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A complete gm drivetrain. its is from a 79 van it has a 305 / 350 th I am told, I am considering this for a swap into my 55 2nd seris pickup,
Is there any reason why I should not be considering this,
Oh yeah its free!
2nd question,, any ideas on how to milk more hp from this 305
Thanks B
mock up the engine/ trans in the truck, get the mounts right for a SBC, pull the 305 out and put a 350 in, the TH350 should stay. sell the 305 to sombody who wants 1, put the money got from the 305, into the 350, intake, heads, whatever. the 305 makes 145 HP stock, and altho they can be built up ( a guy on here has a 305 putting a little over 300 to the crank ), but a 350 could have over 300, with a set of 64cc headsQuote:
Originally posted by chesapeake
2nd question,, any ideas on how to milk more hp from this 305
thanks matt, good advice
First thing you might want to do is measure the wheelbase and see how much is involved in altering it. The track width is also a consideration. I believe the van frame is considerably wider and will have a wider track then the '55. You will also possibley have to alter the bed of the truck to accomodate the kickup on the van frame.......Just some other things to consider.
The S-10 standard box chassis is perfect for this swap.
Are you using the motor and trans only or the frame too?? 305 is a good economy engine. If you want any power though, take the advise offered above.
I'm reading your initial post that you have been gifted with a 305/TH350 engine/trans unit only and not the entire undercarriage, is that right? If so, there is nothing wrong with the 305 if you just need a prime mover in a street rod. It will make at least 200 hp and that's all you need to cruise.
Hey Ches,
We have spoke on CC before. To keep costs down put that entire Drive train in. Before it goes in call up a cam company and tell em what you have, and what you want from the motor, and get a cam with a little more lift and duration than stock ( that 305 cam is a dog), and put this in then motor before you install it in the truck.....add some new lifters, timing chain and while you are at it put in a new oil pump. Change over from stock exhaust manifolds to a set of shorty headers and a true dual or single 3" exhaust (id opt for the dual, and someone may make a bolt in kit for your truck, if you do some research, try whitney). A little more cam, and a good exhaust will be a huge leap in power throughout all RPMs compared to the 6 you have now. As time passes and $$$ is maybe more available, later you can get a better carb and intake than stock, and maybe even later buy a 350 crate enigine which will bolt right inplace after that 305 has taken residence. Good luck buddy.
Yup, sorry for the confusion. I read the initial post incorrectly.
NO I have the whole van, and now I just picked up a 350 out of a 74 vette.,
Now you got something to work with. What do you want it to do and what you want to spend?Quote:
Originally posted by chesapeake
NO I have the whole van, and now I just picked up a 350 out of a 74 vette.,
It'll do pretty good stock.
Put a 3.75 stroke crank in it.:)Quote:
Originally posted by chesapeake
A complete gm drivetrain. its is from a 79 van it has a 305 / 350 th I am told, I am considering this for a swap into my 55 2nd seris pickup,
Is there any reason why I should not be considering this,
Oh yeah its free!
2nd question,, any ideas on how to milk more hp from this 305
Thanks B
Great Ches,
before it all goes in, again, considering it was all no cost to you so far Id do the following. New cam and lifters (preferably and Rv/Truck cam grind) maybe even a set of push rod for $25. New timing chain, new oil pump...this way you can get some new crank seals on there, which are probably leaking anyway. For the trans drain as much fluid in it as possible including the torque convertor, put in a new filter and while your at it, if it were me, a shift kit to make snappier shifts, and help trans last a little longer. Most shift kits are do it yourself projects if you just follow the directions and you can get a B&M one for about 50 bucks. Finally If it was me, considering age of motor Id do a water pump, and fuel pump as they are cheap enough and something less to worry about that moist likely in near future will break.
A new cam with a shift kit will make that truck haul ass compared to that 6 cyl you have. Good luck buddy.
Scott
If you do a shift kit, I would advise the softest one you can get if you've never had one before. If you like it, you can go for a harsher kit later. Personally, I'll never have another one in a daily driver. They're fun for 10 minutes, then they're just a pain in the ***. Been there, done that.
To each his own. Tech inspector like many on here has more experience than I do Im sure. With that being said I love the B&M shift kit I have in my 70 Chevelle convertible as my Daily driver. It is a mild kit designed for the street. Bumps a little more when crusing and I only see a dramatic difference when Im on it hard like from forst to second in my TH400......If I hold first out to about 4500 rpm then move to second It will give me a chirp in my rear tires.....again under normal conditions of driving it doesnt seem to be a huge difference and I dont find it annoying like tech does...again to each his own....maybe ge ta ride in a friends automatic equipped car with one and see if you like it. Let us know how your engine/trans swap goes Ches. Good luck.
