GM's Forgotten Engines: The Chevrolet 305
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- Опубликовано: 9 мар 2024
- Let's talk about that 80's workhorse, the Chevrolet 305. It could be found in almost every passenger car and truck out there, from the late 1970's to the early 2000's.
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Had an 89 IROC Z. Not so fast, but boy did it sound good, and reliable.....Started drinking anti-freeze at about 50K....Chevy replaced the short block....cost me 100 dollars. Sent a letter to Steve Sampson, thanking them. He sent one back hand signed thanking me, cause "nobody ever thanks us!" That was one excellent car.
You wanted to talk ta SAMPSON! Fly you to the moon, like dat bish Alice Kramden!
GM had some pours blocks in the 80’s,
@@capricetony
Absolutely, and I really can't believe someone is making a video praising what is undoubtedly the absolutely worst small block Chevy ever made, and I'm not running my mouth on them for the same reason everyone else does, because they're dogs when it comes to power and are without a doubt the worst bore × stroke combination to try getting power out of, no, it's the horrible materials and workmanship put into them, I've never seen so many GM blocks crack as 305 Chevy's during the 80's, they actually sent out a service bulletin to dealerships in the mid 80's about where to find the most likely place they'll crack and how to try sealing it with a MIG welder of all things, and while it's still in the car, wow.
I've never understood how engine's that made so little power per cubic inch could crack themselves open so much, I mean I understand that they had low nickel content in the iron but for all the more power those things made they should have been cast from pot metal and no cracked open.
I'm a big fan of the Chevy engine line especially the small block but that 305 was just horrible.
For you it was, not everyone, I had a total of 5, none gave me any problems just ran and ran…. It’s going to be ok I promise 😊👍
I had a 90 RS 305 bored 60 over i was told...had flowmasters now i know bored over doesnt do all to much for them but with that an exhaust it was more peppy than the average 305 i raced 😂 mustakes i mean mustangs an did fairly good i won a few lost a few id always do pretty good out of the whole but would be neck an neck towards the end either winning bye a nose or looseing bye a Nose fun days them were!!
Just hearing the words "Computer Command Carburetors" sends chill down my spine. It was amazing how much effort it took to keep them on the road.
No problems ever. Amazing fuel economy if tuned right. It actually just cycled the power valve circuit. Some had fuel bowl volume adjust, but mine did not. Caprice STW -83 with it was one of the best cars ever for family use. Here in Finland those were possible to register as "vans", so there was no passenger car tax. My later -93 Caprice sedan was actually not as good as a car, but fuel economy was even better with the fuel injection. Both had over 400000 miles when I sold them. And I know that they were used for many years even after that.
My 86 Caprice 305 /4bbl got 26mpg on the highway, could carry 6 people and a dead horse in the trunk. No reliability issues for 250k miles...
The first time I saw the electronic carburettor, I saw how simple fuel ejection was.
A lot of people say that!
My 88 Caprice 9C1 had one of those units. With the small distributor and that it wouldn't run without the computer (but runs great now with those replaced in a different car)
Millions sold and a damn fine "everyday" powertrain. Millions are probably still running!
I had an 83 G20 20 years ago that had the LE9 and it was running stronger at 300K than it did stock. Recurved HEI, recalibrated the Q-Jet a bit richer, and replaced the stock tubular exhaust manifolds that cracked at their welds with thorley tri-ys. Added a Dr Gas X-pipe into the OE catless dual exhaust. Dr Gas was about the only X-pipe available 20 years ago and they were custom built to work with the combination.
Idk... I spend my youth salvaging old cars and selling them... and the most unreliable engine that was in every scrapped car I found was the 305... they all pump oil and burn antifreeze...
the girl and i have one and it runs like a top! in a 93 step side chevy
Still running my 93 K1500 chevy with over 350,000kms, doesn't leak or burn a drop of oil and runs perfectly after 31 years, fuel milage is ok comparable to most new trucks, I will keep this truck going as long as I can.
