i have a 1988 pontiac firebird with a 1979 or older 350 in it. dont know what kind of 350, assuming pontiac but it has 1991 silverado heads on it. i got the car from a mid aged guy. the car runs like a pile of saggy *****. i dont think this motor/head combo is verry good for the car. any info about the motor/head combo will help. and also can i put 305 heads on this motor?

 

Ok here goes....

1. The Early 90s TBI Silverado heads were the most restrictived heads GM made. They are junk.
2. Mid to late 70s and early 80s engines are a pain because they usually have a ton of pollution control stuff on them and at the time, GM didn't know what they were doing with pollution control and engines lost hp because of it. A bone stock 350 back then was like 160-180 rear wheel hp (ballpark).
3. If your FB has the 79 pollution pump and junk in it, yeah its going to dog a bit.
4. 305 heads are good for higher compression, but don't use anything from a 89-93 or so GM engine. Use either Vortec heads or aftermarket. Then dial it in with timing and fuel. If done correctly it will give you good "daily driver" performance and economy.

 

so the motor and head setup that is on it now wont work? all i want to do is get t he motor running good. what should i do?