Old Chevy's

[Wallace's]

My advice, if its a 305, swap it out for a 350. The 305 is a turd and just not worth putting any money into. Yes, you can "build" a 305, but its like customizing a Hi-Point, why waste your money?

 

[roundhouse]

Here's before and after pics of ours
It's actually my teenage sons truck

we've swapped out the carb for a TBI from a 1990,
swapped the old granny gear 4 speed for a 5 speed from a 2007 silverado ( easy bolt in swap)
the stock 12 bolt rear axle broke , so we swapped in a 3/4 ton 14 bolt full floater and converted the dana 44 front to 8 lug, and replaced the ball joints & bearings, spindles, rotors calipers etc.
replaced the wood in the bed,
swapped in a interior that was in much better condition.

planning to swap the old worn out 350 for a 5.3 from a 2002 yukon soon.


33's will fit with no lift

Verify the axle ratio
4.11 and 4.56 are worth more so some sellers will claim that's what it is.

70s trucks are probably 3.73
80's trucks are probably 3.08

3.08 is useless for anything larger than the stock 235 size tire which are 27 inch tall tires
3.73 is ok for 33"s and marginal for 35's

 

[jburton3]

assume its a 305 unless the numbers cast into the block show otherwise.

stick a vacuum gauge on the engine and watch it carefully, google how to use a vacuum gauge, a steady bouncing on the needle usually means a worn cam lobe

most older 350s have a wiped cam lobe, and the vac gauge will usually show this, another way it will show is if you accelerate hard and wind it up good in second gear without the air filter on it, you can hear it start a rhythmic popping from the carb

they will all have rust in the rear lower cab corners and lower door corners.
unless you do like we did and get one in Arizona.....

dont buy one with new paint on it,
unless the seller has lots of before and during pictures, usually the shiny new paint is hiding lots of rust, and bondo.

take a refrigerator magnet, and stick it on every inch of the body, if it doesnt stick, its because theres bondo underneath the paint.

beds are easy to change, on 4 bolts and gas filler hoses, so if you want a stepside, dont be afraid to buy a fleetside and swap it later.

check CAREFULLY , with a super bright light around the steering box for cracks in the frame, the frames on these are thin and flex alot. have a helper saw the steering wheel back and forth while you look at the box from the top, it will flex some, without a cracked frame, but if the box moves much side to side, figure the frame is cracked, vendors sell braces, but its a pain to install

look also at the top right rear shock mount, the frames on these was so thin that it will more than likely be cracked where the shock bolts to the frame.

I assume you are decently handy with a wrench, since youre considering buying a 35 yr old vehicle?

I prefer the 73-79 front end, with the round headlights, but thats just me,
the 87 models had throttle body fuel injection which is a pretty good setup.

try to find a stock one, even if youre going to lift it
since most people are idiots when it comes to modifying pickups, if they have installed a lift kit, it was probably the cheapest one they could find and it will ride rough, and if theyve hacked up the dash to install a stereo inspect the wiring to see what else they hacked up.

the ball joints and bushings and bearings on the front axle will probably need replaced, evey one of these ive seen has had a previous owner attempt to replace the bearings and did it wrong, the nuts that hold the front hubs onto the spindle have to be installed a particular way , and 99% of the owners do it wrong.

dont expect any more than 8 to 10 mpg which isnt bad, considering a brand new full size V-8 4WD pickup gets only a couple mpg better.

my 2004 4wd expedition gets 12 city and 15 hwy,

the rear axles are very weak, and had no business being under a full size pickup, and are oddly, about 3 inches narrower than the front axle.

if the seller claims a rebuilt engine or trans , ask if they have a receipt, they probably wont, which means its not rebuilt, anyone that spends $2K on a rebuilt engine or trans with a warranty will save the receipt.

dont pay extra for the big tires if they are more than 2-3 years old, google how to read the date codes on tires, even if they have good tread, if they are more than 5 years old, they are living on borrowed time, and a blowout with a 35 inch tire is no fun.

So just call you when I find one? Seriously, though, thanks for all of the great info.

 

[jburton3]

Here's before and after pics of ours
It's actually my teenage sons truck

we've swapped out the carb for a TBI from a 1990,
swapped the old granny gear 4 speed for a 5 speed from a 2007 silverado ( easy bolt in swap)
the stock 12 bolt rear axle broke , so we swapped in a 3/4 ton 14 bolt full floater and converted the dana 44 front to 8 lug, and replaced the ball joints & bearings, spindles, rotors calipers etc.
replaced the wood in the bed,
swapped in a interior that was in much better condition.

planning to swap the old worn out 350 for a 5.3 from a 2002 yukon soon.


33's will fit with no lift

Verify the axle ratio
4.11 and 4.56 are worth more so some sellers will claim that's what it is.

70s trucks are probably 3.73
80's trucks are probably 3.08

3.08 is useless for anything larger than the stock 235 size tire which are 27 inch tall tires
3.73 is ok for 33"s and marginal for 35's

That look's great!

 

[jburton3]

My advice, if its a 305, swap it out for a 350. The 305 is a turd and just not worth putting any money into. Yes, you can "build" a 305, but its like customizing a Hi-Point, why waste your money?

Love the analogy!

 

[jaf1]

Had an 81 GMC, frame broke behind steering box,was too screwed up to do it correctly, so sold it for parts.

 

[roundhouse]

Love the analogy!

I have some old fords too

Same thing
I see people bore and stroke a 302....

Why?
Just drop in a stock 351W. Bolts right in with instant 50 more Ft lbs of TQ

The only people who like 305s are the demo derby guys

A 305 will run almost 30 minutes at full throttle with no coolant before it blows

With a 350 you might get 4 minutes .

 

[8675309]

they are pretty popular and seem to be going
up in value. i owned 1 about 10 years ago
and it held its value. parts are very cheap
and its easy to work on but also reliable.

 

[roundhouse]

pulling the engine today

 

[jburton3]

pulling the engine today

Putting in that 5.3?