305 in the 305..

[Nad_Yvalhosert]

It might vacation your transmission though.

O.P.s first post states he's got a 3 speed tranny. The only 3 speed is the Turbo 400, (renamed the 3L80). I think he'll be OK...

 

[jd33173]

i have seen a lots of posts on this forum and the internet in general of people getting "advice" on this sort of stuff. it usually leads to people getting in over their head and/or giving up. usually people giving the advice have shops, tools, know how, extra help etc etc. and sometimes aren't realistic with who's on the receiving end of the so called advice. i have bought lots of projects from folks over the years that just didn't have a plan or read it on the internet or got bad advice and usually the simplest solution was just to fix what they started with. 10K is a big budget but you'll go through that in a hurry if you dont have a plan and stick with it especially with this post-covid market insanity we sre currently living in. Remember, more power means transmission work, diff work, etc etc....

sorry about the the "good grief" comment but there is literally an active post with 13 or 14 pages on this sub-board with someone with a very similar dilemma.

I get you man, STUPID is everywhere. I am just measuring two or three times before i start cutting. my Transmission is a three speed and its 35yrs old too. It is gonna die at some point. I will probably deal with that by going with something with 4 gears and as stupid simple as possible without additional electronics. I have several buddies who are fairly talented mechanics and help me out from time to time but I try to do my best to stay out of trouble. That being said, swapping an engine is, to me, a big deal and making fundamental changes to the design of this vehicle adds a lot of variables to the equation. Hence my asking stuff. I would like to not spend 10k but I think that if I budget 2k, I will get to 10 the hard way when you start looking at the unintended costs of all the other systems that get affected by a fundamental change like an engine swap.

 

[jd33173]

Awesome response JD, you'll fit in just fine in here! lol

And Tayto also had a gentleman response. I understand where your coming from

I agree with Tayto's last response where you should fix what you have first. Especially since its a borrowed truck that high schoolers are going to drive. And its only a 'truck-stuff' truck, not a daily or a 'fun stuff' autocross or similar competition truck.

I been fixing darn near everything on this truck & having fun doing it but this is major stuff so I am going to ask and hope to hear from those who feel strongly about it one way or the other and why. This is my hobby truck and not intended for competition or anything crazy. That being said, I drive an AMG as my daily. Is this ever gonna be an AMG? NO but do i want it to move when I hit the gas? yes. Should I spend hours and hours working on a clapped out 305 when, even if it were perfect would not really be what I want? I dont mind hard work but I am not INTO pain for no reason. I feel like that is reasonable. Another question I have is TBI or Carbureted? Pros? cons?

 

[Drunkcanuk]

I get you man, STUPID is everywhere. I am just measuring two or three times before i start cutting. my Transmission is a three speed and its 35yrs old too. It is gonna die at some point. I will probably deal with that by going with something with 4 gears and as stupid simple as possible without additional electronics. I have several buddies who are fairly talented mechanics and help me out from time to time but I try to do my best to stay out of trouble. That being said, swapping an engine is, to me, a big deal and making fundamental changes to the design of this vehicle adds a lot of variables to the equation. Hence my asking stuff. I would like to not spend 10k but I think that if I budget 2k, I will get to 10 the hard way when you start looking at the unintended costs of all the other systems that get affected by a fundamental change like an engine swap.

If you are looking to spend 2k, but contingent $$ for up to 10k, then the LS swap is the "cheapest" way to start, especially if it's just gonna be a toy.
You can pull a complete motor,tranny/ECM for that, a few bucks more for mounts and pump. Do your own harness and get it done. If you are gonna keep stockish HP, a 4L60E should suffice. But if you wanna play the HP game, get a 4L80E tranny. Try and find the complete package, that way the computer is already talking to the tranny. A bit of tuning, your rollin happy down the road. You can even keep.tje stock manifolds as they flow pretty good, or do headers, you need an exhaust anyway.

