Well I finally did it got the cam out of a 95 z28 LT1 and stuck it in the ol 305 TBI. runs sweet and the chip that TBIChips.com burned works great now all that is left is to data log and start burning my own chips.

 

Hey great job! Isn't your new found power just awesome. What valve springs did you go with? Did you add anything else besides the cam?

 

congrats, what else do you have on the motor?

can't wait to see some timeslips

later
tim

 

Didnt go with anything but stock valve springs for the moment. Im kinda scared to go back into the car since the valve covers were so hard to get back on, well at least the passenger side valve cover. Ill be looking for valve springs shortly after i get out of debt lol.

 

does anybody have exact power change #'s from dyno for this swap... what does desktop dyno say the change should be on a stock or mostly stock motor?

 

You can't really go by desktop dyno. For some reason their numbers for hydrualic roller cam swaps in 305 TBI's yeild super high numbers. The gains are typically 20 to 30 hp with a moderate tune. Add some heads and a perfect tune and you can get over 100 easy.

 

 

An add 100 hp is what I would like to see for my efforts. Still think I'm a long way off on that though. But I do believe tuning can go a long long way.

 

i think 270+ hp is really asking alot of the LT1 cam, think about it, in a 350 with a far suppior intake, with great flowing heads, it only made 275.

 

he said add some great head and intake... not just intake.

but, i still dont think 100 is comming out of the cam... definately not easy... my opinion.

my reason for asking is, a cam swap is no walk in the park, if im gona tear down any engine just to change a cam, i think and i recomend... spend the coin to get a damn good cam, not just a cheap pull off another car.

however, many have used them now and they seem to work well for people.... i just think i'd go more radical... the lt1 cam is what SHOULD have come in these things to begin with... i'd want to go with something more i think... if i were keeping the 305

 

im with snuf

if all you want to do is run like an LB9 car with the good cam then fine, good choice
same is true if you are really strapped for cash and want a really simple upgrade.

but if you want to really haul *** you are going to have to go with a cam with more ***** than that. Thats all there is to it.

 

if you really want to haul *** youre gonna have to go with an engine with more ***** than the 305....im not bashing them, but they are good for daily driving and reliability and a little performance, but you need to step up the cubic inches and stroke if you want alot of power... just my opinion though....

 

if you really want to haul *** then you have to get a jet engine .... ok, lets not go overboard... this isnt a hey dumbass get a 350 thread...

what pablo and I are saying is... if you're gona tear down a 305 and you're gona do something as intensive as replacing the cam, then step up to the plate, and put something in it that might push the heads to their limits or a bit past... if you're gonna be ok with hitting maybe 225hp after some mods with the cam... running high 14's low 15's... cool... if you want your 305 to start going to town and getting into the low 14's maybe low 13's... lt1 cam is cheap and all but you're gonna get more out of the heads and intake you put on later to get you to those 13's if you go with a little more cam.

that bout sums it up doesnt it pablo... am i off anywhere.

 

yep, what snuff said

for less than 1000 see the results in my sig

soon to be much faster with my new rear end perhaps as soon as this weekend! hehehe

 

If you're going to run a carb, go ahead and run a big cam. The only one who ran a big cam with tbi was JokerRS who had a ZZ4 cam I believe and he has a 350. Ok, everone else who tuned a cam larger than a LT1 in a 305 tbi and ran it successfully chime in now with some good dyno numbers or track times...

 

Well LT1's were advertised at 275 but made near 300 at the crank with all the common GM restructions. You can get 350 hp at the crank with the stock cam in an LT1 motor. You can make 300 hp in a 305 TBi with the right heads, intake, and tune with an LT1 cam. Chuck will have dyno numbers soon.

 

tom400cfi runs low 13s with something like a 224/234

 

From what I gather he has a 400 sbc? Does he also have a 305 in a different car, or was it an old combo?

 

Pablo, What are your mods? I'd like to see.

