Affordable engine replacement?

[Georgeb]

I agree with Rich. Money well spent would be an HEI distributer.

 

[Rusty Nail]

This is not the budget friendly way to build though. Lol

So true!
I got giddy when I caught glimpse of that single plane.
300-36 serves better as would aftermarket heads or whatever you've got. Aftermarket aluminum heads are getting down to 5-600 bucks and there is no special intake,valve springs, rockers, machine work or valve covers required.
The whole "Vortex heads" rage is already over and seen for what it is/was.

http://r.ebay.com/EPRKE9

A bored out 305 is....a bored out 305, there's no need to bother unless you want to. Your real funds are spent in gaskets,bearings,and machine work for a different block - crap like that. Actual new or different parts than you have already is minimal.
It's always bout bang for the buck, right? The 307 crank idea is very sound. You can FIND a 350 block.! Bare is all you need. People give sbc 400 rods away! Your 305 rods are 5.7, all you really need is some pistons and an $80 camshaft.
A timing chain...everything else swaps over.

Best way to budget build an engine is to make buddies with some dude in a machine shop. Hahahaha!!
trollololol!

I wish I had a 307 crank laying around....

Whatever you do, don't listen to me. I don't even know who I'm talking to.
So OP got 4 grand, nice but I'm not goin there. Goin round eyes or gonna keep screwin around with that plastic?
That was the 305 dude, right? Hijack dude is running a 307?
Tight. Runs good with a points distributor? Keep it for rainy day.

Wish I had a points distributor layin around ICOE.

If you're gonna run a 350 crank, consider a 3.50 inch stroker because I think that's cool.

 

[DarthKnight84]

You'll be happy with it. Lots of torque, pretty nice high end, pretty cheap. Not a ton of lift, so it won't be a short-lifetime deal tearing up the valve train.

Your performance will be very dependent on how well tuned you get the carb. I strongly recommend dropping $300 on a good, wideband Air/Fuel Ratio (A/FR) meter so you can dial it in. I did, and, despite my best efforts without it, I was way off.

You must be registered for see images attach

These are what you're talking about? Price range is crazy. They go from $100-almost $300. What do you recommend?



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[rich weyand]

First, it needs to say "wideband". The last one above doesn't in the title, but it does in the description.

Second, you don't need a gauge. You are going to set it up once and forget it. That said, the gauge units appear less expensive than the box-type units.

Third, you don't need data-logging if you are setting up the carb for a street machine. If you were racing or something, that's different.

The only time you would need it again is if you changed your setup significantly, such as with a new carb, or a different intake or exhaust setup. This means you can get one, set up your carb, and then sell it to someone else.

The most important thing about selection is the sensor. The Bosch sensor is a good one, for example, and it's $75 all by itself. All of the above units appear to use the Bosch sensor.

If I was going to do it now, I would probably get the bottom one above. Not the most expensive or the fanciest, but it will get you where you need to be. I had fewer choices five years ago, and paid $300 for a box-type NGK meter. I used it for a month, and then boxed it up and never touched it again.

The reviews on the bottom one above are really good. One thing one user noted was that the bung was too tall, so you might want to get another bung (any auto parts store) that is shorter so that the sensor is in the exhaust flow.

When you are done tuning and happy with the setup, pull the whole thing out and put a cork in the bung until the next time you need it. The good sensors have heaters in them (they are only accurate when they are at temp) and they wear out over time. Use high-temp anti-seize on the cork in the bung so you can get it out next time.

But tuning with an AF/R makes a huge difference. I wasn't even close without.

Your next question is going to be, What numbers do I tune to? So some guidance.

The perfect ratio is 14.7:1. Richer and you are wasting gas and cutting back on the air molecules, leaner and you are not getting the performance you could be getting.

Most carbs have four operating ranges: idle, cruise, power, and secondaries. The numbers I aimed for are:

Idle: 13.5 This is richer than 14.7, but the intake flow is slow and the mixture will therefore be spotty and vary with time and location inside the intake manifold. If you go leaner than this on idle, you will get intermittent misses because some cylinders will randomly draw a chunk of mixture above 17:1 and that's too lean to fire.

Cruise: 14.5 This is your most important for mileage, because you spend the most time in this mode driving around, so you want to be close to the perfect number.

Power: 13.5 A little richer than cruise when you are moderately accelerating keeps the cylinder temps down a bit.

Secondaries: 12.5 More of the same.

There are discussions around about what the best numbers are. I sort of read a bunch of them and picked the above numbers as the consensus opinion.

 

[DarthKnight84]

Alright plan is to get my setup correct right now. I do plan to change my set up significantly as finances allow. My 307 is blowing oil out of the exhaust as well as all the plugs being wet. I figure its only a matter of time until she goes. I found a straight 350 block for $100 and figured I'd pick that up with an engine stand and slowly build it as time and money allow. I'll probably keep the stock quadrajet as it seems that's the best carb for economy and performance together. Intake will probably change, headers, exhaust, and heads will change so I'll need up using this thing again.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Rusty Nail]

Aww ****!
Are you planning to use the 307 crank in the 350 block?

So pwn! Lucky.

 

[DarthKnight84]

You and this 307 crank in the 350. Lmao I'll have to do some research on it, but if it's the best bang for my buck I more than likely will.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk