The 305 may have felt fast at the time, because Detroit had nothing really any better. But I remember wiping out those 305 Z28's routinely with a turbocharged, 4-cylinder Shelby Charger. They could never keep up.
In later years, when I replaced my 305 with a pump-gas 350 in my '86 IROC, I had a guy in a 5.0 liter Z28 try to race me on one of those great on-ramps that start out two lanes and in about a quarter mile narrow to a single lane, and I remember being about an eighth of a mile ahead of him by the time I merged onto the highway, completely destroying him.
But yes, I do remember when the 3rd gen Camaro first came out with the 305-HO Z28. I rented one in the early 80's to get to the top of a mountain on business in Utah, when they were out of 4WD trucks. This was back in the good days when you actually COULD rent a bonafide sports car with a (gasp) STICK SHIFT!
That was one of the most exhilarating trips I had ever taken in an automobile. The 305 DID feel powerful on that dirt road, and I did a lot of throttle-steering climbing the mountain.
But they still did not make a lot of power. The typical quarter mile times for those was in the 15 to 16 second range. And my Shelby Charger when it was stock, would do a high 14 second quarter. 5.0 Mustangs and Z28's could not keep up with it.
Anyway, back on subject, yes, this will make your truck be able to accept a 350 in the future, which makes total sense. It's also a few hundred pounds lighter than a stovebolt, I believe. That right there will help too.
