chevy 305

[76 k10]

ok whats the deal with this motor??? everyone tells me there crap and some say they last for ever...... why dont you guys tell me what you think of it

[Fordeatinz71]

well, here's my opinion of them.  i've owned quite a few, some in F-bodies (Camaro/Firebird) and a few in C/Ks and they are dead-nutz reliable.  you can't hardly kill one.  but they don't make good power.  if you are looking for a powerhouse, look at the 350 or just about any other GM smallblock, the 305 is a boat anchor when it comes to that.  now, if you want a reliable workhorse that will run for 250k+ miles with basic maintenance that can make moderate power with basic mods?  a 305 will work fine.  you'll never get MASSIVE power out of one, but you can get decent power out of one, just takes some money to get there.  that's why most people say when it comes to "bang for your buck", you are a lot better off using a 350 for your platform...

[76 k10]

ok i just throw a motor in my truck cuz i needed one and the guy that i got it form told me it was a 350 then i find out its a 305 and it had no balls at all.............so i put in a one of my old drag car cams and everone thinks i have a 383 or a 406 lol but i have been reving the crap outta it and it wont blow it seems to be a good motor

[Captkaos]

Nothing wrong with the motor as far as general use.  The run well and have sufficient power.  IF you are building a race motor, it would be wiser to put the money into a larger displacement.  If you were building a reliable motor, a 305 is fine.  It is all in what perspective. 

[TexasRed]

The 305 is a decent enough motor. Just don't expect it to haul six thousand pounds and like it too much. It'd be a great engine if you were building a grocery getter or an engine for maybe your 16-year old kid's car/truck that you wanted to soup up later but want them to understand throttle control and maybe keep insurance costs under control a little bit. Built right, it's a smooth engine and like others have said will give you a few hundred thousand miles of good service.

[CHawk]

The 305 in my '85 K10 went to 230K miles with out any real issues.  And that, I'm really embarrassed to say, is with an average of 6-7K between oil changes.  All things considered, it was a good, reliable engine for me.  However, seeing as I live at 6000 + elevation, it was a DOG!  A steady headwind on the interstate meant I couldn't even leave it overdrive to maintain 65-70 MPH.  But part of that could have been carb related, since I'm terrible at tuning those things!

[SUX2BU99]

^ Wow, that's pretty gutless    lol


305's probably last for so long because they left the factory in such incredibly mild tune. Low compression, low valve lifts, low power, low revs = low stress on the motor. My brother managed to put one in bad shape in his 84 Z28 (rings were shot, fell out of tune easily, etc) but otherwise they seem to be okay. They were the staple of most of my graduating class's vehicles since most guys had GM trucks of which had the 305. They abused them pretty regularly and I don't recall any of them blowing up. A favorite was to put on 2" duals with "blue bottle" glasspacks, and drop them into 1st gear at about 40 mph just to hear them bark on the decel.  The 305 2bbl in my Jimmy could pin the 85 mph speedo without a whole lot of trouble.

[76 k10]

lol hahahaha ya blowing up glasspacks are fun

[Fordeatinz71]

lol, my truck has trouble getting over 65...but mine is because of horrid gearing...

[76 k10]

lol, my truck has trouble getting over 65...but mine is because of horrid gearing...

well dos it get there fast lol

[Fordeatinz71]

not in the slightest...2.73 gears man.  it's slow off the line and up top it doesn't have the HP to really keep it going...

[76 k10]

lol hahahahaha thats funny is it good on gas

[Fordeatinz71]

when OD was working, it's not now, it got a best of 13.6 on the freeway...

[76 k10]

better then what im geting!!! im in the 4 mpg range

[TexasRed]

With the th350c and original q-jet I was getting close to 20mpg on the highway, maybe 18-19. 3.42 rear end.