CELEBRATING 20 YEARS!

So I got my first quote back from a local shop:
Blue print 350 - 373/400 $4000
15 hours labor $1800 plus fluids

So roughly $6000 and a 30 month/50k mile warranty.

It’s not grossly expensive, but not something I can afford unfortunately.

Crazy that in 2020 these archaic motors with no bells and whistles are still so expensive. Good thing I have other hobbies lmao.

Its always expensive to hire someone else to do the work for you. Even with professionals, you never know how professional their work will be. With only 50k, your 05 should have plenty of life left in it. Also being an SS, the 305 you have should be the high compression one which responds to mods much better than the low compression 305s which is the version most people b#### about.

Forgot to say, your car being an 86 means its the first year of having the one piece rear engine seal. Something to remember if you ever do replace the engine later on, the one and two piece seal blocks each use different flexplates. So you must match the flexplate to the style of block.

Maybe I’ll, hit power ball 🤷🏼‍♂️

If the car doesn’t hold any sentimental value, then it probably would be best to do what you need to do to get it running and sell it, putting that money and the “swap” money towards a newer LS powered car. If the SS is in good shape at 50K miles, then you should be able to get decent money for it – add $6,000 (more if you include exhaust mods) to it and you’re in range for a decent LS powered Z/28, T/A, Camaro, GTO, or G8 GT.

That would kill a few birds with one stone – getting you a more modern platform that more people can work on as well as having a better handling car right out of the gate. Minor mods like a cam, headers, and tune can add upwards of 100HP on most LS engines and most shops are capable of doing those mods – suggest you get HP Tuners so you can tune it yourself (if you have a couple weeks to learn how).

If you’re set on keeping the SS, with only 50K miles on it (and if it was running fine before), I think I’d lean heavily towards doing a head swap (use stock intake) along with a mild cam (requiring little tuning to the stock carb). Add some 1.625” long tube headers and true 2.5” dual exhaust with Magnaflow or Borla Pro XS mufflers (if emission laws allow).

Here’s a cost breakdown for engine parts for pumping up the 305 to around the 300HP mark. It’s under $1600 (not including exhaust) – labor would probably be half of swapping an engine.

Trick Flow 175 Aluminum Heads - TFS-30310001 - $1,100
ARP High Performance Series Cylinder Head Bolt Kits 134-3601 - $83
Chevrolet Composition Head Gaskets 10105117 $26x2 - $52
Trick Flow Intake Gaskets TFS-30400921 - $15
Lunati Voodoo Cam and Lifter (207/213, .466/.484 -112) 10120700LK - $180
Cloyes Timing Chain Set C-3023X - $23
Summit 1.6:1 Long Slot Steel Rocker Arms SUM-G6801- $63
SCE Timing Cover Set Gaskets 11103 - $11
Fel-Pro Valve Cover Gaskets VS12869AC - $12

Cam above using the stock rocker arms and adding headers and exhaust would give you about 245 – 250 horses but once you have it torn down enough to do all that, adding heads probably wouldn’t add more than 1-1.5 hours to the labor.

I owned an LS1 SS camaro about 15 years ago or so. Did some minor bolt ons wound up putting down like 360/370 or something. It was getting up there in mileage so I dumped it and have been leasing ever since.

I won’t be selling the MCSS, more than likely just let it sit until I come into money or someone locally wants to cut a nice check. Cost me next to nothing to insure for the year,

Thanks, I saw this one while searching. Of course there’s no price listed.

If I were in your shoes, I would buy a used 350 off of CL/FB. As an example, a year ago, I sold a low mile turn-key 350 HO crate motor for $1k. Then find someone local to swap it in their garage over the weekend......around here, it wouldn't be hard to get it done for $5-700. If you are resourceful your total cost would be in the $2000-2500 range.

You should look up on CL for someone offering automotive work that doesn't change $120 per hour. I'm sure they'd help you find a 350 for you and replace your 305. Identical motors - all your stuff will bolt on to the 350, provided it's 80's-90's vintage. You could even look to pick up some 062 or 906 casting Vortec heads and bolt them up while you're at it. Keep your CCC system, that way you don't have to buy a carb, distributor, or transmission controller.

My two cents.

All good points, a year later and still scouring for the right motor and a garage to do it 🤦🏼‍♂️

If the 305 was still operational etc, you might check out Brent's build thread on hopping up the 305. You could do just enough to pep it up and make it worth driving while you figure out what you want from then on. Even just getting it going as-is with a cam and headers will probably make it worth your while, the headers would continue to be used with a 350 later on, probably could do an intake as well (although I'd guess you would want to use Vortec heads in the future. Just a thought to let you do something now without spending too much money twice.

Jegs has the long block version of this motor, part # 19355658, for $2100. You should be able to swap over your oem intake and CCC. Link is below:

https://www.jegs.com/webapp/wcs/sto...logId=10001&langId=-1&q=19355658