I am kind depressed knowing of somebody that has a CAM ONLY LT1, and he is near 400hp. CAM ONLY! Now.. should I build up my 305 to the best of my abilities and prove to myself (as well as all the 305-haters out there) what I am made of, or do I say F*ck it and drop an LT/LS-1 in and call it a day (with possible mods in the future?)

So.. which is it and why?

 

****** up a LT1, and put that in there...i built up my TPI, and swapped to HSR, and i'm sitting at just under 400 horse, and now I wish i would've swapped in a LT4 or something...its very tough to get 400 hp out of a 305 by the way, it wouldn't be very cost effective...

 

Hey:
Klumb15 hit the nail on the head there, Not cost effective in the least. Nothing wrong with a 305, but it will cost you more...and net you less. The small bore of this engine will be what limits you. As for the choice between an Lt1/Ls1/SBC 350. Its a toss up really, what can you afford and what do you want, and finally what are your plans for the car. I think it would be absolutely silly for you to drop a LS1 powerplant and have thoughts of selling it one day. I would probably lean towards a Lt1 myself. Parts are generally cheaper, although you may not get as much power as a LS1...it should meet your expectations. A set of ported stock Lt1 heads, a custom cam, and supporting bolt-ons will get you over 400rwhp. It came from the factory blessed with a relatively good intake as well...heck with that and the heads you would have saved a ton over a TPI build. BTW, I have now idea where the hell Holland NY is, but I have an LT1 that i may be selling as soon as the 355 is done. Its stock, it needs cam bearings. It would be a great candidate for a buildup. Has less than 90,000 miles. Its not totally complete but if you have any interest PM me for more info.

Kyle

 

ls1, more costly then lt1 but worth the reward. lt1 is pointless in my opinion, the damn optispark alone is no fun but the bare motor is barely above tpi in many instances. either route you go will be expensive, the way i look at it though the ls1 will give you driveability and gas mileage at the same power rating versus the tpi setup with less weight as well.

 

Thanks for all the views guys. Yes, I know that building up my 305 won't exactly be "cheap", but all I have to do is swap 3, MAYBE 4 things out and replace them w/ better stuff and I will be 400+ in no time.
This car also has a TON of sentimental value, and probably wont be sold EVER.
Oh ya, there was a PM sent also

 

LT1 would be best. You will never hit 400hp out of the 305. The LS1 has the most power potential, but you would have to do more modifying to put it in versus the LT1.

 

You wanna bet I wont hit 400+hp in my 305?
See.. this is EXACTLY why I want to build up my 305. So when I spank that cammed LS1 owners a$$ and they ask what kind of Big-Block power I am packing, I reply.. "Just a boat-anchor 305".

 

what kind of things are you gonna do to your 305 to make it hit 400 hp? it sounds like you have a goal, you have a plan for achieving it, but in the end you more than likely won't....so i'm just curious on the types of things your gonna do to your 305 to achieve that...beacuse this has been tryed, and most people come up short...i'm not saying that you would, i'm just going by statistics here...

The LT1 swap might give you a good start on things, just becasue everything is a bit cheaper for them, but like stated above, the optispark is bullsh*t...something to stay away from...another alternative to the LT1 would be build up an older 350, and keep the stock ignition style and everything....there is nothin special about LT1's...they have alum heads, cast blocks, 2 bolt mains, and are 275 hp stock...last time i checked, thats not much more than my stock L98 vette motor...and my swap was way more straight forward than a LT1 swap would be...