 

I ran a ZZ4 cam in a 305 for two years in my car which is a daily driver. I just swaped in a 350 and recycled the cam and S/R torquers into my new motor.

Before that I ran a LT1 cam with the stock heads and it ran fair but you couldn't tell there was a cam in it buy listening to it. Also it didn't have a noticable power band. But at that time I didn't have the ability to burn chips and I made it work fairly well with a VacAFPR. I do know now that I would have got bigger gains had I changed the spark table. You just cant believe how lazy it is till you start changing it.

 

tuning is where its at with any cam. with no other changes i would say it is perfectly reasonable to tune an LT1 cam in for an extra 30ish hp once you get teh chip right. for the low cost fo the cam and a weekend DIY i woudl say that is a very respectable gain.
300hp is a perfectly reasonable goal for a 305 with a LT1 cam with heads and intake i woudl think. i would add roller rockers to the mix as well to make achieve the goal.


later
tim

 

I agree 100%. In fact Chuck is trying for 250 at the wheels once the 454 unit goes on.

 

pablo:

13's for under a grand? Does that include exhaust?

I'd also like to see your mods. Time to play copy cat.

-chuck

 

I ran a 206/216 on a 112, with the stock heads, and stock intake. i never got it to the track, and am now in the process of heads/intake and a larger cam.

it ran like a champ, idles smooth, drove wonderfully, and ran low-mid 14's on the tazzo (like a g-tech).

 

hey hows it going i just rebuilt my engine like 3 weeks ago and i put the lt1 cam inside.but heres the problem it runs pretty good but i cant pass 3500 rpms because like it chokes or something i dont know do u know wat it can be because it misses like while driving. also do u have the stock fule regualtor on ur cars or wat did u guys do for the car to run fine besides a chip tunning?

 

A bump in timing and fuel pressure can usually get the car to run. With the stock prom and 8* advanced I could get my car to idle when I put in my LT1 cam. It idles horrible though but does not stall out. It misses and surges and is pig rich. PROM burning is the only way to make your car run right.

 

i have a chip though but my timing is like at 6* and fp like 20 and that is to high i need 15 psi wats ur psi?and wat u meant by it surges?

 

I have no idea what my fuel pressure is at right now. I think it is 11 at idle and 15 at WOT. My car is not fully tuned yet so I do not have a set valvue right now. By surging I mean the car almost stalls than catches itself and then almost stalls again. It does not run smooth. It is a smooth cycle between 200 and 1100 rpm's. I only have the pressure set where I do along with 8* advanced to keep the car running with the stock tune. You cannot do anything else other than this. Chip work is your only option to get your car to run and behave the way it should.

 

shifty like i said i will buy the cable and send brain all the winadl info for the best tune then i will buy everything myself and do my own chips

 

well i dont have a camaro like you guys, but i have a 92 chevy truck that i put the following:
350 with world products s/r heads. i put 2.02/1.6 valves with a pocket port. 462-.470 210 int. 215 exh. @.50 roller with roller rocker. stock manifolds, underdrive pully, k&n filter, cat back exaust. hypertech stock chip with no tune ran a 14.6 at 100. pulled better top-end. im sure it would have had more power if i would have messed with the tbi, and fuel and a good tune. thats with a heavy ext. cab step side truck with subs in the back under the seat and a tool box full of tools. not too bad i dont think.

 

Hi, I am interested in putting an LT1 cam into my stock 305 (re-built heads). So I was wondering if I can put it in the engine with the engine in the car? Also, I would like to know if my stock springs will be OK for the time being?? Or if I had to change it than what would you recomend i put instead of the stock ones??
I just put in an open element and with dryers hose I hooked up somewhat of a CAI system that hooks up to the open element. (will try to get some pics). I have noticed a lot of gain and its a lot quicker, but I want to be a threat and I definitelly want some torque, TORQUE.

 

Mine was done with the engine in the car. You will have to take out the radiator and rotate the a/c condensor up and out of the way. Then you will just BARELY have enough room.

