Should I swap the engine in my firebird?

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tech_freak96

I'm fixing up a 91 firebird formula with a 302, 5 liter engine with only about 70000 miles on it. The engine runs great. I 'd like to keep it, but is the 302 really worth dumping a lot of money in to? If not, can anyone recomend a good engine that would match up without having to make any drastic changes to the rest of the car?
 
If it's a '91, then it doesn't have a 302, it's got a 305. There are some people that have some nice high performance 305s, but a 350 swap is cheap, easy and (generally) powerful. I spent a load of time searching over this same stuff when I was wondering whether to soup up the 305 in a 3rd generation Camaro or swap it out for a 350. If you're planning anything really powerful, look into replacing the rear differential. They're not all that strong on 3rd generation F-bodies. Don't forget all the other little items like the 350 wiring harness. The original 350 cars only came with automatic transmissions, so if your 305 bird has the stock 5-speed manual, you'll have to replace the transmission with one strong enough. You can find T-56 6-speed manuals in junkyard 4th generation Camaros/Firebirds/Trans Ams. Just get an aftermarket crossmember so that it'll swap in. Not the only transmission, just a good one that's cheap and plentiful. You can take a look into turning your 305 into a 327, for example. You could also take that 350 and turn it into a 355 by boring it .030 inches over, or stroke it out to 383, or do both and make it a 388. Excellent power increase for relatively cheap. Just approach everything like it's a complex system and don't neglect any component.
 
Easy and smoothest drop would be a 350, more power and more parts out there for it.
 
Can he not easily lt1 that car? I'm kinda new to the small block world, but i've looked into the engines a lot. I'm droppin an lt1 into my s10. I chose that instead of the 305 i origionally had for it. Just the upgrade to a 350 is worth it i think. its the cheapest hp ugrade, it'l set the platform higher. I have a 305 with big carb and big cam and don't think it'll even come close to my stock lt1. Shop around. i bought the lt1 for 100, was all in pieces when i got it but it only ha 65k. new rings, bearings, and such and i've got a nice engine. cheaper than building my 305. supposed to have 270ish 370tq, way better than 305.
 
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