Ok, if you have read my post (FIRE!!!), you know that i now need to focus on rebuilding the engine for my '74.  In it now is original, unmolested 350.  I have a blown head gasket along with some damage to the externals.
   As i have been assessing where to go now ( I love driving a truck, lots of time to think)  Heres what i am thinking, and i need to know if it will work?
   I want to pull the original motor, restore the externals, store it in the garage,  that way i can always have the head gasket replaced, it dropped back in, and have the value back in my baby.  In the mean time, i need to know if this will work.

  I used to have a '84 Trans Am with a carb'ed 305, mated to a 4 speed automatic.   I loved that it would preform well, and still pull freeway mileage in the high 20's, combined mileage was like 26.  Now, i know it was a small block Chevy.  I can easily pick up one of those engines again.  If i had it rebuilt, would it bold into my Vette?  I want to use some headers on it, hopefully some coated Vette headers.   Would this work?  I drove my Vette around 400 miles a week, and if i can pull anywhere near that for fuel economy, along with saving the engine for future value, it would seem worth it.

   Well, will it work? thanks! Hope to have this done before Carson
Itsdave925702007-01-11 13:05:59

It helps a  lot, thank you!! Now, if i could find out the mileage that people get with the 305.  I drive this car every chance i get ,so if i can pick up 3 or 4 miles per gallon, it would be great.  Thank you Sal!. Itsdave925702007-01-14 09:43:24

Yep, the 305 is almost identical to the 350 externally.  Every thing will bolt right up.  No problem at all.

I can assure you that they fit as I jerked a 305 out of mine due to the lobes on 4 & 6 going down.  The car is not a california car and was supposed to have a 350 but the PO pulled it out.

If you are running a 350 that has any guts at all and change to the 305, you will notice a distinct HP and performance difference downward.

I am getting around 15, 17 mpg if I keep my foot out of it (no highway mileage calculations yet) and have plenty of reserve if I need it.  Granted, when I built up the 350, I used an RV cam for torque and mileage, .030 punch job, flat top pistons, Chevy 993 heads (Non-Mexico) and an aftermarket intake.  Combine this with a freshly rebuilt Rochester Qjet and MSD Streetfire distributor and the mileage is there, it's just darn hard to keep from using all the ponies all the time.

Consider this:

Drive 20,000 miles/year

@ 17 mpg = 1176 gal/yr
@ 22 mpg = 909 gal/yr

a difference of 267 gal

267 gal multiplied by $2.50/gal = $667.50

$667.50 divided by 52 weeks = $12.83/week

For less than $2/day, you get to enjoy all that HP and Torque

That's less than a cup of coffee!!!