 

I'm runnin a 218-228 .462 .480 with a 110 deg lobe sep in a 350. With all the goodies like rpm intake dual exhaust and 454 TBI as well as lots of tuning it'll run 13.9 at 98 mph with crappy heads. All this is in a monte, which by the way weights pretty close to a camaro. They key to any kind of performance with TBI is TUNING. TBI is a speed density setup, which means it basis fueling and spark off of manifold vacume. If you do something that effects manifold vacume like a cam, then you'r gonna have to retune it.

 

Ya know!! I researched the boards A LOT and I still havent found a concrete answer to the following question. " Will LT1 cam run with stock heads, if not what needs to be adjusted??""
Please help me out, I am a poor student that is really inlove with his car.
( My ex- Girlfriend broke up with me since she thought I spent way too much time with my car, hahah. What can I say its just addictive)
Thanks.

 

Tony C (board member) is running an LT1 cam with stock heads. I think he was running 15.5's. As with most TBI cars after major mods he needed tuning real bad.

Hey Tony...you wanna chime in on this?

 

Hey guys, Bill called me in on this one

Before the Cam Swap I was running 15.6's pretty easily. After Cam and Intake (LT1 cam and Performer TBI, stock heads) swap I ran a 15.3 at 92 mph. The car needs a LOT of tuning still, my fuel pressure seems to be stuck at around 18psi so I'm gonna put a new regulator on it. It runs nicely around town, no real problems. I believe I'm running 6* of base timing right now.

As far as the quarter mile performance, there's a lot to be improved upon. The car surges a little bit at upper RPMs. I'm not sure if it's clutch related or if the fuel pump can't keep up or if the tune is that off. My 60' left a lot to be desired as well. The low RPM tune is off as well, I'm sure there's a lot more torque to be found in this engine (as well as high RPM power). Overall, the car WILL run with just a FPR and an LT1 cam. I now have a Performer EGR intake on the car, but the main thing as said before is tuning, it's sooo necessary.

I want to run pretty deep into the 14's with headers, a cutout and a lot of tuning. I'll prolly end up needing a new clutch as well.

 

I have been having some cooling problems, but after seeing Horsepower TV today I was enraged. There was a little fourbanger with V8kilr liscence plates. I got so pissed off that I am just doing some minor things to my cooling system, and I am spending the rest of my paycheck on the LT1 cam, and good springs. I know the heads were restrictive, but when I had them re-built NAPA put all this fancy stuff on them, they changed weak rubber seals with some kind of metal for better efficiency. I really wasnt paying attention, since I was happy to get them back for the engine.
I will order headers from pacesetter for 299 (the cheapest street leagals I can find). Than I will try the intake, but still need suggestions on that. I am also getting a chip from TBI chips stage 1. It has advanced timing and lower cooling temps.
After these mods, I will look all over the world for that four banger, and show him daddy.

The show was so pathetic too, they bolted on exaust and some other bolt on crap, and ran about 165 horses w/ nitrous. That was pathetic for a acura integra (2000-2004, not sure of the year, but who cares anyway). The guy mentioned that thats how other guys firebird performed. This was bull, cuz when they added nitrous to his TBi bird, it made nearly 300hp, and I did see that episode. So, I am very furious and four bangers will fall under the 305 fury.

Ya, what would be a good 'cheaper' intake (I am, by no means rich).
Thanks.
Good luck and *** bless.

 

I personally love watching them get 10 hp out of a Civic when they swap on intake, header and exhaust. I think it's pretty freakin hilarious. One of these days I'm going to get my car on a dyno to see what it's putting down.

 

How hard is it to swap a cam, and what should I know before I do it. I did not know that you can blow through the pushrods to see if they are stuffed or not. I did not even know that they get stuffed. Anyway I learned from a mechanic who re-built most of my engine except the block, he showed me ins and outs. But a cam is something new to me. So any tips will help.