Nice, if that's not a testament to American vehicles then I don't know what is..
It doesn't leak oil because someone fixed the leaks.
@@dingbop963 "doesn't leak" does not mean it never leaked.
Still driving an RS camaro 305 250,000 miles. I just put valve cover gaskets on it.
@@dingbop963my 94 silverado 350 TBI has almost 220k mikes and doesn’t leak or burn oil and no oil leaks were ever fixed. Sorry about your Ford.
305-5 litre, and the 4.3 v6 engines of the late 80's to 2000ish had a lot of life built into them. My 91 pickup with a 4.3 I got at auction for $1100 with170k mi. Made it to 510k before rust took it. The engine still ran great.
For those not around in the dark performance days of the 80/ 90s, just about anything that was available with the 305 was the preferred choice.
Had an 86 Monte Carlo LS with an LG4/2004r. Bolted on an Edelbrock intake and used the dual exhaust system from a junk SS and it ran 16.0 in the quarter - with a one-wheel-peel 2.41 rear. With a decent rear end, could have shaved .5 off the ET.
Terrible sounding today but impressive in ‘94, as by then, teenagers were already priced out of the 60s/70s muscle cars and the LT1 z28 was just getting started.
I stuck a 2 bbl, 305 in a 66 pickup with headers & ran 16.0 @ 84mph
Original-owner 84 Caprice wagon with the LG4 (VIN code "H") and exceeded all maintenance requirements over its 26-yr service life. I recorded every tank of gas it used, as well as every maintenance expense and interval. The last page of the records in 2010 showed 450,000 miles and in need of replacement of its original timing chain. The wagon was hauled away with dignity on a flatbed and donated to charity. Definitely a Neil Young song "Long May You Run" car.
Donating it to charity seems nice. But it was most likely scrapped. I really hate to think about it
@@The_R-n-I_Guy
Thank you for your note. I'm fairly certain it was (scrapped), but I left notes on exactly what it needed to run and anyone "whose wife would let their husband fix it", would have a car good for another 50k miles for less than a couple hundred bucks investment. I miss that car a LOT.
had a '78 4 dr Nova from my Gmaw, who passed... had the 305. drove all thru highschool until i joined the military. it was a beast of a car. could fit 7-8 ppl. more if we stuffed ppl into the trunk to sneak into the drive-in.... think its still alive today.
My buddy had a '76 Nova. We would pack that thing to go to concerts in the summer.
They were good little engines for the times. Just a basic SBC🎉
crap engine. Same weight and gas mileage as 350 so what was the point
Love seeing some 305 love. A great little small block.
crap engine
@@chadhaire1711How is it crap they are good engines they were fuel economy not power
@@robs_garage0278 BULLCRAP...fuel economy was no better than the larger 350
Look up 305 camshaft failure.
@karrpilot7092 have you ever had a 305? Or just going off whats on the internet?
Dad had one in his 85 Silverado - cam lobes went flat at 50k - it was the first time i turned a wrench with my pops in 87 i was 17 - we installed new crane cam and lifters- fired it up - no issues- he then drove it another 120 k no issues ever- he was amazed- i learned to drive in that truck - he sold it to a local older guy and saw it 10 yrs later - still on the road- old man just changed oil and air filter and kept going- dad was amazed
305 is a good engine. It’s got enough torque to do it’s job smoothly. And they’re damn reliable.
NO--305 did no better in fuel economy than the 350
It's a Good engine for durability, people take even the tbi models and get 400+ hp out of them, all things considered most people can't even handle 150hp.
All true statements...
And those 305's couldn't handle the 150 HP either the way the blocks were cracking like crazy throughout the 80's.
I think the guys over at Power National did one and it put up some impressive numbers.
@@jamesberdine8574
What did they do about the cracks in the block?
