92camarors5spd

is it possible to stick some roller 1.6s on a stock 305tbi? just looking for an easy way to gain some power, while waiting the arrival of zz383.

thank
ryan

NEEDforSPEED

whats the point?

MikeDirntRulez

exactly.

I think with the stock cam it really wouldn't do much.

kdrolt

They'll help IF you have the LO3 with the stock cam..... because the cam is so mild and has so little lift. Assuming the factory 1.5s are close to 1.5 and the replacement 1.6s are really at 1.6, then you'll get 6% more lift for both intake and exhaust. If you look at the flow values for an LO3, the extra lift puts you in higher flow sooner, so you can get slightly better cylinder filling which you really need wit the stock cam. If the stock 1.5s are more like 1.45, then the flow gain will be more than 6%, making it more worthwhile.

With that said, it's not as good as a cam swap but it's arguably easier and it's probably only a good cheap mod if you go with stamped 1.6 (either self-aligning or non-SA, depending on what you already have in the engine). IOW it makes no sense to get higher-end rocker arms for use in a stock cammed 305, so it's only worth doing inexpensively IMO.

Vizard shows a graph in his valvetrain book on using 1.6s as a replacement for 1.5s on a 305 engine (probably a carbed one), and IIRC correctly he gained over 15-20 hp peak from the rocker swap on an engine that had only high-flow (non pellet) cats for previous modifications.

Final anecdotal example: My neighbor did the 1.6 stamped rocker swap into his 91 Caprice 305 (the pns are elsewhere on TGO, under either an Elgin or Federal Mogul source; Scoggin sells them too IIRC) I think he spent approx $65 for a set at Parts America.

He also added a late 80s Caddy bonnet elbow atop the TBI + sewerpipe intake and cone filter, he ported the factory TBI intake manifold, he added a full N10 exhaust (duals+manifolds+cats) from a 94-96 Impala SS, and finally he revised the EPROM to suit the mods. Everything he did to the car was sensible + cheap, using parts scounged from friends. His other cars were much faster, but he did want to improve the driveability/fun of the 91 Caprice TBI 305 without spending any real money on it. After all the mods the car almost felt like a stock LT1 Caprice off the line (I drove it and owned an Lt1 Caprice at the time), and it certainly felt faster than an LO5 9C1 TBI Caprice.

IIRC he ran mid 7s to 60 mph on a GTech (stock was in the mid 9s btw, so the mods helped -- a lot) BUT the car was never tested at the track (Epping, NH) before it was sold. It also got 28 mpg highway and 22-23 city.

So I don't recommend it if you plan to do any serious mods -- the camswap makes more sense, but if you want to stay cheap and do something similar to the above, it can definitely help. If the collection of mods listed above were good enough to make a 4100 lb Caprice run 2 secs faster to 60 mph, then I would expect much better improvement in a lighter 3rdgen Fcar. HTH.

ShiftyCapone

iTrader: (7)

25THRS did this very swap and noted a consistant .2 second reduction in his ET. On an LO3 a 1.6 rocker swap has a pretty desirable hp/$ ratio.

NEEDforSPEED

i sitll see no point, cuz your getting the 383

GOY

This guys right, there's absolutely no point in buying them now, enjoying your current LO3 a little more, because you can't swap them onto the 383 later...

... oh wait a minute - you could, couldn't you? Nope makes no sense.

johnjm22

I've heard about a couple LO3 owners gaining at least .2 seconds from 1.6 RR.

Slade1

Probably would have run a 14.xx time this year with the addition of a beefed up transmission, vette stall and new tires. Damn ECM died on me on the highway at the end of July... still fixing it...

88 Camaro Sport Coupe
100% Fully Functional A/C Too
305 TBI Enviro Friendly Nothing ripped out
K&N Filter
6* Advanced Timing
RAM Air Custom Intake/Air Cleaner
TBI (Ring removed, 1/4 spacer added)
March Underpulley Power & Amp
Carsound Cat
Flowmaster 80 (2 1/2 inch stock tubing...)
3.23 Gears with Zexel-Torsen Limited Slip Differential
Borg Warner Cap/Rotor/Ignition Wires
MSD Blaster Coil
Bosch Platinum Plugs
Custom SLP Style Y-Pipe
Pre-Cat cut out
Comp Cams 1.6 Magnum Roller Tip Rockers
16x8 IROC-Z Aluminum Rims
KYB Shocks/Struts
Fuzion ZRi P245/50/ZR16
Vette Stall 1500-1800RPM

Factory net rated at the flywheel
255 ft/lb at 2400 RPM
170 HP at 4000 RPM

Dyno tested
262.4 ft/lb@ 2500 RPM Rear Wheel Torque
179.9 HP @ 4200 Rear Wheel Horsepower

Best 1/4 15.213 @ 93.47 MPH
Avg ET 15.2xx
Avg Trap Speed 89-91 MPH
Best Trap Speed 93.47 MPH
2.204 60

johnjm22

15.2 on an LO3 with out headers? That's pretty damn good.

vorgath

So you're probably running hmmm 210-220 hp at the flywheel .. nice ... nice

r90camarors

A few years ago, I swapped 1.6 rockers along with the holley 300-66 projection intake manifold. Obviously the intake manifold had a lot to do with the power gain, but between the two mods, they were by far the best mods I had done to that L03. I can honestly say there was a bigger SOTP difference with those two mods than there was when I swapped to a 3.73 posi over the peg-legger 2.73, and even the t-56 swap.

Depending on how far away that 383 swap is, you should think about swapping intakes as well. You can pick up used edelbrocks on ebay for cheap. Then either sell it, or use it on the 383 if it suits your needs