Hi I have a couple of 305s, one out of a 84 camaro and one out of a 88 monte carlo ss.  I was looking to rebuild the 88 model motor to put in my 85 s-10 blazer.  I know most people will tell me to junk the motors but i have faith in the little v8.  My idea is thanks to its small bore and long stroke it will get decent gas mileage and still make good low speed torque.  If the little mottor never makes 200 horse power thats cool with me but i would like it to make 250-300 ft/pnds of torque.  It will need to be bored so i was thinking about Hypereutectic pistons with a low friction skirt to help with power and mileage.  Its not got the roller cam and i dont have the spider to hold the roller lifters in place so would it be a better to just get a flat tappet cam.  The heads are the stock 305 heads, should i clean them up and use them or should i go with aftermarket vortec heads.  I know the vortecs would make the best power in the end but would the small valves and ports of the 305 heads help put the torque down low and help the mpg. In the little i think the motor would not have a problem moving it so im not looking for lots of power but i would like to feel it when i put my foot in it. Any help would be great, Thanks.   

There’s nothing bad about the 305, it’s just 45 inched smaller than a 350, but then one can argue that a 350 is 33 inches smaller than a 383 and 50 less than a 400, so on it goes, where do you want to stop becomes the question.

I surprised that the 88 Monte doesn’t have a roller cam. The 84 block wouldn’t but the 88 should unless somebody put an earlier block or one from a pick up into the car.

The 88 should be fuel injected. If so do you intend to bring that into the Blazer. For good fuel mileage that’s a better choice. But your 85 S-10 is probably lacking some of the transmission mounted sensors that EFI needs.

Swapping the SBC into the S-10 is a fairly complex task, I suggest you get a copy of  these two books before going ahead. They lay out a good recipe and  take you through it step by step, plus give you lots of insight to the merging of systems and drive line components. The books are: “Chevrolet S10 Truck V8 Conversion” and “Chevrolet TPI & TBI Engine Swapping” by Mike Knell. They are available at this web site http://www.jagsthatrun.com/     or from most hot rod stores and book retailers like Amazon or Barnes and Noble.

Bogie

305's are surprisingly awesome, its the little engine that could. . . i have a 78 305 in a caprice and i started adding aftermarket parts to it and it changed radically before it felt like i was dragging a ford but now it drives real fast i say i gained at lest 60 hp from the original 145hp it had. here is the run down:

edelbrok intake, shorty EGR headders, dual exhaust with flowmasters, catco high flow cat's, flex a lite fan(no clutch) ,  and i saved at least a full day of commuters gas in my car, and if i wanted more power i would change my 2bbl rochester (p o s) to a 4bbl edelbrock, but trying to save gas for now. and if you bore it out like you want it would be more power!... go for it dude!

( oh yeah ) dont forget some really good plugs and wires.

Hi, thanks for the help guys i'm grateful for it.  I was thinking that I would just have the heads cleaned up and might have some minor work done to them.  I was wandering about the intake manifold its the factory aluminum manifold, I dont know how well they flow should I go with a performer intake or the factory one.  The cam i was wanting to use is a comp cam its the (High Energy) grind the 252H grind has a lift of .425, duration of 252 and a rpm range of 800-4800.  They have a slightly bigger at .440 lift, duration of 260 and a rpm range of 1200-5200.  I was thinking the smaller one would best fit my needs.  Will i run into any problems putting either one this cams into my motor I thought they would go right in, but i've read a article that said i might not be able to and the cams are C.A.R.B.E.O for 87 and earlier carbureted motors.  I live in Tennessee and currently dont have to pass emission testing do think that could be a problem.  Thanks  

Living in Tennesse you won't have the legal and test issues that other places have, so you can do pretty much what you want.

The cam needs first to be a factory roller design or flat tappet depending upon what your block is set up for. You can put a flat tappet cam in a roller cam block, but you can't put a factory roller design cam in a non-roller block because the factory cam requires a block with a cam thrust plate, provisions for the spider installation and taller lifter bores.

Performance emissions cams that meet CARB and Federal requirements have more degrees in between lobe centers, this is known as Lobe Seperation Angle or LSA. For a given lobe design, more LSA degrees decreases the overlap and conversely for fewer degrees. This provides more vacuum at idle and less unburnt HCs pass through the engine. It allows a fairly aggressive lobe profile and a smooth idle. These are friendly to TBI and TPI fuel injection where performance and emissions are a concern. It would also work well with a carbureted engine on the street where good low speed characteristics were needed along with a bit stronger upper end. The upper end won't be like a long overlap race cam, but it is stronger than an emissions cam with short durations.

Bogie