I had 1 in a 89 Camaro bored 30 over ported and shaved heads nice roller cam. Would shift at 7000 rpm
I had a 305 in my ‘77 Caprice. Was still running well at 197,000 miles. Leaked a bit. This was the days of 55mph. so lots of power was not needed. With a good tail wind the car would do 75mph. I installed a 350 at 197k and was able to run the speedometer way off the scale. Overall this engine did exactly what it was intended.
I remembered replacing a camshaft and a set of lifters in that very model year of Caprice. Apparently those engines were notorious for eating camshafts around those model years.
It seems like a lot of the late 70s cams were soft.
I had the 305 h.o 5 speed in my camaro. With 373 gears
..it was faster than most bigger V8s off the line
The 80's were a very dark time for V8s😢
Yes the smog engines
Hmm, I was unaware. Back in the 80s I wasn't really good with the ladies, probably because I wasn't that good looking. A friend suggested that perhaps I should buy an IROC Camaro, I said "what's that gonna do for me?" He said, dude do you wanna go all through the 80s without getting laid? I said NO, "but how can drive a car that only runs in the high 14s?" I'm sure you know what happened next, and no it wasn't a sexual transmitted disease either.
It's because they were measured in net ratings which were at least 20 percent less than what they made
Actually it really started in mid-70's.. Right after the first gas crunch in '73, then got worse after the second crunch in '78. Smogged down (vacuum hose nightmares), restricted exhaust, basically round cams, feedback carburetors, very unreliable computer control. Those were definitely dark times for all the domestic automakers..
It's easy today for people to keep bringing up the same old thing, the truth is anyone who was buying sporty cars in the 80s will tell you a different story. Even though car makers still had their hands tied, this era in all actuality was a return to performance in many ways. Moving forward, things kept getting better as time went on. Contrary to what people think and write, performance enthusiasts back then weren't moping around like it was the black plague like a bunch of cry babies complaining that their 1985 Corvette with 230 HP only did 14.5 in the 1/4 mile. Also I can't recall anyone with tears in their eyes moaning about its top speed of 150 mph. That pretty much blows the doors off your average 60s muscle car, doesn't it?
Still running strong, is our 305 w/ 5 speed manual transmission in our 1988 GTA.
When I "was a kid", I had a 1984 Z28 w/ 305 and 5 speed manual. One of my favorites I have ever owned(probably due to nostalgic feelings 😉)
Naah. They were fun. And considering the time they were made in, pretty good.
Me and a buddy rebuilt a 305 that spun a bearing. We had a 350 crank and 350 L31 vortec 906 heads lying around and slapped a decent cam in there with some head work. Runs well
It was the "poor kid" engine during the late 80s. We couldn't afford to build tricked out, high horsepower 350s and big blocks on our after school job income, so we slapped headers and glass packs on 305s and at least looked and sounded the part. That was probably a good thing- the 305 was plenty enough for drivers so fresh that the ink on their licenses hadn't dried yet. And even to this day, lots of fun can still be had with a mildly built 305 in an S-10 daily driver.
I'm pretty familiar with the 305, when tested the L69 version Z28 in stock form ran a respectable 15.2 in the 1/4 mile. That's the same and even faster than many muscle cars from the heyday, if you let these engines breathe with a good free flowing exhaust and box up all the emissions crap they'll pretty much smoke the rear tires right off the rims if you want. If that's what you're into.
The heads make great small boat anchors
So do the complete engines
not if you're enjoying the stock form.
I owned a LO3 throttle body injection 305 equipped 1991 Camaro RS for 19 years. It did what it was designed to do and it did it well.
I got a 305 in my daily driver beauty c1500 Silverado. It was meticulously maintained before I purchased it in 2019. It’s never been opened up and is a solid little engine with great mpg. 305s also are one of the best sounding little v8s with true duals and a quality muffler. Or no muffler. They have a throaty and snappy sound. My cousin had one in a 92 k1500 with headers, flowmaster cats and Flo master mufflers. Boy that truck sounded mean. And they go nowhere fast. A true paw paw engine. I love em. You don’t own a 305 for power. If mine were to ever bite the dust I would seriously consider the stroker kit they had years ago. I think a 400 crank or something? I can’t remember Makes it into a 347 or something. The main issue they had was the heads being restrictive and that tiny bore.
