ hp out of a 305 and that's plenty of power for what I'm looking to do with car. I'm not looking for a monster just something that moves when she needs to and looks good too. (Sorry ScottD for jackin' the forum again)

 

Just remeber, no replacement for displacement.

2001 Ford Explorer Sport 4wd 4.0L 245 CID Auto Goodyear Wranger Radial 255/75/16 tires Custom CAI Custom Flowmaster exhaust stock 3.73 open rear end. 16.474 in the 1/4 mile with a speed of 85.2 MPH
http://www.cardomain.com/ride/468307/8

That motor had more potential. Over the winter I put new plugs and wires in it, a larger throttle body off a 4.6L mustang. I had the whole fuel system cleaned for the first time with 75,000 miles. Needless to say, much better throttle response. Unfortunately, my check engine light came on during HS Nationals at Milan. I ended up having a broken vacuum line for my PCV valve under all the engine plastic covering. So I was not able to "safely" run the track and therefore not able to compete.

Difference between 305 and 350 stock is night and day. Kyle ahd a stock 305 that sized up and we replaced it with a 350, now he can beet our other buddy's Porsche 928.
http://www.cardomain.com/id/89maro

 

Just be careful It can be a real chore to swap the motors, like I said before. My mind goes back to one of the members on here, Motortec, who's spent what seems like the better part of two months asking as many questions as I have hairs on my head trying to make an engine swap that he thought would be a cakewalk compared to what it ended up being. Just keep it in mind, and be prepared for a long, difficult job. It's rewarding, yes, but if you aren't certain you can do it, and have more resources than you think you'll need, don't atempt it.

 

the stock third gen LB9 305 produced just as much HP and torque as a stock 350 of it's time. theres no since in arguing about it ... it's fact. in most cases the only margin was 5 or 10 horsepower. you could take the breather cover off and gain that. if you don't believe me you need to do some homework. Sick

 

We seem always to be beating this horse to death, 305 vs. 350. I feel that Sick is a very bright Young man that has done great things with His 305 and is prone to beat that 305 drum. The 305 heads don't really make more horsepower on a 350 than does a 350 head. It's by raising the compression and creating a faster air charge through a smaller runner that the increased torque created by these factors appear to be more horsepower. Below 5250 RPM torque is what provides acceleration. In most cases, what is percieved as horsepower is torque. 99.9 % of driving is done in the torque range ( below 5250 RPM ) and horsepower doesn't matter. People like to hear horsepower numbers so they can relate to it. So what Sick is saying is that You'll go faster in that range and that is what You really want. A number of companies make a piston specifically to use the 305 head on a 350 without raising the comprtession too high and it's a great package and does what is needed to make that immediate torque increase that is felt in seat of You pants. But in reality. when mor airflow and horsepower takes over above that 5250 RPM range, The 350 head comes into its own and the horsepower starts taking over. In most cases, it's too late because the torque engine is too far ahead to make up the difference in a quick run. The problem here is that everyone is right in their own way and You have to make up Your own mind what's more important to You, the horsepower number that You may never in reality see or the torque that You feel all of the time. Interesting problem, isn't it?

 

Sick...seriously, I love what you have done with a 305. You have shown that with a little time, patience and a bit of money, that a 305 can perform better than a 350. However, I have neither patience or time. Thats why I am opting for a 350. I dont know why all these guys spend their time trying to tell you the woes of a 305 vs. the merits of a 350. To me its kinda like the GM/Mopar debate. Pick your poison. The 350 is obviously the 'simple mans' solution to power. That is the route Im gonna take. Now, Please, everybody go read my post about the 350 I found for sale and tell me if its a good deal...

Hey Shnormo....And I agree.......There is NO replacement for Displacement.....Pure Harley Davidson theolgy.....

Yo 85z285.0, where in NY are you........NYC, or anything above Westchester......(Thats how NYC guys divide NY.....)


Now, for the Torque issue. I know that Torque beats HP any day of the week. Torque gets you off the line, torque is the feeling that thumps you in the ***. Torque is the 'stump pulling' feeling you get out of LOW end motors. Thats what I want. None of this high end Jap HP ****. Nuff said......