 

It is very easy. You pretty much just take a bunch of stuff off and put it back on. Most people run into problems when they set the valves, get the motor to TDC (timing chain allignment), along with sealing problems from improper surface prep. Try a few searches to help you decied if a swap is within your abilities.

Drain coolant
Remove radiator and set aside AC condensor
pull valve covers
Pull distributor (good time to have the motor on TDC now)
Remove intake manifold
Remove serpentine belt
remove water pump
remove balancer
remove timing chain cover
remove rocker arms and pull pushrods (now is a good time to upgrade valve springs)
remove timing chain (this should be replaced as well)
remove retaining plate and slowly pull the cam out

Install is reverse of those steps.

You may have to drop the oil pan to get the timing chain cover back on (you can cut the tabs off of the cover to avoid this)

Then you must set the valves (can be done cold or hot) and set the timing once the motor is fired and be prepared for tuning.

 

The biggest pains in the *** are going to be (as I remember)

Renting gear pullers and a dampner puller and crap ($$)
Putting the dampner back on (mine wouldn't go on enough to get the main crank pulley bolt back on, we had to get a longer bolt)
Putting the timing chain cover on (I didn't drop the pan so it was really tricky getting the oil pan gasket into the cover's little slot, I did trim the tabs, but it was still a major pain in the ***)
Keeping the timing cover's gasket in place was also a bitch, it would keep falling while we were messing with the bottom to get the cover on
Getting the valves right is quite the art, I'm getting better at it, but the first time I did it, it was horrible
Make sure you know which intake bolt goes in which hole, if you put the wrong one in the wrong hole, it may interfere with a pushrod and you'll end up bending or breaking the pushrod

Other than that, just use a ton of RTV everywhere

 

how did u set the vavles?

 

read this first

http://www.chevyhiperformance.com/te...lve/index.html


the other way (wich I use, works for me) is to attempt that procedure, it gets me close, and then I have a set of valve covers with the top cut off and a plexiglass plate RTV'd on and holes drilled in it that a 5/8" socket can fit through. With the engine running I find any valve that is "tapping" and tighten it untill it is quiet then I go and loosen each valve untill it just starts to tap then I tighten it untill it stops plus another 1/3 turn. I like my valve covers with holes in them much better than those stupid little squirt stopers, they just a pita and don't work.

you know this question is off topic and in the wrong board it belongs in the tech / engine general, and as it's own thread, and I appoligize for awnsering it here

any way yeah

hope that helps

ryan

 

Well i adjusted them like a week ago using that formay of loosing them one by one until it taps then tight to it stops tapping and give it a half of turn is tis correct wats 1/3 turn ?

 

Half turn is fine past zero lash. Some go 3/4 turn others go slightly less.

 

One step needs to be added for doing a cam swap on a Firebird/TA. You have to remove a center nose support brace once the radiator is removed or the cam will not be able to come out of the engine far enough to be removed. It's only a couple of bolts to remove the brace, but you either have to remove the lower splash guard and come from under the nose to reach the bolts, or work blind from the radiator side.

Pain in the ****!

 

bnoon -- thats only on birds, i have done swaps in both with the engine in the car, no brace removed on the camaro, on my friends GTA we had to remove the brace that runs from the hood latch, to the bumper support.

 

That's exactly why my post starts with "One step needs to be added for doing a cam swap on a Firebird/TA". I posted this because the person asking what it takes to put a cam into the car with the engine in there has a bird listed in the name/sig.

 

Yup, I do have a bird, and I did figure out that you have to remove the brace. However, I got caught up with my cooling issue (didnt everybody at some point in time???) so I totaly replaced all of my cooling pieces. Now I am ready for the cam, but no money untill end of this month. So, which LT1 cam should I get, witht he lift and the whole specs. that would fit the stock 305?
I appreciate you guys helping out with your expertise (flattering) and I am glad to be a member of this forum and own a third gen nonetheless.
Good luck to you all.