Definitely worth remembering.
Funny that you put out this video, just last week I was looking for a good video on the 305, and my wish was granted! Glad you made the vid.
Thanks!
Had 6 305 Chevrolet small block the first one was a 1976 a first year 305 with a 2 barrel excellent motors with good durability and gas mileage
Thank you for the 305 history! I have an ‘84 Caprice with that engine. Time to replace the valve cover gaskets and EGR!
I had a 305 in my 1978 Caprice. A year after i bought it, the camshaft went flat. Trademark of the 305.
I bought a short block 327 from a co worker, and sent it out to a machine shop. Punched it out .030, and put in a trailer towing RV camshaft.
Got a set of cylinder heads from a different co worker, and again, had the machine shop work their magic.
I assembled the engine in my spare time, and when it was completed, i began the swap process.
Just for curiosity, i disassembled the lower end of the 305. Bad camshaft scored up everything. Including the crankshaft.
I was happy to junk that 305.
Had a '79 el Camino 305/TH metric. Scrapped both. Replaced with a home built 350 and TH350. 1406, tube headers, aluminum intake, small cam, 1.94 heads, duals, etc.. Ran sweet.
I had one on my 84 Z28. That thing never missed a beat. Ran smooth when the secondaries kicked in that thing would haul A.
Cheaper and easier to come by compared to a 350 if you want to try your hands at a budget build. So many interchangeable parts with a 350 aftermarket parts support is excellent and affordable.
The 96-up Vortec L30 Truck 305 was the most powerful version.
In my opinion. The Vortec 305 was the ONLY good 305.
They weren't fast but lasts forever. Still have one in use right now. 84 305 H.O. never been rebuilt, just deleted everything not needed. Still going strong. Its lasted longer than 2 transmissions on the 3rd now. Put in a different car 8 years ago No idea how many miles on it since the odometer quit working 3 years ago and didn't ask how many times the odometer flipped in the original car. So 84 to 2024 original block and heads, never torn into, i think its dependable as dependable can get. Only actual modification was aftermarket intake and holley carb and non computerized HEI distributor. Runs great.
Great video. lots of good info!
Had an 84 Bonneville with the 305 and I must have gotten a good one. It ran great with no problems for 210K miles.
I was always amazed at the smoothness of this engine, especially considering a lot of the other engines of the day.
It's like the iron duke of v8s
Have a 305 Chev in my 2005 Chaparral boat. Dressed up as Volvo Penta, its the old 305 Chev. Never had an issue, always runs great, 270 HP. Its a keeper.
Installed a tune port 305 in my 92 Sonoma with a little over 30,000 kms on the engine at the time. Didn’t burn oil, reliable, pretty good on fuel. All came to an end in 2013 when l wrote the Sonoma off…it had 845,000 kms on the odometer!
Thank you for the interesting video. 2 of my uncles had 1980-81 305’s in b body cars that had early cam shaft failures with low mileage and I had a 305 in my 83 impala that also developed a bad camshaft but mine was at over 200,00 kilometres although still should’ve been better. Other than that they were pretty good motors and I hear that after 1985 they got the soft camshafts sorted out.
My cousin had an IROC 5 speed, we put a small cam in it and decent exhaust, that car was the most fun car to drive.
I had a 1988 like that. I truly miss it!!
Had the HO with 5speed it could pass everything but a filling station kept the tank full of premium. Had to go overseas left it with my dad it was never the same after that
It was that 3.73 gear that car had, luckily it was a 5-Speed. I think the auto got less mpg, was it a 83 or 84?
@@irocitZ 84 the autos did real good on the highway at 70 mph
Had a ping problem with my 305. The easy fix was to take out the 192deg thermostat and put in a 180deg. No more detonation and regular gas.
