Chevy 305 V8

 Guess what? Time for more CAR S**T!

 Chevrolet made a V8 in 1916 which was a spectacular failure.  D’oh!   In 1932 Ford came out with its flathead V8, which was an even more spectacular success.  Cadillac, which had been making V8s since 1914, produced its first overhead valve design in 1948, followed closely by Oldsmobile in 1949, Buick in 1953, and then Chevrolet and Pontiac in 1955.  Chevrolet’s first OHV V8, its small block design, was a well-designed model, starting out with a 265 cubic inch displacement.  The size was upgraded to 283, 327, 350, and 400, with the 350 cubic inch displacement the “sweet spot”.  It was an EFI variant of the 350 under the hood of my 1992 Pontiac Firebird Formula – and which still sits in a machine shop. 

 In 1977 Chevrolet took the 350, with a 4.00 inch bore and 3.48 inch stroke, and reduced its bore to 3.74, producing a 305 (5.0L) V8.  This was the emissions era, with high gas prices, so the 5.0L engine’s express purpose was to save gas and reduce emissions. 

 In 1982 GM redesigned the F-Body (Camaro and Firebird) and ended this business of the different divisions making their own V8s.  Henceforth Pontiac would make 2.5L four cylinders (the Iron Duke), Buick would make its ever-popular 3.8L V6, Oldsmobile would make diesel V8s, and Chevrolet could… do as it pleased.  For the 1982 model year, the Camaro and Firebird base engine was that 2.5L four cylinder (disgusted Kirsten Wiig picture here), the middle engine was a 2.8L V6 from Chevrolet, and the V8 choices were both 5.0L.  The budget performance model Firebird, the Formula, was dropped, replaced with the S/E, which was essentially a third generation Esprit (quasi-luxury model of a non-luxury car).  The top performance models were the Z/28 for the Camaro and the Trans Am for the Firebird.  The 1982 Trans Am did not have ground effects, but it did get the offset hood scoop, so it looks very similar to the ’87-92 Formula, aside from the spoiler.

 Ok, you’ve decided to get a Z/28 or Trans Am.  What’s under the hood?  Well, if you’re not picky, you’d get a 5.0L V8 with a computer-controlled four barrel Rochester QuadraJet, the LG4 engine, putting out a whopping 145 horsepower.  More disgusted Kirsten Wiig looks.  If that’s not enough, we have an EFI system with two one-injector throttle bodies on a remarkably restrictive intake manifold, the so-called Crossfire Injection System, putting out (drumroll please) 165 HP.  Well, at least the new cars look nice.

 In 1983 they jazzed up the LG4 and bumped it up to 190 HP, the L69.  This was under the hood of mid-80s Monte Carlo SS models.  In 1985, Tuned Port Injection made its debut, giving us 205 HP for the 5.0L.  Eventually the TPI 5.0L (LB9), combined with the T5 5 speed manual transmission, reached 230 HP and 300 lb-ft of torque in select Z/28s, Formulas and Trans Ams.  If you preferred an automatic, you could get the 5.7L TPI, the L98, up to 240 HP and 340 lb-ft of torque.  This was more than the T5 could handle, and GM figured only Corvette owners would pay $3000 for a ZF 5 speed manual.  Finally, the TBI system was refined in 1988 for the L03, bringing it up to 170 HP, 255 lb-ft of torque, and becoming the only available V8 if you bought a base Firebird.  Externally the LB9 and L98 TPI engines are identical in appearance, as the TPI setup is the same size.  Barring removing the cylinder heads to measure the cylinder bores, checking the car’s VIN would be the way to determine, an F in the eighth position for the 5.0L and an 8 for the 5.7L.  There are 5.7L TBI engines, but only in trucks. 

 In November 1992 I finally managed to buy my own new car.  Not a car bought for me by my parents with a 4 cylinder engine, but a car I picked out myself.  Sadly, my budget wouldn’t permit a Formula or Trans Am, but I could manage a base Firebird with a 5.0L V8.  Black on black, loaded with T-tops, power windows, automatic transmission etc.  At night the dash lit with red gauges.  Super cool.  The exhaust sounded nice and the car could get out of its own way.  Not a rocket, but certainly fast enough to notice the torque coming from the rear wheels.  I eventually had the performance chip installed (nominally another 30 HP) and Mobil One oil. 

In June 1995 I finally scored a 1992 Firebird Formula 350.  Our law firm handled the custody battle of a body shop guy, Tim, who painted the car black from September 1997 to January 1998.  I had sold the base Firebird to my boss, who had Tim do some body work on it.   Tim remarked, having driven both cars, that the Formula was MUCH faster than the base Firebird – as you might expect: it had 300 HP and 350 lb-ft of torque – basically 100 more of each.

Note that Ford has its own 5.0L V8, a 302.  Actually, Chevy did make a 302 itself, under the hood of '67-69 (First Generation) Camaro Z/28s.  The Ford 5.0L sat under '79-93 Mustangs and paired up with the afore-mentioned T5 manual transmission (5.0 5 speeds).  But the Ford version was its A team engine; the Chevy 302 and 305 were B team engines.  

Sadly, the 305 doesn’t respond well to modifications.  Its 3.74 inch bore doesn’t interface well with stock Chevrolet cylinder heads; the 350’s 4.00 inch bore does a much better job of that.  I’ve never driven a TPI 5.0L 5 speed model – its highest performance version - to compare.  The 305 also went under the hood of trucks.  It was essentially a compromise between performance and fuel economy.  However, that base Firebird certainly met the threshold of “fun to drive”, got better fuel economy than the 350, and shortcomings notwithstanding, that was a successful compromise.  Yet another example of “not as good” (vs 350) as opposed to “not good”.