[curtis73]

Choppy idle means high revs to get power. You have an intake, heads, torque converter, compression, ECM, valves, and exhaust that are all perfectly suited for idle-4000. If you put in a choppy cam that is suited for 3000-6000, you'll have a real boat anchor. You'll have to change all of the above to match the choppy cam or you'll just have a 10mpg slug that makes less power and torque than what you have now.

 

[curtis73]

And the 305 Vortec heads aren't really Vortec heads. They aren't just a smaller cc version of the 350 heads, they lack the high-flowing ports of the Vortecs.

There is a reason that the 305 is so maligned. It's not just displacement, it's the tiny bores. You can easily spend $1500 making a 305 perform like a 350, but it will have a higher RPM, and a drop-in 350 is $300. Your car, do what you want, but there is a reason you're running into 6 pages of work-arounds and band-aids. You'll spend more money and have less power/torque if you stay with the 305.

 

[curtis73]

Frankly Tynan918‘s proposed 305 fixes estimate are half the cost of parts store reman long block 350. That in stock form is an easy 280-300 horse engine for a little more money. As I expect based on a bunch of decades experience that estimate is half what he’ll spend on the damn events of parts I thought would work don’t. So by the time you wrap that eventuality in your up to the cost of a decent reman if not new Mexican crate motor with a lot more potential.

Why do I say these things, simply because of ‘been there done that’ and dood it more than once.

Bogie

Not disagreeing, but I'm not talking about a parts store reman. He currently has a well-used 305. There are millions of perfectly fine 350s sitting in junkyards with similar or fewer miles than his 305 for $300. If he plays his cards right, he can have 275hp in a bone-stock 350 for far less than he can make that power with his low-po 305. Heck, he's money ahead to buy a wheezer late 70s 350 to replace his wheezer 305 and drop it in as-is.

This is why I should never post in any thread that has "305" in the title. People always try the "it's what I have" argument and never listen to reason. But, like you say... his money. If he wants to spend more for less, it's on him.

 

[curtis73]

You do know he’s wrenching in the parking lot and has no place to remove and replace his current motor. His only option is in frame. A piece at a time.
but sadly ‘Karen’ will get tired of his hard work and have the whole mess hauled away to the impound yard.

I would rather R&R an engine in a parking lot than do a cam swap in the car. At least that's a weekend instead of months of tinkering.