"Chevy" 307 vs 305 or 350?

Discussion in 'General Station Wagon Discussions' started by Glide-Aways, Sep 28, 2015.

  1. WagonKiller

    WagonKiller Well-Known Member

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    Mid 70's Small block chevy's were known cam eaters with as little as 40-60,000 mi. that def made performance probs
     
  2. elB

    elB Well-Known Member

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    I'm a snob and won't have a Chevy engine in any car, but it's hard to get down on the almost limitless possibilities of the small block 350. I was never really a fan of the 305 in its original incarnation in oversized cars of the 70's, but in the later 80's with cars weighing 750-800lbs less it became less of an issue. The 307 is dead nuts reliable, although the best part about it is that the 350 or 403 Olds will drop right in and be almost indistinguishable... My '90 Custom Cruiser had the 307 and while it wasn't really a dog once I did some minor modifications, it definitely wasn't anything to write home about. As has been said, it was really a sign of the times: vintage v8 design choked by low cubes and constraining emissions equipment.
     
  3. Krash Kadillak

    Krash Kadillak Well-Known Member

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    Good point. Being a G20, probably allowed the 305 to be 'opened up' a bit regarding power vs. emissions.
    Fat Tedy has the 305 in a mid-size (a bit less less weight) Olds wagon, and his experience mirrors mine.
     
  4. KevinVarnes

    KevinVarnes Well-Known Member

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    What is the 403 in the Cutlass out of? No offense, but you are comparing two completely different cars with a huge weight difference, wildly different gears, and probably different transmissions. It is hard to draw any conclusions about the engines in each based on that.

    I am usually a fan of orphaned and underloved engines, but even I cannot find a lot to love in the Olds 307. I've driven one in a full size wagon and a couple of g-body cars and always walked away wondering where all the power was. As mentioned, it is adequate for getting from point A to point B, but it's best attribute is in being a place holder for a 350/403/455.
     
  5. Vista

    Vista Well-Known Member

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    No idea where it came from. The 403 was in production for only 3 years and as far as I know, there was only one variant making 180 HP. My point is that a few differences can lead you to the wrong (or at least unjustified) conclusion in your comparison of the engines. Is there not a difference in weight, gearing, and transmissions between a G20 van and a station wagon?
     
  6. occupant

    occupant Occupantius

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    I'm a big 307 guy. I think they have plenty of torque, get decent mileage, and are reliable. 305 Chevy to me says valve seals will wear and oil will burn. Rear main will fail and it'll leak oil too. Oil pump will give out under sustained high speed cruising. It'll tick, it'll clack, and it'll smoke. It'll keep running, sure, but the 307 Olds will take the same amount of abuse just as well and be a little more civilized and smooth while doing so. But I also know it's worth upgrading to something newer. Something fuel injected. A Vortec 305/350 or 4.8/5.3/6.0 LS engine will do a lot better in mileage and power.
     
  7. chevygod

    chevygod Well-Known Member

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    Have 305 Chevy in an 84 Monte Carlo. Original motor, car has been in the family since new. 190K miles and all original on the inside. No ticks, noises, issues, passes smog and performs well (2.29 rear axle limits performance greatly, so you really have to throttle it to get it to move out), but does and always has eaten valve cover gaskets, so always has leaked. Very happy with the service I have gotten (and continue to get) out of it. However, if ther cars were emissions exempt, I'd put a 350 in immediately. Not because the 305 is bad, but because a 350 is a little better. And I have several in-stock looking for a home.

    One cannot generalize by saying these are ALWAYS better than those. Original build quality, how treated and how maintained have quite a bit to do with how a motor runs and lasts.

    If the car has a 307 Olds and you like the car, get it and run it. If emissions are not an issue, and you like Chevy motors better, swap in a Chevy 350. I wouldn't start out smaller. Otherwise, stab in a decent (larger) Olds.

