KillSwitchNY

i know this is a mustang forum but anyone know how to tell if a chevy motor is a 350 or a 305 by looking at it?

supposedly a camaro i want to buy is a 350 but has 4 speed manual. chevy never made a manual car with a 350 in the second generation. owner says the previous owner before her said that it is a rebuilt 350, so she can only go by word of mouth that it is in fact a 350.


what can i physically look for on the engine while its in the car to tell which it is?

posnick

i believe the only way is to get the # off the block. i had a 305 in my old camaro and changed it to a 350 and by looking you couldnt tell

5.0HO

There are two ways you can tell, other than measuring the bore. One is to pull off one of the valve covers and get the number from the head and see if it's a 305 or a 350 head. The other is to get the casting number from the block. It's on the rear of the block where the transmision bolts on. You may need to use a telescoping insection mirror and flashlight to see the numbers. Some, but not all, of the 305's will have casted on the back of the block a "5.0"

You can check your casting number(s) at www.mortec.com

JD1969

Depends on the year, second generation goes from 1970 untill 1981, during the early 70's there was no such engine as the Chevy 305. As far as telling what you have 5.0HO is correct, you ned to get the numbers off the block or head.

NeoTokyo

A GenII would be a 307 and again checking the numbers is the best way to go. Pulling the valve cover can be missleading being that all the heads are interchangable for the small blocks. Mortec is probably the best place you can go for any chevy ID, I wish there was somthing like that for Ford

My 70' Chevelle was originally equipped with a 200hp 307 which was replaced at the dealership for a 66' Chevelle SS 396/360 equipped with aluminum heads and intake. Story was the owner of the dealership bought the car for his son and his son wanted a stronger engine and had his dad put the 396 in the car and now the 307 sits outside of the bar of the owners ranch. All I know is that its not going to have the 396 anymore when I get it back on the road, Dart Big M 427 baby!

The GenII's arent that hard to get back there and check out the numbers, things arent as cluttered as they got with the GenIII and so on.

How much are they asking for the car? What kind of condition is it in? Got Pix? I remember hearing something about Non-California cars could have the 350 4spd man. It was cali cars that had to have the 307 for smog issues.

Good luck on the car


-neo-

KillSwitchNY

yeah heres some pics. in full primer ready for paint, rebuilt 350 stock 3.73 rear, 4 speed muncie, and a mint black vinyl interior.

found out from a camaro specs "expert" that the years i mentiond DO come with a 350 4 speed only the Z28's.... in 81 they stopped it and put only 305 w/ 4 spd except for canada. from 82 - 92 they bull****ted it with manual tranny only with **** 305. i love fords 5.0 so much better than gm's. especially the sound. gm 305 reminds me of a 6 cyl with good exhaust.

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NeoTokyo

Not bad from the pix, looks like it would be great with some paint.
All that loome looks like crap, I would remove that junk, different Air filter, M\T valve covers pollished w/black fins, clean or new altenator, AC isnt hooked up so fix it or delete it, Water pump needs to be cleaned and painted or replaced, clean that intake manifold, hide the wires, coat the headers with hi-temp paint or ceramic, chome brake cylender cap or black and change the thermostat housing to a black or better chrome neck/housing.

Thats what I would do if I got my hands on it, looks too trashy right now, too work-horseish. I would even mask everything off with plastic and pressure wash the engine bay, dry and paint it again.

The car has alot of potential but it needs alot done to it too, also being by the Ocean I would really check it over for rust, get a magnet and check the panels of the car, lift the carpet, smell it if it smells wet, get under the car with a screwdriver and wire brush, you know general Muscle car inspection.

Good Luck with everything.


-Neo-

NeoTokyo

Oh hey, those cars are so damn easy to work on, you may as well pull the engine and trans to detail everything. Then you can really give it a one over.

Change all the bushings and tie rods to a nice Energy Suspension kit, make any suspension mods to your liking. Paint it propperly with a high temp paint or POR-15. Check the trans out, fill the trans with new fuild and paint it with PRO-15 if you want, if it hasnt been driven for a while then replace your pan gasket and I would replace the oil pump, its so damn cheap its just cheap insurance, also while your down there pull a main cap and see how thats bearings are coming along, remember to tighten back to torque specs, a Digital tinsel wrench is the most accurate. Change you gear oil too for the rear end so it lives longer, while doing that you can check the ratio on it, perhaps even install some 3.73's or 4.10's.

For not much money you can make this car Fast and make it shine!

Tim37

go with the block numbers a lot of guys used to toss 305 heads on a 350 they flowed about he same but the 305 had a smaller combustion chamber so it bumped the compression up. giving you a little more hp.

and even with block numbers they don't always turn out to just a 350 i know where there is a block if you run the numbers it will show to a 350 327 302. btw its a 350 i would have scooped it up if it had been a 302.

vfast

so that's a 78 or 79?