upgrade cam and intake for 305

A new cam and lifter set can be obtained from Comp Cams at reasonable price. They have a program on their website where you put in your engine specs and it will give you a list of cams / sets to choose from with est HP/Tq levels. Used Alum intakes are pretty cheap used ( although I could never justify the price of a new one myself ).

Really though the exhaust will be your stumbling block once you put the camshaft in. Just headers alone on the Monte with the 305 gave me more "seat of the pants" grunt at a lower RPM. I too made the "choice" of running headers off my stock manifolds many years ago and never really saw any performance improvement ( other than sound )

As you know, you don't have to cut up your whole new exhaust, just far enough back to hook up the headers.

IMO money would be better spent on headers before a cam.

Get a performer or the new Weiand dual plane. Get a MILD cam, lifters and quality timing set. Get a set of small valve, modern chamber aluminum heads. Trick flow makes them for sure, I'm sure others do too. You guys have a ton of options. Build for torque, not maximum hp.

There's a great article on a "budget" 305 build in July's Super Chevy. They added 132 hp to a stock LG4 with a XM270HR Cam, ProComp dual plane intake, TFS Super 23 305 heads/1.5 roller rockers, Holley 750 & 1 3/4 long tube headers.I put the word "budget" in quotes as those TFS 305 heads (i did pretty much the same build up a few months prior) are $1100 and i don't think that fits most people's definition of the word "budget".

also when i did my research for my 305 build i remember a couple builds (i think it was chevy hiperformance) where they upgraded both cam and intake and were disappointed that it didn't have much affect and it wasn't until they swapped out the heads that the engine really woke up.

given that, i'd agree with axisg, 79loserbluelu and some of the other guys that you'd be better served doing headers first (and open air filter, if you haven't done all that already) see where that gets you and then deciding how much more you want to sink into the 305. i think the stock heads will be a severe limiting factor to any performance gains and your cam selection.

btw, i'm not a 305 basher by any means. i built up mine: viewtopic.php?f=7&t=17735 and love it.

Just drive the thing to death and put the money into other things that will change over to a 350 when you get around to it. Along the way maybe you will meet a friend who has a garage that can help you do the swap, it's pretty simple. Either that or go for 12's http://www.maliburacing.com/forum/viewt ... =2&t=97600

Phoenyx said:

I don't even think I could hook headers up to my exhaust because of how it it routed. It's just like the factory exhaust. Except where the crossover pipe connects to the other side, rather than joining the two pipes run beside each other until the transmission mount. Unless there is a decent prices set of headers that will bolt to where the factory exhaust does.

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Click to expand...

Sounds like the same old-school setup I had on my cutlass in the early 90's ( same one I mentioned with no performance improvement but it def lightened my wallet more than I care to admit to now ).

By the sounds of that you could eventually use a setup like mine with the TES Headers up front, hollowed out cat ( to pass visual inspection ) then a cat back. This will work for both the 305 and can be re-used with a 350, 383, or whatever.

I remember a few years back before I bought my cat-back I was thinking about keeping my exhaust from the cat back as it was in good shape. I was talking to an exhaust shop in Vancouver and he was willing to sell me the exhaust piece which bolted to the back of the cat which had the 2 pipes ( which run to the mufflers ) welded into the flange which bolted to the cat. ( It looked just like a mandrel bent "U" and he cut the bottom off the "U" and welded it to the flange ). A setup like that would allow you to retain the exhasut you have from the transmission back and save you some $$ as you could just cut and clamp your existing exhaust to this flange. ( then you just need to worry about everything from the motor to where the cat should be.

Either way, the exhaust you have now probably won't work with your future plans of a bigger motor I know the pain of having to pay to fix something twice.

I have a new comp cam and lifter set that would work well with a 305 . I bought it for just the thing your doing but I am not going to use if I will get you specs and we can talk price if you want I am not looking for alot for it let me know .

I went and got the cam it is a crane cam not a comp cam sorry it is a power max 2020 cam and lifter set . Here is the specs from the crane web sight.

Part Number: 114112 Grind Number: POWERMAX 2020 (FORMERLY COM
Engine Identification:
Start Yr. End Yr. Make Cyl Description
1981 1987 CHEVROLET 8 GREAT FOR 305 AND 350 ENGINES IN CARS, LIGHT AND INTERMEDIATE TRUCKS WITH OPTIONAL GEARING. GOOD LOW AND MID-RANGE TORQUE AND HP. (50 STATE LEGAL IN 81-87 CAR AND 81-92 TRUCK, 267-350 APPLICATIONS ONLY. C.A.R.B. E.O. D-225-19) BASIC RPM 1000-4000
Engine Size Configuration
267-350 C.I. V

Valve Setting: Intake .000 Exhaust .000 HOT

Lift: Intake @Cam 267 @Valve 401 All Lifts are based
on zero lash and theoretical rocker arm ratios.
Exhaust @ Cam 282 @Valve 423
Rocker Arm Ratio 1.5

Cam Timing: -- @--
Lift: Opens Closes ADV Duration
Intake -- -- 254 °
Exhaust -- -- 264 °

Spring Requirements: Triple Dual Outer Inner
Part Number 99848
Loads Closed 114 LBS @ 1.700 or 1 45/64
Open 287 LBS @ 1.300
Recommended RPM range with matching components
Minimum RPM 800
Maximum RPM 4400
Valve Float 5000

Cam Timing: TAPPET @.050
Lift: Opens Closes Max Lift Duration
Intake (7) ATDC 21 ABDC 104 194 °
Exhaust 26 BBDC (2) BTDC 104 204 °

Let me know what you want to do. Mario