Then you got the LS1....don't get me wrong, this would be an awesome swap, i would die to have a swap like this in my car....one thing tho, all the install parts are expensive, and you have to use your imagination when putting it all together to make everything work...from what i've read, there's a lot of head scratching going on when doing this...it would totally be worth it in the long run tho...also its not exactly cheap to get your hands on a LS1 motor, trans, and all the wiring...you'll pay an arm and a leg for the motor/trans, then your other arm will go towards the brackets and everything to make it all work.....right now, i think the LS1 swap is not worth it, but in the future, when LS1's get a bit cheaper, and the cost of parts goes down, I think it would make for an awesome car....swapping in a LS1 would give you 350 hp stock...do a few minor things and your up at 400-500 real quick...my buddy has a cam swap thats it, in his 00 z28 M6, and its running 12.5's with a few other minor mods...its on spray now and it'll probably see 11's now...

this all really depends on how deep your pockets are...

if you got all the money in the world, go for the LS1
if your not too smart go with the LT1 or keep the 305
the easiest way out would be build up a nice 4 bolt main 350, maybe make it a 355 or 383...then go from there (recommended)

 

Oh I've got PLENTY more mods coming up for the 305 if I decide to keep it I just have to wait until I graduate college before I can afford them
Honestly, I just want a car that makes me happy. I always told myself before I started to do-up my Z that *all* I wanted was 275-300hp, and somewhere in the vicinity of 320lb's of torque. Now, I want more
I am also doubting the LT1 as well; maybe I will try and find an L98 and then cam it, head it, and slap an HSR on it and call it a day (until I get the itch to mod again ).

 

Check out my sig and you will know what I would vote for.

An LS1 would work too.

Of course you can get 400hp out of a 305. You could also get 400hp out of a 4 banger 1.6L. I am making over 500fwhp easy with just bolt-ons and a blower and still get 25mpg.

 

here's a story for ya, recently my friend has been in the same shoes as you are in..he's got a 305 in his iroc, and wants to just keep the 305, because that would save him the trouble of looking for a decent 350....but what he wants to do is bore it and stroke it and make it a 335 stroker...now this would be a very stout motor, and could see 400 hp very easily if the combo is right...but then i explained to him, if he did the EXACT same thing to a 350, he would have the EXACT same money into it and have a 383 stroker...which in my eyes is pretty much the best engine you can get....

so think of it that way, THERE'S NO REPLACEMENT FOR DISPLACEMENT

 

You're right, it is critical where you place your disc.

Just kidding with you.

 

Why are all these people saying that LT1s are stupid, not worth the hassle, and then suggesting LS1s? An LT1 is a small block and will drop in, makes more like 295 hp stock, and has the potential for 400+ hp with the stock heads and intake. And as long as you're smart and careful with the optispark, it's a reliable and dead accurate ignition. LS1 needs a bunch of hacking to fit, costs a bit more to buy, and parts for them are more expensive than a typical small block. To save money I'd go with a plain jane 350 and build it with a carburetor . Why not buy the Holley Street Avenger head cam intake setup for $1400 and make 425 horsepower on a mildly beefed $1000 short block with forged pistons and 4 bolt mains?

 

Wow, no offense but those who said a LT1 isn't worth it is a jackass. You can pick up Lt1's for as cheap as you can Late model SBC's..not to mention the heads are WAY better from tthe factory. The L98 was blessed with crappy heads, and a poor intake setup. Yo usave money with the Lt1 right there..not to mention even the old school guys could use the GMPP Lt1 carb intake of modify a Super Vic to be used with the Lt1 and a carb. Ported Lt1 heads flow a good 20+ cfm more than the ported L98 vette heads. I was a dumbass that swapped a LB9 305TPI for a L98 Tpi, then modded it with AFr's and a mini-ram...when I could have gotten more power with a LT1 and saved a ton. Bang for the buck the Lt1 wins...sorry guys.

Pm sent back man.

 

lt1 isn't worth it... i'd rather keep the l98, lt4 maybe. rwhp numbers, even at the crank are strictly to show off anyhow and there is no way a stock lt1 makes 290 or anywhere near rwhp. it depends on so many factors in the end with horsepower in general. 400 rwhp 305 n/a would take a lot of work, knowhow and money. either way it's your toy, do what you like. i've seen alot of people claim similar things, i've attempted it myself and know how it goes. such a feat is not easy by any means, now if you were talking carb that's a different ball game entirely. if you can do it in a 305, n/a, efi and reliable i'd ceratinly love to see it.

good luck with your choice..