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HybridZ

Well, so it's not a 350.


Guest tony78_280z

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Guest tony78_280z

I was looking for a smiley that had an animation of one kicking themselves. I guess this will have to do.

 

My conscience --> :twak: <-- Me

 

A gear head friend of mine has a friend who runs a junk yard buisiness. I got the hook up on a 350ci motor when I began this project. I never thought to doubt him, so without looking, (yes I must have been blindfolded, I don't know how I missed it.) I installed the motor and been driving it for some time. Turns out it is only a 305. Says 5.0L on the block.

 

Good news, I got a spare 5.7L that I picked up for $150.00. It is in Great condition, looks like it was hardly driven. Original hones can still be seen in the cylinder walls. I was going to slowly rebuild it this winter. I need soemthing to work on through the cold months. At first I was going to rebuild it to drop into the Z to have a reliable motor, not one strait from the junk yard. Now I'm building it as definate performance improvement. So how much more power will I see in that +0.7L?

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Funny stuff. I read some of your website after this thread and we have something in common: toggle switches for the backup lights. The switch on my b&m shifter broke, so I just put in a toggle and you know what? I really like it that way because you can flash the white lights at tailgaters and they go WTF?

 

 

Let me tell you, the difference between your current 305 and the upcoming 350 will make you happy. I've had all these combinations of trannies and motors in my Z (all 600cfm carbed): 305/T350, 350/T350, 305/700r4, and 350/700r4. The 305/T350 combination is just sucky. Then, with the 305/700r4 it will get out of its own way off the line, but not much else to speak of. Of course, 350/350 is decent, but has no O/D. Best of both is definitely 350/700r4.

 

 

Anyway, you should look for about a 50hp increase (stock) and a disproportionately large increase in fun factor becase the torque is higher earlier. If you build up your 350 as stated you will be all grins for sure. For me, the gas mileage stayed about the same with about a 1mpg drop at cruise with the change from 305/700r4 to the 350.

 

Cheers, Pat

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I can speak up for Dan J here - he took me for a little "calibration" drive in his ever-so-pimp Z, and I can tell you for sure it's no slouch - he had to be real careful with the clutch off the line, and then the thing barked so hard going into 2nd I thought we were going to get sideways, and finally a little "woof" going into 3rd. Remember the *tires* he's got on that thing, you'll be impressed. Torque on that thing (a dead-stock '90 5.0 but for headers and smog delete) was really impressive in that teeny tiny Z. Mine's quicker (a mildly-modified 5.7) but the 305 torque thing is just stupid good fun. I'm sure most of it can be attributed to the TPI, but undersquare bore/stroke has its' advantages, too. Also, it idles like butter (buttah?), which is something I've come to appreciate ('cause mine don't). Boat-anchor, no, definitely. Different from a 5.7, certainly.

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Guest tony78_280z

Yeah, my 5.0L will get up and go, it's still alot of fun. But I wonder what I'm missing that I never knew I was missing that I thought I had. If that last sentence made any sense at all. Glad you all get a good laugh at my expense. :redface:

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If I was going to build a motor, the 350 is where I would spend my money. THe higher initial cost would be offset by lower parts cost for pistons and rings.

 

BUT, the 305 does catch a bad rap. TPI makes a big difference. Except for a Summit flat tappet TPI cam, intake work and exhaust, my buddies 74 'vette convertible ran 13.9's at 102 weighing in at 3700#. That was with the TH700 and 3.07 rear gears. A well built 305 should push a Z car into the 13's easily enough, and 12's depending on the wrench turner!

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i guess what turned me off to the 305 was I had found one pretty cheap here in town with a t5 so before i purchased it i searched the archives and no one can actually recommend a 305. Just search "305" in the v8z forum and you will see what i mean. And as far as Dan's car goes, it really is a work of art and I love it and that is impressive that he can lose traction with those 305s. Does anyone know if he has every dyno/tracked it so we can have some numbers for this topic?

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Thanks Scott for coming to my defense.

 

Remember guys I have the last, and best of the 305's. When the tpi motors were finally replaced by the LT1 in the f-bodies and Corvettes in the early nineties the 5.0 tpi was at the top of GM's port fuel injection developement curve. The motor in my car bears little resemblance to the early carbed and tbi motors of the seventies and eighties. I'm very pleased with the "little" mill in my Z. I don't drag race, this is a street car, a GT. The big heafty bags full of low end torque are a blast on the street. And I still believe GM made the best visual presentation of the sbc in the tpi. Did I mention that I got 21 to 24 mpg on my trip to Phoenix last mounth?

 

Still, would I recommend the motor to other swappers?

 

Over five years ago when I was picking out a motor I was looking for a 350, a tpi 350. The LT1's were still too expensive then. I couldn't find a nice clean 350 tpi. I wanted a JY motor that was ready to drop in without rebuilding. They were all beat up and over priced. A reputable yard steered me to the motor that is in my car now. It had low miles, was well cared for and it was a bargain. I've never been disapointed.

 

Still, would I recommend the motor to other swappers?

 

A year after I had my car running I did my second sbc efi swap into a S30. This time I used a '95 f-body LT1. Wow, what a motor. While the low end torque is about the same (seat of the pants dyno) as the LT1, my motor runs out of breath at about 4500 rpms. The LT1 pulls hard all the way past red line and into the rev limiter at 6200. Don't tell Steve Cameron that I know this.

 

I'll never pull the 305 out of my Z.

 

But if I was doing it today...

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I have the same question, I ran a 305 and had enough performance that I had no plans to change it, But it's dead and I'm putting a cleaned up 383 with over twice the HP in it.I don't If it's going to be twice the fun, but I see my tire bill going up.

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