350ceverything:
So a 302 and 307 chevy should be tossed as well regardless of mileage.  

No. I don't think anybody has really said that.  I think what the general tone of the thread has been when it's time to replace, go with a 327/350.  I don't think a good running engine should be thrown out "just because". If a person was really trying to make power right away, then replacement, but you could stick the 305 in the corner to use as a start on another project.  A "get it on the road" type of engine that you may not intend to keep in the car or truck, but it would get you up and running.

But as for rebuilding?  No - I agree, the 305 just isn't a good choice.  I replaced the tired 305 in my RS and all I can say is that the difference is staggering.  I mildly built the 350, but that's beside the point.  In the 305's defence, it did run under some pretty rough conditions in that car for a full 168,000 miles, and really still ran OK. It was just tired and needed replacing.

My two bits.  Bowser  

350ceverything:
So a 302 and 307 chevy should be tossed as well regardless of mileage.  

Again people are reading 305 and thinking it applies to all engines in the 300 cubic inch area. No i dont think you should throw away a 302. they were built with good parts to make power and for high revs. While i did not say you should dump your 307 now that you mention it yes you should. They never came with performance parts and so when it comes time for a rebuild spend less money on more cubic inches or more money on a 302 for that matter.
I cant speak for the rest of the board and some of those touting the 4 inch rule,which I agree with you is rediculous, but when i say 305 i mean 305. They were made as crutches by gm to comply with emissions and fuel economy standards. most could not rev past 4500 in stock form and in my opinion many were made with inferior quality to 350s and other engines. I quess gm felt 305s would be slapped together and never taken apart because I have stripped more threads taking bolts out of 305s then any other iron block engine i have worked on.

All that being said if you like 305s by all means stay with it and save the good engines for me.  

didn't Carcraft do an article years back about slapping 305 heads on a stock 350 for decent mid-range on the street? be a great motor for the kids first car  

it may be a goofy idea, but i can think of a lot of uses for a 305 , a golf cart, or gokart upgrade, or mabye you want to experiment and try putting it in a honda the use's are endless,  

It might just be me but all this talk of a 305 being a dud just don't seem right to me. Unless I am missing something. My 98 Silverado has a 305 Vortec. I have added an aftermarket air intake system, shorty headers, high flow cat, glass pak muffler split into dual exhaust. Maybe didn't gain pavement burning ponies but she sure seems to run much better. Pulled my 65 Impala home, a 6 hour one way trip, and she pulled it like a champ. Now of course for the 65 I would like to stuff in a 383, or maybe if I have the money a 572, but for my truck the 305 is great.  

I once heard that you could put 305 heads on a 350 to equal a 383 but I don't know if it's true.  

Changing cylinder heads has no effect what-so-ever on displacement.  Putting 305 heads on a 350 will still make a 350...just with higher compression and terrible head flow.  

What I meant was it will equal the horse power of a 383, my bad.  

Not sure who told you that...but thats just dumb.  305 heads do not flow well and won't make as much power as a regular 350 heads (assuming you've got decent compression...easy enough to do)

383's don't have a set HP number...so saying that adding a set of poor flowing cylinder heads that bump up compression at the expense of flow will equal the power of a larger engine is showing serious ignorance to the workings of an engine.

Don't listen to whoever told you that ever again.  

I built a 305 for a Willys pickup I traded to a friend.  It doesn't have enough power to hurt itself, so we are putting a turbo on it to see how much boost it will handle.  

Go to thirdgen.org and read about the 305 buid ups and the guys running in the 11's and low 12's. It's all a matter of what you want to put under the hood and how much fun you want to have.  

I used to be one of the mindset that the 305 was a dump of a motor.  Until I got one.  I got a 1989 Camaro RS with the TBI 305, 200-4r trans, and some 2.73:1 gears.  This car got about 23mpg on the streets, and regularly saw 28mpg on the highway.  The only things I did to this car was add a KNN filter, and a Flowmaster muffler to make it sound descent.  I drove that car around for 3 years and never had a problem.  I loved that car and was sad to see it go, but it was either that one or my 79 Camaro (which has way to much of me in it to let go) when we moved.  I've been thinking a lot about finding another one to use as a daily driver while our gas prices are through the roof.
In my opinion, the 305 makes a great starter engine, or a very reliable daily driver.  

CSIROC haha i love the posts my trans am came with a 305 and yes THEY ARE SO WORTHLESS haha i recently put a 400 small block in it and I LOVE IT RAPS high and tight and love the power...  

305 engines are good tough durable motors,but they were designed for fuel economy,passenger,and cruise performance. The 350 with its extra 3/8" bore is a better choice for asphalt tearing performance with 9% extra explosive adv. plus it gives you better options for bigger cam,head,intakes,and more cfm. with better throttle responce
. comparing dollar to power up to 30% difference is obtainable. Depending on daily driver or street performer, a 305 or 350 both are o,k choices. My 305 is a good motor with 75,000 miles 1,300.oo invested.2001. If i  started over now i would use 350ci.  

305 engines are good tough durable motors,but they were designed for fuel economy,passenger,and cruise performance. The 350 with its extra 3/8" bore is a better choice for asphalt tearing performance with 9% extra explosive adv. plus it gives you better options for bigger cam,head,intakes,and more cfm. with better throttle responc
. comparing dollar to power up to 30% difference is obtainable. Depending on daily driver or street performer, a 305 or 350 both are o,k choices. My 305 is a good motor with 75,000 miles 1,300.oo invested.2001. If i  started over now i would use 350ci.