@@jamesberdine8574 Totally agree, the radiator was too small and it was always close to being too hot. I guess that was for the emissions
We had one in the 87 Caprice Wagon growing up. I didn’t learn much about working in it because it had very few problems.
I suffered through two of these 305 dogs, first a 79 camaro and second an 83 chev shortbox 4 x 4. Got rid of the camaro after 2 years and replaced trucks engine and transmission (TH 700? POS) with a chev 350 equipped with a rv cam, headers, carter 625 cfm (small primaries) and a TH 350 tranny all before the 20K mile mark. So, so happy after those upgrades. Better milage and I could actually pull a steep incline without having to downshift not to mention hauling a load. Loved the dual saddle tanks the chev PU had back then.
I had a 1985 Camaro IROC with the 4BL 305 5speed manual. I guess the L69.
That car was alot of fun for a 20yr old
The 305 never enjoyed the same popularity that the Ford 302 did. The 305 was Chevy’s red headed stepchild while Ford’s 302 went on to be called the 5.0 and enjoyed huge success.
Ford continously improved the power output of their 5.0, Chevy just sort of ignored their 5.0.
My dad had a square body with the 305/Automatic. An 86 4x4 ,short bed 2dr ,with large bf Goodrich tires. Repainted red. He loved the look of that truck. But he hated the 305. 😂
He complained about it having no power alot. And he got an exhaust put on to try to beef up power. It did ok. Was fairly reliable. But not too fast.
Had a 1979 Monte Carlo landu drove it when it was a 4 year old car. It’s was my first car when I was 16 yrs old. Damn good car for it’s time.
I have had several Chevrolet products with the 305 , one was a 92 Camaro RS that l put 276 thousand miles on it.
When I sold the valve, covers had never been removed, and no oil leaks.
Bought a 82 C10 shortbed that someone pulled the 4.1 straight 6 and replaced it with a 87 or 88 305. People give me shit about it but I love it anyway just because I wanted something with a 305. And it's got a 350 trans behind it so that makes me even happier.
Had a 305 boat anchor in my 88 box chevy with a 4 barrel edelbrock carb it pulled decent though 😂and with Flowmasters it sounded wonderful 👍🏾
The most secret cylinderhead was the L30 Vortec, 165cc int 58cc comb & 70cc ex. People look at them and don’t realize what they are, we’ve ported and flowed these. With a .500 lift cam 230 duration 108 LSA shim head gasket Edelbrock performer RPM 600cfm carb 1 5/8 headers you can make an honest 420hp! Power is in heads and cams together!
The darn things just wouldn't breath anything like a 350 would with that small bore. I will never understand why they didn't revive the 302 or even the 307 engine vs the 305. I had a 1985 TPI Trans Am with one and while a nice running car I could never beat those down 302 Mustangs with it.
All you had to do was replace the head or open up the ports in the head so It could breathe again.
they gave it almost double the torque than power and thats why they didn't flow to race but to get out the hole. They had a mission. Like the other guy says with cam and heads the power would go up.
The mustang was a small european design with a V8 (light weight) and the 305 could meet the epa goals easier than the 302 chevy.......
@@KRich408The problem is that the small bore of the 305 doesn't allow for the big valves that can be installed on a 350.
I think Chevy's 302 had problems with upcoming emission requirements, many larger bore engines seemed to have that problem. I don't understand why they stopped producing thier 307 though. That was an engine, with a better bore × stroke ratio.
awesome engine i put a 1985 305 out of a car with 700r4 trans in a 1968 chevy c 20 truck years ago i still have it and its a work horse
I had a 84 Z28 Camaro with the 305 H.O. 700R4 OD Transmission and 3.73 gears. It was a great stop light to stop light car and would just boil the tires off if it if you nailed it from a stop in first gear, It would run out of breath at about 4000-4500 rpm but it was a fun car for the times.
