Old And Tired 305

[Sierra89]

Hi all,

My old 89 sierra has over 300,000 on a tired 305. The engine still runs pretty well, but has some problems. Mainly it burns oil, overheats in stop and go traffic or towing in hot weather from lack of coolant, which mysteriously disappears.

I've been hesitant to put any money into the engine since I don't know the history of it before I bought it, but I do know the truck was abused big time before I restored it. So, I'm very seriously thinking of pulling the engine and putting in the proper GM re-manufactured 350. Is this the best route to take, I've read on the forum that its pretty easy to replace a 305 with a 350. Thanks for any thoughts!

Matt

[700 sportsman]

I think the route your headed sounds like a good one, especially if you know the motor has been romped on hard, and you can find a used 350 pretty cheap, but new crate motors also aren't too expensive nowadays either

[rodram]

... and if you are thinking a new crate engine... you could also consider the HT383E Stroker from gmperformanceparts ... this is susposed to be a drop-in replacement for a 5.7L (350) Vortec with loads more low-end torque and horsepower ... the 350 crank is replaced with one with a longer stroke to give a little more displacement (383 over the 350).

 

... this engine is on my list, just incase my engine ever caves-in one day unexpectedly....

 

Just looking at your signature block again and see you have the F44 option... this is a nice package ... gives you a little more than the std 1/2 ton and getting close to the light duty 2500 that I have.

 

might a good idea to make sure your transmission is in OK shape if you are planning to change the motor... is that an NV3500 or NV4500 in that truck...? if you like the 5-speed then you might as well keep this truck running because you can't get a new one anymore. I miss the manual trans .. this is the first truck I have owned with an automatic ...

[Sierra89]

Thanks for the input guys.

Rod, Thanks, I definitely want to keep the truck on the road. I love the manual transmission, that was a big reason for buying this truck 7 years ago. I learned about the f44 package later while I was restoring it

The clutch is starting to slip so I'd also replace the clutch and make sure everything else is looking good.

Cheers!