hey guys I hope I'm posting in the right section. I have a 1990 Iroc convertible. Body pretty solid. I want a super reliable ride. Although it will not be a daily. But my question is should I rebuild the engine or replace. It is a all original I'm the second owner. If there is a chance it could be a collectible I'd rather rebuild.

Thanks third gen family

 

If it is a lower mileage car (less than 60,000 miles) and the paint and body is in good shape I would say to just rebuild the engine using the original intake. You could do stuff like headers and shifter w/o the car losing much appeal or originality but not much more. If it's higher mileage and the body needs redone than do whatever suits you. BTW a 1990 IROC convertible is the car I was trying to purchase for restoring. I prefer those ground effects and of course having the IROC name. I ended up with a 1991 Z28 convertible.

 

Changing out "the engine" rarely improves "reliability".

Usually you swap over all the UNRELIABLE stuff to a new "engine"... cooling system, fuel pump, wring harness, starter, ... all the stuff that breaks. And of course all the other stuff NOT "engine" that causes trouble is TOTALLY untouched: transmission, brakes, steering, tires, ...

Examine what's REALLY wrong with the car before even hallucinating, let alone even pretending, that "rebuild" or "replace" "the engine" is REALLY going to have any detectable effect whatsoever on THE CAR'S "reliability".

 

Collector values are on the rise, but I don't see anyone too concerned about matching numbers. I personally would have a very hard time justifying rebuilding a 305. If you're not worried about collector value, 350 it. If you're thinking about future value, oil up the old 305, wrap it in plastic and put it in the back of the shed for a rainy day, and 350 the car.

 

Unless you have an all original mint condition low mileage car or a really rare model or set of RPO's on your car, you should do to it whatever makes you happy. Being happy with your car makes it more valuable in my opinion...

 

It depends on what you mean by "rebuild." Is the 305 toast and it needs a full restoration? Does it need replacement? Or is this a freshening on a currently running motor?