Still have a 89 convertible Camaro RS with the original 305 TBI in it. Over 300,000 miles on it now. Noticed the injector on the right side of the throttle body is dribbling more than spraying now. Ordered a new set of injectors for it so my wife and I can enjoy some topless driving this summer. I'm it's second owner, since my parents bought it new. They updated to a convertible Corvette. The Camaro was always slated to come to me since I gave them the money for the down payment way back then.
We had a 305 in our '83 Chevy Crew Cab state DOT pickup for the survey crew... 0 to 60 in 15 minutes. It did have a four-speed, though, which was nice.
We had an 86 Monte Carlo with a 305 and it was very dependable.
I knew I would see Joni here
305 is just a small bore 350. Same stroke smaller bore. Small valve heads with a small chamber to keep compression up. It made decent torque at low rpm. It ran smooth as any good V8 would.
Have one in my 87 El Camino. No guts but once it gets going it's nice and smooth
I inherited a 84 Grandprix (Monte Carlo) from my grandparents as my first car. It had sat for roughly 10 years give or take. Starter fluid down the Quadrajet had it started right up.
Though funny enough some of the Spark Plug Wires had rotted to the point of falling apart. It still started and ran. I replaced the Plug Wires and ran much better.
I had to scrap it due to rusting of the frame. That was about 6 months AFTER I had replaced the PLASTIC TIMING GEARS!!!
A lot of them in forklifts and emergency generators too. They held up very well
The Cross Fire Injection DID offer some performance improvement over the standard 4 barrel 305 they put in the 82-83 Z28s and Trans Ams. It was a 25 hp increase. Not worth the headache though.
The l69 was no slouch for a factory motor from the early to mid eighties. Only thing that held it back was the small bore, but up against a stock 5.0 fox body they were pretty neck and neck.
Bought a brand new 84 Z- 28 HO with the L92. All my buddies had Mustang 5.0s. I had a fun time running around with them. Most were very close in a drag race. Blew the motor at exactly 100,000 miles one nite when i missed a shift. Broke a piston but made it home over 20 miles. What a fun time to be young. I still think about that car and all the good times i had.
Had a 78 Malibu, great family car, probably one of the best.
At 20 years old, I purchased a brand new 1985 Z28 with a 305 TPI, 700R4 trans. I traded a 78 TA 400.
Worst decision I ever made!
Within 1 years I had 3 PCUs replaced, 3 transmissions, head gaskets, intake and eventually Chevy replaced the entire drivetrain under warranty when pulling out of the dealership the motor blew while foot was on the brake pedal in their parking lot!
Couple weeks later, after buying a used POS so I can get to work, I picked up the car, never drove it, chromed out the engine, braided hoses ECT and entered the car in Car Crafts Street Machine Nationals in 2006.
Well, I decided to drive the car 2 weeks before the event. Car was gorgeous and was admired by friends at the softball game I played, my best friend and I jumped in the car to head home ... The car caught on fire and burnt to a skeleton.
It took me 6 months to get a settlement, horrible car!
Those early TH700R4 were complete GARBAGE
Had a '84 SS, same thing with the CPU, the old dude straight up said "pull this computer and this shit carb and emissions stuff and wire it up old school with a Holley 4!, no computer
I totally love the 305 in my '83 Chevy C-10 . It is time for a rebuild though, after much neglect.
For all the hate 305s get they are versatile work engines. Back when I had my TPI transam a guy on the forum had a conversion van running a warmed over 305 TPI that he built for torque and efficiency, in a full sized 6000lb+ van it would pull down 30mpg on the interstate and accelerate briskly. In the time of 4.8/5.3 LS swaps for everything, I would still go for a small small block and TPI for many applications. I always wanted to build a 4.3 (L99 based) 1st gen with a TPI intake and work towards the best mpg I could get for around 250hp/300tq.
