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851 views 4 replies 3 participants last post by  BlownBirdy 
#1 ·
Hey Guys,
My name is Anthony, and I joined the club today, 12-12-03. I currently reside in Scottsdale, AZ, as I am a sophomore at Arizona State University studying construction management. I was born and raised in the northwest suburbs of Chicago (Prospect Heights), and go back to visit quite often as both my family and project car reside there. Before I go any further, I would like to apologize if you already read a post of mine similar to this. I don't think I submitted it right, so I am typing it again. Anyway....on with the show.

I have always been a total gear head, and will be until the day I die, I promise you that. Much of my knowledge stems from my father, an avid racer of Dodge cars in the 60's and 70's, my stepmother, who currently races an alcohol powered '67 Polara, my mother, who has owned a few Mustangs, Thunderbirds, and Torinos since she got her license, and my grandfather, a Ford mechanic turned shop manager.

While I feel that I know a lot about engines and cars, there is so much more out there for me to learn, and trust me, I want to learn it. I know you will be able to help me immensely, and maybe one day I will be able to help others as well. I am sure that some of my questions will sound kind of elementary, but I assure you that before I ask a question I thoroughly research it both on the internet, and within this site. I have already looked through numerous posts on a wide variety of topics, and feel very confident that we will be able to have a symbiotic relationship.

My current project is a 1978 Pontiac Firebird Formula, and it is a project. My father and I have been working on it for a few years now, mostly while I am home on breaks and such. The current engine in it is a tweaked 305 (heads, cam, intake, carb, ignition, exhaust) mated to a TH350 with a small stall converter and a set 3.90 Richmond gears in the back. While it isn't the fastest car by any means, I have fun with it.

Aside from the current engine, I am currently saving up for and researching a few different engine combos that I want to try in the near future. The list includes, a high compression 305, a low compression 305 (not hard, I know) with a small blower, a high compression 355, and a blown 383. This summer I hope to work on one of the 305 motors to see what I can get.

I take a lot of heat for working on 305's but I promise they contain more value than the average person thinks when they associate the small engine with a paper weight. I know that these engines are good for at least one horse per cube, and that is all I ask for...OK, maybe a little bit more!

I would just like to thank you all in advance for the help you will provide me with as I will most likely be posting questions left and right. Thanks again, and I look forward to trading advice with all of you.
The Newcomer,
Anthony (Tony)
 
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#2 ·
Bird man-Welcome to the fastest board around. My question for you is why the obsession with the pursuit of the 305? The 350 or 383 being the same size footprint seems like a much better building block. I think that everyone around would agree that the power to weight ratio is much better with more cubic inches. I plan to put a bit of a blower on my 350 when the finances permit.
 
#3 ·
Good Point

I understand what you are saying, believe me. I know how people feel about the 305. The thing is, the car came with a completely blownup and neglected 305 when I got it, so I think it would be nice to have it running decently with it before I go for the bigger cubes. Plus, I need an engine that will get me through emissions once a year. I figure with the right setup, I can get some horsepower and still accomplish this.
Good luck on the blower motor, I am in the same boat with finances. A great place to check for engine parts, like Scat and eagle rotating parts is eBay. Seriously, if you do a search in the eBay store for a store called Racer's Outlet, they have all sorts of new forged parts starting around $150. Just a thought.
 
#5 ·
We all have to start somewhere, right?

I hope that the 383 will be rapin' lots of things, pavement, tires, gas....ricers...I am sure your engine will be fine. I had the most fun on my first engine, it was a solid 396 for a 71 chevelle. When you get it all installed, and fire it up for the break-in, man that is a great feeling! Whoo! I am still young though, and am pretty confident that i will be building lots of cool motors in the future. Are you doing your 350 stock? My biggest piece of advice is research! When me and my boss built a 355 for his 79 camaro, we did research for almost 18 months, no joke. Talkin to other car nuts on sites like these. Word of mouth is the best way to find out what you need to know. And all that research paid off with a 650 horse 355 runnin in the tens. Good Luck!
 
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