    Have fun,
    Tom
     
  8. ModelT1

    ModelT1 Still Lost in the 50's

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    Seems like the conversation jumped to engine swaps when you just wanted to know whether the 307 was a decent engine for a driver. I was told the GM 307 was an economy engine for the basic vehicle to get from point A to point B. So therefore I'd say with the comments and my own useless experience with a 307 that if the engine is in good operating condition it should get you where you want to go. Only not at a high rate of speed or quickly.
    The only 307 I've had is the 1969 GM 307 and powerglide in my 1939 Ford coupe. Until this summer I assumed it was a stock 2-barrel 283 of around 1957. I haven't driven the car since 1979 but remember it being an okay driver for the lighter car. I also remember it being sluggish but blamed that on the powerglide. Still, if and when I get it on the road again I wouldn't think of swapping out the 307 engine. It always got me from point A to point B and return.
    As for the 305, I had a 1987 Chevy 1/2 ton van with a 305. I made seven round trips over 1100 miles one way hauling various old cars and literally filling the cars and the trailer with everything I could get on each trip. The hills and valleys from Tennessee to lower Alabama are fairly steep and I never had any peoblems. Drove that Chevy van another seven years and saw it on the road many years after I sold it.
    I'd prefer a 350 Chevy engine but after awhile I actually forgot the 305 was under that van doghouse. It ran that well.
    My 1955 Chevy wagon has a HP 305 Chevy V-8 with better heads and an RV cam and it runs almost as well as a 350. I have a 200-4R tranny in it. Yes if I were to buy a replacement small block GM engine it would be a 350.
    What really surprised me is the V-6 in my Impala and our first round trip to central Illinois. 305 HP and 100 MPH in no time averaging 29.9 MPG at mostly 80 MPH.
    I'd say what ever small engine is in an older wagon, if it runs well and you don't pull a trailer buy it and enjoy it. Getting from point A to point B is more important than getting from zero to 60 in a few seconds.
     
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  9. just me

    just me Well-Known Member

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    I agree with modelT1, and am glad that my 93 Caprice wagon already has the 350 in it but really don't see that a 305 would have hurt my type of driving at all. Can't really use much power when half my driving is through parking lots!
     
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  10. WagonKiller

    WagonKiller Well-Known Member

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    guys a 307 in 69 was a 200 HP engine STOCK with a small 2bbl carb and more if you had a 307 "Invader" 4bbl it is a small block chevy engine. the 80's 307 is a small block OLDS engine and I can guarantee you the 307 chev will kill it.
     
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  11. Silvertwinkiehobo

    Silvertwinkiehobo "Everything that breaks starts with 'F.'"

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    Don't forget, HP numbers until 1971 were SAE gross hp; from 1971, it was SAE net. So that 1969 307 with a 2-barrel was likely 140-150 hp net.
     
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  12. Glide-Aways

    Glide-Aways Well-Known Member

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    This has indeed turned into an interesting conversation! Thank you, all, for your thoughts and experiences. I feel a lot less apprehensive about the 307 now. I'm just looking for a gentle daily driver that's reliable and fun. I have nothing to tow and am certainly not a speed demon. Thanks again guys. I'm in dialogue with the seller; will keep you all posted.
     
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  13. RMay

    RMay Well-Known Member

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    In 1980 I bought a used GM 307 (not an Olds block) from a friend and put it in our 37 Chevy Panel. We did a lot of traveling with the 37 and eventually sold it to a Maxwell House Coffee Distributor. They ran it for several more years and then sadly it sat and started rotting away.
    A few years ago I spotted it at a local show. The new owner did a great job bringing it back. One change he did not make was the old 307 engine which even after he repaired a crack in the block still ran great.
    Over the years he has talked about changing the engine but when I saw him again this year, the 307 was still powering the 37 Panel.

    scan0005.jpg
     
    Last edited: Oct 8, 2015
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  14. cammerjeff

    cammerjeff Longroofs Rule!

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    The old Chevy 307 was basically a Stroked 283 engine, they put a 327 crank into a 283. The reverse of making a 302 by putting the short stroke 283 crank into a 327 Block.

    I did not know they made a 4bbl version of the 307, learn something new. Was it a GMC only engine? Every Chevy 307 I have ever seen were 2bbl engines from the factory.
     
  15. joe_padavano

    joe_padavano Well-Known Member

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    Apparently the last few posts in this thread have jumped from the OLDSMOBILE-sourced 307 used in the 1980s B-body wagons that the O.P. was asking about to the CHEVY 307 from the early 1970s. Two completely different and unrelated motors. Different bore, different stroke, different castings, and completely unrelated to the O.P.'s question.

    No wonder so much incorrect info ends up on the web...
     

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