305 vs 350

A TPI engine and a TBI engine would have completely different, and unmistakable, intake components.

True, but it is tough to tell what someone may have done to the "original" engine and what combinations of parts you have there.

Original poster: Get the #s behind the alternator on the pad and post them. That is the only sure fire way to know what the block is. The rest of the components can be figured out later on.

Cars like this are usually a hodge podge of parts or lipstick on a pig in a lot of ways.

I remember a friend bought an 80 Camaro Z28 rumored to have an engine out of a "split nose" Camaro. My friend got all excited and bought this junker.

When we pulled the alternator and looked at the #s, surprise. The original 350 LM1 block still resided under the hood.

So much for that idea... Joe--ASE Certified Parts Specialist & 10th Ann.Club Tech Director '80 Carousel Red Turbo T/A, 26k orig. '79 "Y89" 400/4 speed 10th Ann. T/A, 57k orig '84 Olds 88 Royale Bgm 2 dr, 307 "Rocket" (lol), 141k and still going.... '80 T/A project car...

I just thought of something. Do you know anyone in the racing business? Local short track nearby? They might have a "pumper" that can tell you the volume of one cylinder... most tracks have a limit of around 355-360 cubic inches and they test the winner's engine - quicker than a full teardown. Otherwise you need the numbers off the block or one head pulled (and the bore measured) to tell for sure exactly what's in there.

Ray

Fair enough. I was just responding to the "aren't they different" question. ;o)

Actually, that was a better deal than if someone had R&R'ed the motor. The first Camaro I bought had a "rebuilt 327" in it. Well the cam went flat a few thousand miles later, and it turned out to be a Kragen rebuild 350 with mismatched smog heads, low compression, and bad rocker geometry which wiped out the cam. It had other problems, too. If they didn't break it, you don't have to fix their problems.

I took off the alternator, but there were no numbers behind/under it. But in the process of taking it off, I had to release the tension on the belt pulley thing, but now I can't finger out how to put the tension back how it was. Can someone help? Should I take off the dr. head and look on the engine there to see if the casting number is there? One pic I was shown looks like that is where it is.

Unfortunately around ehre that is something that (other than the ricers at night) isn't around here. (It being a college town and all) And there isn't a track for atleast 200 miles of here... so I dunno. But I pulled the alternator, and there was no numbers.. but then Dennis said thats because my alternator is on the dr. side, so I have to pull the A/C comptressor.. so I have to do that in the next few days.

See the bolt head sticking out of the center of the idler? Use a half inch drive with a socket set to loosen. It will rotate out and you can put your belt back on.

...Ron

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Well, found out the plate is behind the A/C compressor on my car... and it does have the partial VIN on it.. so therefore it must be the original LO3

KITT, eBay has a 1982 Black T/A! up for auction. Item number: 2443910443 VIN Number: 1G2AW8773CL547338

Time left: 1 days 21 hours 7-day listing Ends Nov-25-03 14:15:00 PST

I don't know you're preferential idiosyncrasies, so just check this out. Just keeping an eye out for my fellow T/Aer's Fire-TA

I appreciate it, but it looks like it doesn't have T-tops, and according to Carfax, the odometer was rolled back over 70,000 miles, so who knows what else was done. Plus being all the way in Oregon (I'm in Wisconsin) It would be expensive to get here. But Thanks!

If the VIN # stamp matches (partially at least) the VIN # plate on the dash board, yes you have the original engine in it.

You'll probably see 2L (2 for Pontiac, L for Van Nuys) and then the last six digits of your vin # (which are the sequential production #s)

If the two match, and your vin plate on the dash shows an E for the 8th digit, yes you have the original 305 TBI L03 engine in there.

If the seller told you it was a 350, he was either ignorant or defrauded you :(.

Joe--ASE Certified Parts Specialist & 10th Ann.Club Tech Director '80 Carousel Red Turbo T/A, 26k orig. '79 "Y89" 400/4 speed 10th Ann. T/A, 57k orig '84 Olds 88 Royale Bgm 2 dr, 307 "Rocket" (lol), 141k and still going.... '80 T/A project car...

yup, 2L plus the end of the VIN, and it turns out now he says he knows NOTHING about these cars.. after he was talking all this stuff... grrr. But it is still a strong engine... only has 88k on it. So in the next year or so I will be asking a lot of questions, my g/f and I want to tear the car down and go over all the pieces and check out the rust, and damage etc, and repaint and rebuild it back, and possibly if money/time/knowledge are available might think about an engine transplant with possibly a Pontiac engine, so I would actually have a full pontiac and not a 50/50 breed. :-) Wish me luck.. LOL... cause you all now I'll need it.

Okay, so you looked at the block did you use a miror to try to see the numbers. Anyway to heel with the technical. Go to carfax type in you vin# it will tell you right off the bat what motor the car left the factory with. If you want an easy way to rule out the 350 if you have drum brakes then you dont have a 350. The Performance option group was standard with the 350 and included disk brake and a posi axle. If you do have disc brakes you have a 25-75 shot of having a

Your method might work if we were talking the original combinations of parts, but since this car is a hodge podge of parts anything could be under the hood.

However the answer is that the vehicle has the original 305 TBI vin code E engine, he already posted that a few days ago :).

(As most of us suspected). However he was told it was a 350, so he got duped a bit :(

Joe--ASE Certified Parts Specialist & 10th Ann.Club Tech Director '80 Carousel Red Turbo T/A, 26k orig. '79 "Y89" 400/4 speed 10th Ann. T/A, 57k orig '84 Olds 88 Royale Bgm 2 dr, 307 "Rocket" (lol), 141k and still going.... '80 T/A project car...