Hey guys after surfing google for a few hours I've decided to try this whole forum thing out. This is my first time doing cuz usually my questions are answered just by cruising through and picking up things here and there from other peoples posts but I want to make sure I do this right.
I recently purchased a 92 camaro rs with a 305 that locked up due to oil starvation. A generous friend of mine donated a 350 block of the same era to me and the machine shop has just finished reconditioning it along the the heads that came of the 305. I also purchased a set of flat top pistons and want to put all this together to make a decent street car using 91 octane.
I have several questions in reguarads to my set up. I want to run a more aggressive cam that will give the car a nice rumble at idle and decent power thoughout the low/ mid rpm range. This car is standard and I plan on flipping the car after its complete. I've already purchased the knock sensor and ESC on ebay (brand new) but dont know whether to invest in the police injectors/chip or not. I have read threads saying it's a good idea if the motor is modified but since I'm running higher compression I don't know if it's sufficient. Plus I would think that more tuneability would be needed since a cam is being installed.

So basicly I want to know

A). What is a good cam profile for this set up keeping in mind I still want to use pump gas
B). Should I invest in a Police chip or is there other options.. like a chip that is programmable and where I can get it along with the software and base maps
C). Police injectors or aftermarket... Walbro 190 or tpi pump??
D). I only have about 600 in it so far including rebuild kit with the flat tops and machine work and want to keep it as economical as possible since I will be flipping the car

Another reason I bought this car was to learn which means I want to do the tuning if possible. I'd rather experiment on my own car with my own money as suppose to messing up someone elses. Plus the car was cheap af since it had a blown motor but the body is soo straight with good paint (white with red strips) and the only thing wrong with the bright red interior was a tear in the driver seat . I know this set up might not make too much horsepower but I just want it to have some kick and sound good for the buyer. I've already powdercoated everything possible in the the engine bay as well for the sake of learning and getting practice. Any other advice on what to do to squeeze a little more horsepower out of this thing with minimal cost would be appretiated.

 

Welcome aboard thirdgen.org.

It sounds like you already have, but I wouldn't spend a dime on those heads. They are the weak sister of all 305 heads (with the possible exception of some late 70's small valve heads). On a 350, they will raise compression excessively unless you use dished pistons, and they don't flow well at all on the intake side. With a lumpity cam, you're just looking at building a dog.

On the other hand, the typical factory 350 head isn't much better, especially since most factory 350s came out of trucks. I don't have a good answer for what to put on since you plan on flipping the car, but if you wanted a good runner, I'd suggest 350 Vortec heads from '96-'99 light trucks (when truck heads finally were something desirable).

I assume by "police chip" you're talking about the Caprice cop cars, as the 3rd gen f-body interceptor cars were TPI. But, if you're going to do programming, it doesn't make any sense to buy a chip, just to erase and program over it.

You might want to spend time over on the TBI forum, as your questions seem to be of the type that are addressed there.

 

Thank u so much for the input. I just had the heads resufaced and cleaned up and I still have a good 305 block so I can just save them for the next flip. I'm assuming if ur recommending Vortec heads the manifold will bolt up with no problem??? I've heard the Vortec heads are great but I hope they aren't too hard to come by. Any recommendation on tuning software? My next stop is the TBI forum just thought u might have a recommendation from ur personal experience. Once again thanx a lot for the info.. if i can find a good price on heads I will def go in that direction

 

You'll need a new intake to go with the Vortec heads.

 

Well damn this really sux.. I did read about the compression issue on these forums but after talking to the machine shop and the place they get their parts they convinced me it wouldn't be a issue.. otherwise I would have got the dished pistons instead. Well lets see how she does. I don't want to put too much money into it so I'll stick to a really mild cam upgrade. I don't plan on making this a car something someone would take to the track. I just want something that sounds good and looks good. I know that sounds bad but back to school is right around the corner and I hope to sell this to somebody in the younger age group that just wants a nice car to show off. As long as the timing is set right there shouldn't be any problem with detonation as long as I run a mild cam right? I don't care if the car isn't stupid fast I just want to make sure its reliable

 

No, the compression will be too high

Read here: https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/tech...305-heads.html

 

It is not recomended but will be ok with a thick head gasket. I would just get some 350 standard heads though, at least if you don't want to change manifolds.