My company truck, 1/2 ton 4 speed, had one. Ran great for the entirety of its service. 70k miles. Not a beast but did everything I asked of it!
had a 305 v8 with a 4 barrel carb on my 1987 camaro it was not bad pretty good power
Trust me, no one has forgotten the 305 SBC. Now the 307 is lesser known, but not forgotten by anyone who knows.
As far I know, the 305 is basically a lught duty engine so unsuitable for industrial applications where the engine is used on power for long periods.
these engines were notorious for failed crankshaft and wiped cam lobes
I saw many SBC converted to marine use that developped piston holes or ring land erosion so I'm reluctant to use such an engine for marine use where raw water is used as direct coolant.
good video.
My first car was a red 1976 Camaro with a modified 305. It had these THICK spacer plates between the carb and the intake. When I bought it it had 300,000 miles on it. I sold it off in 1997. It is STILL running just. The car was actually quick. I also had a 1991 Formula Firebird with a 305. That was actually a nice car. I got it with 40,000 miles on it. Reliable as all get out but I got smoked by every 5.0 Mustang in town.
The one thing I will say I appreciate about the 305 is that I've seen them taken to over 600hp with nitrous before the pisting ring blew the crown out of the piston. I'd say that's a pretty big margin and that they definitely designed it to be able to labor faithfully for a long time.
Was in my 76 Monte Carlo. Car made it to 100,000 then rusted away. Engine was always smooth as silk.
I factory ordered an '85 Trans Am 39 years ago but had to settle for a carburated engine to get a 5-speed manual. If memory serves, there were three variants - 165 hp (standard), 190 hp (HO, with a more aggressive cam) and 215 hp (fuel injected). Twelve years later I upgraded to a '95 Z28 with an LT1 and boy what a difference that was! But as they say - everything is relative - because that car was a slug compared to the '03 Z06 that I acquired 10 years later.
I liked the Monte Carlo SS with the 305. Good ride and handling. 25 mpg plus on the highway.
I had one in my '77 Camaro Type LT. It was not fast. In fact, Celica Supras and the 5.0 Mustangs walked me consistently. But after running it low on oil and spinning a crank bearing, my dad helped me pay for a rebuild. With a long duration cam, Holley 4bbl with matching intake and dual exhaust the car was actually pretty fast for the day. Top end is where it shone with the engine loving the high revs.
My 84 olds cutlass original 305 is still running strong.
I can say that I have ridden in, and driven, several 305 powered GM vehicles over the years, and most of them had one thing in common: Oil burn. A friend of mine had some head work done on one head of their Pontiac Firebird that was 305 equipped, and the car had a true dual exhuast (they later changed the exhaust because the true dual exhaust did not sound good) system. The car literally smoked out of one pipe and burned clean from the other. Most of the oil burn issues I have seen with the 305 myself were either valve guide seals, or ruined piston rings. I am sure I may be the only person to really have experienced this, but it is what I have personally observed. I have also had the chance to drive one 305 that was nicely upgraded and I can say, the little bugger can be fun, but I rather spend the same money on performance rebuilding a 350.
I have had many of them. Never a problem.
Had 2 of these 305,s in Chevy Caprices, each went well over 250k miles without issue.
had a 79 camaro with 305 4 speed 373 posi very fun car to drive
I have a mint LB9 in a crate in my garage. 305s were everywhere in the 80's. I drove so many vehicles powered by them. So much more you can do with a 350 though because 305 heads can't run big valves, just not enough room in that small bore. 2 bolt caps aren't the greatest either.
