I’ve been very pleased with the gas mileage the 305ci Chevy small-block in my ’46 roadster pickup has returned, but over the course of the past few months it’s been increasingly obvious that it’s getting tired. This culminated in a nice knocking from the bottom end of late. Rather than rebuild the 305 again, I thought it’d be a neat idea to show what can be accomplished by sourcing both an engine and all the ancillaries and dress-up items from a single source.
Summit Racing sells a number of crate motors, but continuing with the pickup’s theme of economy and reliability over performance (the truck sees lots of mileage, often being used to commute) I opted for the basic GM Performance Goodwrench 350 long-block. Unless you’re set on using a specific rare set of valve covers or suchlike, everything can be sourced with one phone call or website order to Summit. I like the fact that everything I need will show up in a crate and two boxes. OK, you’ll have to go buy oil, a few bolts, and spark plugs, but that’s about it!
Summit sells Cal Custom finned valve covers and a matching air cleaner top, so the decision to go with a semi-’60s look to the engine was a no-brainer. For a second I was tempted to bolt on the tri-power setup with three 2G Rochesters I have, but it seems a shame to hide that under a hood, so simplicity won out, and I went with a four-barrel. Then I saw Summit’s Pro Pack combo deal with an intake manifold, 600-cfm carburetor, fuel line, air cleaner, gaskets, bolts, studs, and RTV sealer. Done deal! The carburetor is Summit’s new own-brand carb, available in 600- or 750-cfm variants, the latter available with manual or electric choke. I opted for the 600-cfm vacuum secondary carb with electric choke. With its one-piece design, and the tumble-polished aluminum finish, the carb kinda reminded me of an old Carter AFB, mounted sideways. Well, from the left-hand side anyway, if I squinted! Whatever, it’s a great deal, and we’ll see how it performs. It’s almost hidden from view under the 14-inch air cleaner. Check out its full list of features at Summit Racing’s website.
1 Unpacked from its shipping crate and on the engine stand, this is how the Goodwrench 350 looked on arrival. It even has lifting brackets attached!
As I was heading down the route of an older-appearing engine, I figured I’d go a step farther and grind the bosses off the front of the cylinder heads to make it appear like an old 265. However, I ended up only tackling the righthand head, as the holes in the other mount my power steering reservoir and pump, and there’s no room to re-locate them to the side of the engine. I’ll have to re-mount the alternator now anyway, but thought it’d be a bit of fun to alter at least one head. These modifications, plus painting and assembling the engine, made for a fun, easy, one-day project. Now to drop it into the pickup!
Summit Racing Parts List
• GM Perf Goodwrench 350ci long-block
• Cal Custom air cleaner top
• Cal Custom valve covers
• Valve cover stud kit
• Water neck
• Summit harmonic balancer
• Summit water pump
• Summit Pro Pack intake/install combo
• Summit 80GPH fuel pump
• Summit 168-tooth flexplate
• Summit 160-degree thermostat
• Powermaster three-wire retro alternator
• Powermaster Mastertorque starter
• Double-groove water pump pulley
• Double-groove crank pulley
• PerTronix cast body distributor
• Chevy orange engine paint
• Semigloss black engine paint