 

You can get a set of basic 350 heads for $100. Vortecs probably arent worth it if youre just going to sell it. If you want to use the 305 heads, you'll need a thick head gasket, colder spark plugs, and proper timing. If you want this to have any power with these heads, you'll want some basic porting and a mild cam, nothing over the top or with anymore rumble than a stock 350. You'll probably want a longer duration cam than normal to bleed off a little compression.

 

NagleMac thank u for not just giving me a "ur screwed" response. It's been pretty stressful these past few days. You make a good point.. the 350 heads may be the better decision. I did find a set of Vortec heads on craigslist about a hour away from where I stay for $300 obo though.. they are the #906 castings and according to the seller they have already been checked for cracks. Is this a decent deal? they still need to go to the machine shop for resurfacing but I can get them cleaned up for next to nothing since I've taken 4 engines to the same machine shop this week so he owes me one. Also what intake set up do I need to run these heads? Once again keeping the price at a minimum. Tuneability?? If I go this route I'm thinking it may be better to just pay someone to tune it or send for a chip to suite the modifications I've made. Or what do u think? I'm sorry if I sound inexperienced I was a tech for a few years at a corporate shop and have a total of 7 years automotive experience but I've never modified the internals of a engine so I'm learning as I go along. I just know how to diagnose problems with schematics and the mechanical know how I've acquired over the years. Thanx for being patient to this newbie.. one last thing.. nebody know the round about compression ratio with the 305 heads?? I'm just curious thats all. I know a lot of newer model engines run higher compression with no problems but I do realize thats with a lot more fine tuned fuel system

 

And AmorgetRS thanx for the link.. I did read this before I went out and bought the flat top pistons. I was kind of disappointed though because there are contradicting statements in that thread. After reading this I asked the machine shop about what I read and thats when they told me the flat tops were okay. In fact one of the workers told me he was running 305 heads on his 350 (granted it was carburated not TBI).

 

That price doesnt sound too bad for those heads. You'll need a vortec style intake to go with it. A standard intake has a different bolt pattern. I cant give you an opinion on tuneability because i have no knowledge about tuning at all. Unless you're trying to make this car as fast as possible, youre not screwed with those heads. I'd use them if im just flipping the car anyways. It's your call. If this is a learning expirience then its really up to you what you use. Those guys are right, those heads flow badly but you can still use them.

 

I'll just bet the shop has a set of 350 TBI swirlport heads sitting around. They are the most plentiful centerbolt valve cover SBC heads out there (casting number ending in 191 or 193 very common). You could either trade him your 305 heads, or pay a core charge (no more than $50, I'd say). If he really "owes you one", then maybe you could talk him into cleaning up a set for you for the cost of labor and parts (seals, shims). I've taken these things to the scrap yard because I couldn't find anyone to take them; no doubt it would be better for the shop to make labor money off a set than to haul them to the scrap yard.

Just so you know, compression ratio and cam duration are tied together. A "mild" cam needs lower compression because the "effective" compression with a mild cam will be higher than with a "wild" cam. Think of it as how much air is allowed to bleed off during overlap (wild cams have more overlap than mild cams). Backing off the timing when you've got a mild cam and high compression will make a dog out of the car.

If you go with the Vortecs, go to the TBI forum for intake recommendations. The "budget TBI buildup" sticky in the top section of that forum is based on a Vortec engine. You can also find tuning advice there.

If I was just flipping a car, I would for sure not put Vortec heads on it. The swirlports would still make a 350 TBI car feel stronger than the stock 305.

 

I took ur advice and payed a lil visit to the machine shop today. He said he does have a set of heads n he's gunna see if they fit my application. When I asked him how much "we'll work something out" is all he said so we'll see what kinda deal I get. I still have that 305 block so I'll prob just get that one blocked and put it together with the heads they already machined. I figure another third gen will pop up for the right price sooner or l8er so having a spare engine laying around won't hurt. BTW I am very impressed with the knowledge/wisdom that float around these forums. Makes me want to tear down a computer to bare bones and build it back up like some of you guys have done. OBDI has always been a mystery to me but it looks like a lot of these guys have it on lock. I'm def going to make the time to tinker around with tuning in the near future but I'm a full time student and I just need collect some money for now and concentrate on my studies. Once again thanx for the advice you guys.. I'll let u know how everything turns out