My lg3 with 376450 heads cutted down to 55cc ported 185cc runners and ported exhaust to 75cc till flows 200 @.500 lift with the 16cc dished piston but mls .023 gaskets it makes 9.38:1 with a 212 218 .468 .470 lift cam on a 110 lsa with stock iron manifold but ported venture 2gc up to 500cfm and a 65 main jets with upgraded power valve and 11cc accelerator pump it makes 309hp at 5000rpm with 314 ft lb at 3800 rpm on total timing of 34 running 90 octane and still making 10mpg sometimes doing 12 in city it’s my daily drive 4 door nova and still running late 13s in the track also with the th350 and 3.07 gears it goes from 0-60 in the late 5s full weight car with no reducing. 305s are the most successful engines gm ever made they just need a little of love and understand what they need! I ended with 300 some ponies with stock intake exhaust and stock junk heads also stock bottom end this thing could see 400+ if built with aluminum heads with flat tops and a bigger 4bbl carb with intake and headers
For the money, they're the best bang for the buck, they respond well to old school bolt on hot rodding. I replaced the worn out cam, common on these engines with a slight upgrade and a edelbrock performer with a 600 holley. The seat of the pants performance was awesome.
The 305 was a great, basic daily driven V8 engine. Solid and extremely reliable like the other small block Chevys, maybe not a performer or an option for performance applications, but they'll run forever and give good service to its owner. My dad had 2 80s GMC Caballeros (El camino), both with the 305, and he said they scooted! Hes a fan of the 305, although went for the 5.7 350 when he bought his brand new 1990 GMC SIERRA C1500, he still owns it and the truck currently has over 660k mi on the orginal, untouched 350. One of the two Caballeros he had, had "performance" rear end gearing and said he was keeping up with Mustangs anf the like back in the 80s.
The rear ends really made a big difference with these. And oil changes kept them going.
I had 2 cars with the chevy 305. My first, a 78 malibu wagon, and an 86 caprice brougham. $300 for the wagon, $700 for the caprice. BOTH cars gave me ZERO engine problems nd i drove them for years before Oklahoma potholes tore up the wagon, and thugs stole my caprice.
I had it in earlier pickups I had one in my Camaro. I had a little bit of an improved one in my 4-door impala. We took it out beefed up at 3:15 putting that Impala not only does she have more horsepower or get up and go to gas mileage went up by 5 mi to the gallon! Now I will say compared to the wet noodle 305 that it started out as, the one in my 1997 Chevy 4 x 4 half ton had a lot more power.
I had a 78 Camaro with the 305 it was a Dog because of how GM choked it to meet emissions laws. Fortunately I knew how to remove the Gag from its cardiovascular system 😊 headers alone did little for it because the choking was in the heads intake and exhaust ports. I made that little 305 so happy after I was done it was like a person born deaf being able to hear for the first time 😊
Have one in my 1982 pontiac trans am original motor. Heck this car still has its original twin mufflers.
The 60s 283 was by far a better motor! I was back roading my 67 Impala when I picked up a rock thru the radiator! Nearest town was 10 miles away so I drove it to town overheating! When I got to a service station the motor was so hot the ignition wires were almost burned off! We changed the cap and wires and did a oil change and that car ran fine afterwards! Definitely bullet proof!
True and a great reminder of an answer to FoMoCo's 305/5 liter. How about an explanation of the mysterious arrival and departure of the the disastrous iterations of the 267 and 307?
I had one in an ‘89 GMC Vandura made in Lordstown, Ohio.
My 83 camero blew at 387,000 on the way to the junk yard, to get a new door, it stayed😢 but man what a engine! 26mpg too!
Had a 4 barrel one in my 80 Pontiac Parisienne, ok little engine. Starts at -25C, good gas mileage. Sounded great with a flipped air cleaner, made a lot of nice noise but didn't go anywheres in a 3800 pound car.
My blazer had bad valve guides in my 305 but up until then it was good for what it was
The L30 Vortec 5.0 is rated at 235 HP. I have one in my 98 K1500 Silverado. It's pretty sweet .
A 305 roller block and a set of 601 HO heads with a little bowl work and a mild roller cam , you get 335hp and a great little torqey street motor.
The best way to wake up the 305 was with a cam made for a mild 350 and the later or ported 305 heads. the smogger 350 heads had the bigger valves but lowered the compression too much. Unfortunately that was all that was available back then..