 

[yevgenievich]

If that is a reason and have funding keep swapping the whole thing. I had a case of a clogged catalytic converter on a 84 datsun wagon that promptly turned in to a 5.3 swap.

 

[RichLo]

1996-2000 454, 7.4L is also very easy if you can find a whole donor truck. Think of that engine as the big block LS that should have been. There were a few 8.1l GMT400's in the H-D market but those are impossible to find cheap donor's

 

[PlayingWithTBI]

If that is a reason and have funding keep swapping the whole thing. I had a case of a clogged catalytic converter on a 84 datsun wagon that promptly turned in to a 5.3 swap.

Yepper, there's a bunch of us who have gone down that rabbit hole. I started with blown head gaskets and wound up spending ~$20K for mostly parts, transmission, and paint job. My son helped me with the labor which saved quite a bit but, we had fun working together on a father/son project I'm gonna leave it to him when I'm gone or done with it, ha ha.

Definitely, set goals (before you start) and make a spreadsheet to track everything while you're working on it, that's a great way to look up parts and vendors down the road when you may need replacements or other corresponding parts.

 

[tayto]

I get you man, STUPID is everywhere. I am just measuring two or three times before i start cutting. my Transmission is a three speed and its 35yrs old too. It is gonna die at some point. I will probably deal with that by going with something with 4 gears and as stupid simple as possible without additional electronics. I have several buddies who are fairly talented mechanics and help me out from time to time but I try to do my best to stay out of trouble. That being said, swapping an engine is, to me, a big deal and making fundamental changes to the design of this vehicle adds a lot of variables to the equation. Hence my asking stuff. I would like to not spend 10k but I think that if I budget 2k, I will get to 10 the hard way when you start looking at the unintended costs of all the other systems that get affected by a fundamental change like an engine swap.

if you're having fun fixing stuff, the headgasket job is something that could be done in 2 weekends. i am not pushing an agenda here but the worst that comes of it is you gain some more wrenching experience. maybe you pull the head off and theres a hole in the piston and then its definitely time for a new engine.

I been fixing darn near everything on this truck & having fun doing it but this is major stuff so I am going to ask and hope to hear from those who feel strongly about it one way or the other and why. This is my hobby truck and not intended for competition or anything crazy. That being said, I drive an AMG as my daily. Is this ever gonna be an AMG? NO but do i want it to move when I hit the gas? yes. Should I spend hours and hours working on a clapped out 305 when, even if it were perfect would not really be what I want? I dont mind hard work but I am not INTO pain for no reason. I feel like that is reasonable. Another question I have is TBI or Carbureted? Pros? cons?

I like TBI, I think it is a good system depending on application like anything. for fun, reliable driver and i think it fits the bill nicelyt. not to mention no rewiring, buying harnesses, etc The issue with it is: PROM tuning. you will likely have to DIY it as there are not many (known) tuners around. EBL is a great product and makes the tuning experience a bit more modernized compared to having to burn a chip everytime you make a change. again, this come backs to how much time you want to invest and wether you find tuning fun or not. carbs are OK if you are familiar with them,but more often than not i see mpg drop and in some cases drivability. remember, carbs (AND distributors) need to be tuned too.

 

[tayto]

If that is a reason and have funding keep swapping the whole thing. I had a case of a clogged catalytic converter on a 84 datsun wagon that promptly turned in to a 5.3 swap.

shortly after high school, a guy I worked for bought a geo metro off his neighbour. I guess it had been running poorly so they did a timing belt and that didn't fix it so they ripped the cylinder head off, put all the parts in the trunk and let it sit for 2-3 years. we took the head in to get checked (no major issues, but plained it and new valve seals) and put it back together. still ran like crap. long story short it had a plugged cat.

 

[L31MaxExpress]

For some more advice that you didn't really ask for....put an LS in it.

Yea I would not put one of those gutless pigs in a lawn mower. Seriously just pulled a 6.0L back out to put a slightly modified L31 in its place. The powerband is like a 2 stroke.