To all whom posted up THANKS! I will be on here looking for more help as I need It, Scott (30 A) man great to hear from you again, tech, you gave me a list of books to research I can't find the thread, can you link it up here, Erick, ham, Camero,Matt, Dave, can't thank you enough !,, Scott, I will most liklry put a shift kit in Her as after all its a hot rod, I am thinking this van will have a ton of thing on it I can swap, PS,PB, don't know if I want the A/C,,aybe the frame, IFS, the list goes on!// oh yeah I did finf a 1974 350 vette motor to rebuild and drop in!
All the best Bo
Why not build the 350 into a 383 ?Quote:
Originally posted by chesapeake
To all whom posted up THANKS! I will be on here looking for more help as I need It, Scott (30 A) man great to hear from you again, tech, you gave me a list of books to research I can't find the thread, can you link it up here, Erick, ham, Camero,Matt, Dave, can't thank you enough !,, Scott, I will most liklry put a shift kit in Her as after all its a hot rod, I am thinking this van will have a ton of thing on it I can swap, PS,PB, don't know if I want the A/C,,aybe the frame, IFS, the list goes on!// oh yeah I did finf a 1974 350 vette motor to rebuild and drop in!
All the best Bo
Here you go Bo......
http://www.clubhotrod.com/forums/sho...threadid=22588
definitely get a shift kit. It's not likely you'll hate it. and you can learn to shift it 'soft' if you want.
The 305 is perfectly fine unless you want to roast tires. Put in a .454 lift with a 290 duration, ( cam ) and long tube headers, and you'll have decent power and still get about 18 MPG.
Quote:
Originally posted by chesapeake
A complete gm drivetrain. its is from a 79 van it has a 305 / 350 th I am told, I am considering this for a swap into my 55 2nd seris pickup,
Is there any reason why I should not be considering this,
Oh yeah its free!
2nd question,, any ideas on how to milk more hp from this 305
Thanks B
Put a 6 cylinder rearend in. YOU WILL ROAST THE TIRES OFF!!!!!
I think that would depend on the gear in it.Quote:
Originally posted by scoot
Put a 6 cylinder rearend in. YOU WILL ROAST THE TIRES OFF!!!!!
I've done this in the past with chevy vans 6 cylinder 3 speed on the column pulled that out and put in a 305 and a 350 turbo trans and you can burn the tires anytime. I have a 327 engine, I would like to find out what horsepower and vehicle it came out of. I would like to find out the value. It has closed chambered heads, flat top pistons, steel crank, I believe it came out of a SS Impala 1965. Could you give me suggestions on where I can go to find this out.
most chevy 6cyl's had 4.11 rears, that's why you get the tire smoking power. for that motor get block castings ( rear of block, above bell housing ) and find them on mortecQuote:
Originally posted by scoot
I've done this in the past with chevy vans 6 cylinder 3 speed on the column pulled that out and put in a 305 and a 350 turbo trans and you can burn the tires anytime. I have a 327 engine, I would like to find out what horsepower and vehicle it came out of. I would like to find out the value. It has closed chambered heads, flat top pistons, steel crank, I believe it came out of a SS Impala 1965. Could you give me suggestions on where I can go to find this out.
You still haven't told us what you want from that vehicle. Is it going to be your daily? A racer? Or a Hotrod for roasting tires with shiny bits on it? The type of stuff to put in varies enormously with whatever driving style you're aiming at. Going 350 is certainly a good idea for a rod (many cheap good parts available), but if you're planning to cruise with no extras, then the 305 will have it all (less work switching gadgets). If you want to roast tires get a higher gear, if you want to cruise, get a lower one. See what I mean? In general what you're planning is far from being a bolt-in, so you want to think about what you want from it and plan carefully. But that's just my advice, the more we know the more we can say.
Just thinking loud...
Good luck,
Mad
what I want to build is a daily drivers hotrod, Not alot of billet I want it to look great under the hood, nice paint got this covered!,, I am thinking black and orange with a seaweed flame to divide the two colors, trips of 150 miles are in order, it must go more than it shows.
I am picking up a 350 that came out of a 1974 vette, plan a complete engine rebuild,
may have to widen the rear fenders rather than tub the bed so not to be so obvious
gota check wheel base for the van frame swap may just use the org. frame beefed up,
haven't made up my mind as torun the org. straight front axle vs the ifs on the van,,
Thanks Bo