turbocharging a stock 301

**10.5' Tunnel** · 09-01-2005, 07:26 PM

I think that car is, depending on the mileage. Around here, tpi units alone sell for $300, excluding harness and ecm. Just be prepared to seek some professional help, as going from carb to fuel injected is not the easiest. You'll definetly need to run a electric fuel pump. You might find it more effective to just buy the firebird, and fix it up

All depends on what you want I guess.

**baja200merk** · 09-01-2005, 07:29 PM

i would throw an intake and carb on it if its that bad.. but id like the injection just for easier cold starts and what not...

kevin

**sho305** · 09-01-2005, 09:20 PM

You can get a harness for that efi to run it, but not sure you want all that hassle to install/buy it. You'all are being nice, that car would not be worth much of nothing here, maybe a few hundred at most...mostly because it don't run. I've done a bunch of those deals and you never know what you will find...so you have to account for that when you buy. Might make a bunch or might lose. I just sold a '92 GP I put head gaskets and tune up on, had to fix a brake line and some other stuff; new front brakes, window switch, trans lines, etc. Anyway I sold it for 900 got it for free, but all the parts/gaskets were around 200 plus plenty of time tearing down the 3.1 to the block and fixing all the incidental junk, plus cleaning it all up nice and hauling it. It had lots of miles like 170K or so, but little rust and was an SE, looked nice. I'd say I did ok but didn't get rich at 700 profit for all the time I got into it. Now I have to finish the other one in the yard

I paid 150 for that bone.

It might be easier to put a small block in than a 400-455. That 400 chevy is a nice running motor in 70-74 years about. Used to be in caprices and wagons/etc. Runs smooth and lots of torque, not a big revver. It would be ideal for everyday with likely as good mpg and much more torque than the 301, and simple carb setup. Used to buy them here for 2-300 running but that was a while ago. Maybe easier to find a 350 like that one, or a vortec and slap a mild cam in it. Who knows what is wrong with that one though, so I would not pay much for it unless the car is nice and so makes it worth something. What if the cylinder has a hole in it or some nasty thing? You are stuck with a big pile, been there. Sure it may be just a gasket, just a cracked head, but you don't know and the seller pays for the unknown when I buy. When I bought that GP I drove it on the trailer on 5 cylinders and saw the antifreeze bubbling up the overflow, not much question of what it was...still it could have been worse. But I had a friend with parts and it was free so...not so bad I thought.

**10.5' Tunnel** · 09-01-2005, 10:26 PM

You can get a harness from painless, buts its $600! The guy I sold my 305 tpi setup to is a mechanic friend of mine. He just used my stock harness, and did the swap in 3 days into his 83' chev pickup. If I was you I would just drive the car as it is, then maybe save up for exactly what you want. Once you start pouring performance $ into cars, you rarely get even close to what you have in it out.

**baja200merk** · 09-02-2005, 12:49 AM

ok so got home (almost got arrested) im on the beach """hanging out (wit a cooler)""" and the guy who owns the firebird saves my arse cuz hes with security and kept me frum cops any way turns out he got rid of the firebird cause it was costin him too much to keep it there... i might still be able to get it but from what you guys are tellin me its prolly not worth it... ill go for the 400 carb block hope to get one after gas prices become reasonable... in the mean time ill prolly try to get headers on the 301 and gut the cat...

thanks
kevin

**Chummy** · 09-02-2005, 07:28 AM

I wouldn't even spend money on the 301, same your money for something else.... Whats wrong with hanging out on the beach with a cooler?

**baja200merk** · 09-02-2005, 10:23 AM

im 17 and so were the 20 kids i was with... there were like 40 kids there so who ever wasnt "with" me got their cooler takin

oh yea and the headers are for a 301-400 so i can use em on the next moter

kevin

**Chummy** · 09-02-2005, 10:48 AM

A 301-400 pontiac though correct? yep delinquent youngsters taking over the beach

like I wasn't there or still am

**baja200merk** · 09-02-2005, 11:17 AM

lol yea

yea i dono what the differance between chevy and pontiac is head wise but i thought he meant 301-400 meaning everything inbetween 350 305 and wut not no?

kevin

**sho305** · 09-02-2005, 11:35 AM

Just remember the 350-400 chevy is a small block and is lighter than the 400 poncho. SBC parts are rampant and cheapest. Weight will make a difference how the car drives, might be an easier fit but not sure about that. When I took my 400 pontiac out it was heavy, and I aint kidding. It was like a BBC. Staying pontiac is cool if that is what you want...that is why I was talking about the 455 pontiac because I think it is the same block as the 400P anyway.

The Pontiac motors are all different than chevy, I thought the 301-350 pontiac was different than the 400-455 pontiac but I could be wrong...long time since I fiddled with those. Pontiacs usually have exposed exhaust ports in the heads, headers go on those short tubes instead of against the head like a chevy. 400s also have a raised intake with a cam/lifter galley cover under it.

The 400 chevy is the largest stock chevy small block, but not really the best for real big hp if you build it way up. 383 chevy is a 400 crank in a 350 block. If I remember right the siamesed bores in the 400 required to fit that big a piston bore made them get hot or something like that, plus the stroke of the 400 crank and journal size are not the best for high rpm. They made great truck motors, but went good in cars too for the street with all that midrange torque from the extra cubes. A bud had a mild built 383 that turned up to 6800 and ran 12s in a 70 camaro with slicks. It would pull the front tires a little, but I guess it was pretty roudy for everyday.

**Chummy** · 09-02-2005, 11:38 AM

I just checked with Hooker they are the same Go for it !

**Chummy** · 09-02-2005, 11:47 AM

sho305, I have also always heard that the 400 had cooling issues but I have never actually seen one in person with that problem. The engine builder that built the engine for my Chevelle just built a Pump-gas 406 for a street racer that looks just like a crate engine still has center bolt valve covers, and iron heads. Made 480lbs of torque @3800 and was a table top accross the board. It also made 473 HP @ 6300. This builder strives on drivablity and durability.

**sho305** · 09-02-2005, 02:51 PM

Me niether. I was told/shown on the block deck they had drilled coolant holes/passages that were smaller than a 350 cast holes, and these caused steam pockets or such around the cylinders. We ran one in a boat with a 305 comp cams (305 degrees) once, it was an extra parts motor just for fun. It ran good once you got up, got 74mph in a 19' over the previous ~45mph with the stock 305. It ran for a couple years but lost track of the guy. I don't know what it was for HP, that was not a good cam for a boat but was strong. Had a performer RPM and marine headers, old double hump heads that we hogged the ports a little and had the bigger vavles plus a 750 holley and roller rockers. Sounded wicked, but was too weak at ~3K for a holeshot and took a bit to get on plane. At 4K it set you back in the seat and off you went up to 6800 or so. That was one of the few I/Os I've been in that were up on the pad and dancing...it was fun. He was on a lake so I doubt he ran it WOT constant much. Our group of boats would go out on the big lake and I would not trust that to stay together for extended fast running we did...maybe if everything was new and a good shop setup the bottom end. That motor was all extra parts laying around that were good, we just put new bearings/rings/pump/chain in and that was it. Heads were from a big cam and had good springs. We ran a couple miles WOT a few times testing and tuning at Hardy, it never got hot or anything in the boat. Would have been a sweet motor in a car for sure.

ps-that sounds like a healthy 406 to me. I like Fords myself, but you can't beat the old SBC/BBC for boats and hotrods. The 5.0 Mustang I had ran real nice though, they have quite a following but forget it for a boat.