305 or 350?...

[strotter]

Dan Juday has the nicest Z with a 305 that I know of on this board. His car does very well with the 305 and he has not replaced it yet, even years later.

 

I'd agree with that - it's a fairly good looking car that'll get up and go when required. The 305 in it - stock but for headers, exhaust, air filter - makes twice the power of an original l6, and remember, Z's are pretty fun cars stock.

 

I'd also second Grumpy's advice,

 

... get the car up,functional, dependable first. install a better radiator, get the trans and shifter correctly adjusted, work on getting a decent baffled oil pan, a free flow low restriction exhaust, a high flow aluminum water pump, etc.

 

The bulk of the work related to a swap isn't in the motor, it's in the details of the swap itself, of which there are many. We here at HZ go on quite a bit about the miniscule details of subtle touches that, frankly, are icing on the cake; getting a motor into the car, and then getting it moving when we choose for it to move are the big deal. To tell you the truth, the day I remember best wasn't the one when I finally broke into the 12's, with the car purring and everything finally working right; it's the day I first drove it, 500 feet to the end of the block and back, no hood no mufflers no passenger seat, finally under way! Get the thing in motion first, then sweat the "finesse" things. Motors come and go, good deals come and go, but your enthusiasm for the project is a fragile thing: strike while the iron is hot!

[Geking]

Well, thanks for all the input. I have been a lurker here for quite a while, so I have noticed said iceing. The reason that the motor and tranny are so cheap is: They are at a you pull it shop, and used. Oh, and you have to pull it yourself.

[280zwitha383]

I don't know buddy, that's still extremely cheap.