Originally Posted by buddylpal
Originally Posted by caprice_2nv
Originally Posted by buddylpal
I've had plenty of 305 chevy's in the past. They aren't picky at all. I always ran 5w-30 which was specified in the owners manual but plenty of people use 10w-30. I always used synthetic M1 back then. I'm sure today's conventional oils will be more than adequate at cleaning out your engine.
I have a soft spot for 305 chevy's, the Chevy Caprice with the F41 suspension and performance axle definitely changed the whole feel of the car. The 305 wasn't well loved by the enthusiast community but I will say there is a stark difference between the carburetor vs fuel injected versions. The fuellys had decent performance, although someone looking to add more power was better off with a 350. The tuned port injection engines offered decent power but the TPI was finicky at times and long term not reliable. The throttle body versions were dead reliable and they still function to this day. The TBI engines didn't make as much power as the TPI but they still had more power than the carburetor ones. The later version 305 became part of the vortec family and they are pretty reliable too except for intake gasket failures and also fuel injection issues.
I don't agree with the TBI having more power than the lg4 305s, at least compared to higher compression 9.5:1 85-88 version. My 86 that got wrote off and my 86 parts car with only 110k miles will roast the tires off. My 83 with 8.5:1 Cr is a lot slower but still faster than my TBI 89 (I also had a second one for parts with only 230k miles and it drove the same as the 335k mile one). The swirl port heads on the l03 engine were pretty lame, nothing like the tuned port injection or vortec 305s. The TBI was probably the most reliable other than having to do an intake manifold gasket once in its lifetime. They are aluminum intake, the older carbed ones like my 83 are cast iron and never seem to leak.
The worst thing about the 305 is valve seals and valve cover gaskets will leak, and even if you fix it, they will leak again within 10 years. My Olds 350 hasn't had any leakage problems.
Doesn't bother me that your agree or disagree, toot your own horn. I just did a quick google search and it appears the LG4 305 has less horsepower than the TBI versions.
I'm aware of the HP specs, 165hp for the later year lg4 and 170 for the L03. That's not what it feels like to drive them though. I agree with everything else you said but driving several of each I guarantee the lg4 works better than the TBI.