There is the outside chance I can switch my 86 305 over to a roller setup

I'll find out next Wednesday.

Considering that F-Bird'88 figured the Crane PowerMax 260 (.427 - .454) was the best cam for my combo, what would be the best roller cam for my 305?

I'm thinking along the lines of the Comp XR252 with .472 and .480. Is this too large? Is there is a cam with less lift that will work as well? Any info is gratefully accepted

See my sig below. I have 2.73 gears and a 700r4.

 

How about one of those ZZ4 take 'em offs.
Or Even the Vortec motor Take 'em offs. like on the RamJet350
crate motor.
You can buy them from

http://www.sdpc2000.com/

and http://www.competitionproducts.com/page51.html

Just right for your motor too. Check 'em out.

 

The GM roller cam for Vortecs only has .410 and .424 lift. That doesn't sound like enough--or more properly, isn't that a bit tame for a roller cam?

And will that cam work on a pre-1987 small block?

It sounds like it is meant for the new Generation III small block, no?

That is about the same as the "My Generation Camaro" that CHP did and they couldn't even get into the 14s without nitrous

Hard to beat the $49.95 price though!

Also, it might turn out that I can get all the roller gear--cam, lifters, roller rockers--for free!!! You GOTTA like that!!!

I'm thus wondering what the lift limit would be for an acceptable roller cam?

And, are the post 1986 roller cams able to work in the pre-1987 blocks? What about the roller lifters?

 

http://ronhodgson.com/

this is a performance friendly GM dealer in Albertia.

Maybe they can help you get one of these Take Off cams.

 

You know, I phoned Shaganappi Chev Olds here in Calgary today and priced the Z28 valve springs you recommend. They wanted $125 plus GST for a set of 16.

Does that sound a bit steep?

 

The factory roller lifters will not work in a pre roller block
you have to use "retro fit" roller lifters and special length push rods.
The cams will work but need the dowel pin driven further in at the front just like your old cam. You have to use anelectric
fuel pump too.
The factory roller block valve springs are only good for the low lift factory type roller cams.

I wouldn't let the gross valve lift #'s sway ya.
its the timing points and area under the valve open curve that really count. The "Vortec Cam" or "Ram Jet" cam is a winner.
and is real easy on the valve train.
The "Extreme" high lift Comp profiles will make more peak HP
On a dyno.. But GM knows their S**t. The factory cams perform "in the car" and last forever.

Unless you have a roller block or are getting "retro Fit"
lifters for a song, I'd stick with a Hyd flat tappet cam and
get the same or better effects else ware for less.

Like 30 deg valve jobs with porting on the intake valves and 1.6 rockers (intake only). on a dual pattern mild hyd cam.

Is you're block a roller block?

 

That is a fair Canadian price. These Genuine GM Z28 springs are real good springs for their intended application and won't let your down. Go for it...

Put some gear in that car will YA!!!!

Come On LET THE LOBSTER LOOSE!!!!!

 

No, it is a flat tappet block.

This gear is from a neighbour I met at 2 am about a month ago, as I was wandering through the 'hood when I couldn't sleep. He was working on his 454 powerboat in his driveway. Talk about insomniacs

Anyway, he owns a repair shop and has a ton of roller gear in a shed that he is digging through this weekend for me. He is tired of storing it and moving it from place to place, so he is giving me whatever I want!

Hee, hee!!!

That's why I'm enquiring about about what to keep an eye peeled for.

 

Don't make the same mistake the Hot rod MAG did.

Do it right the first time... 4.10's

 

Oh man!!! Gears too???

That is just out of the question expensive right now. I couldn't buy gears and have them installed for less than $600 right now, and the heads and cam are more expensive yet.

But we'll see what's hiding in the secret roller shed. You never know, there might be a nice set of 3.23s or 3.42s collecting dust ...

 

I'm one of those people King Ralph is so generous with here in ******* Alberta. I live on AISH--Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped--and Ralphie makes sure we don't get any less than $850/month to live on. (Of which he supplies me with $230/month, while the feds cough up $620/month.)

You read that right, $850 a MONTH. Nothing less and nothing MORE. Ralphie slashed the rate by 30% ten years ago and vows not to raise it again until 2004.

Can you spell !@#$%^&*) you King Ralph???

I can hardly afford the gas for my 2.73s!!!

 

Don't even wast your time......

I wouldn't even bother pulling the cover off the diff for aything less than 3.73's....

This is a 305 we're talking about. not a 400

If you can afford Comp cams roller cams, you can afford
to out some gear in it.

Forget the sexy stuff, stick to the basics that return the most bang for the buck.

You probabily never use over drive.

With 4.10's u'll find out what it's for.
around 2200 rpm @100KPH 26" tire.

Those heads done yet?

 

Oh yeah, the heads are done. They just need valves, springs, etc.

I can't really afford a Comp roller cam, either, it is just I might find something suitable in the neighbour's stash.

I was reading in CHP that Reher-Morrison says if you port the bowls and they end up being more than 91% the size of the valves, that will ruin your head flow. I don't know if I've exceded that point but I can say that the bowls are not centred under the valves. The common wall side is almost flush with the inside edge of the valve seat, while the other side is situated about right.

Do you think that will be a problem?

 

And what about roller rockers? Do they add significant hp or are they just to cool the oil?

In fact, I do use overdrive all the time. I just put it in OD and it shifts there at about 40 mph.

 

No this is called Port bias and is designed into the head.
This what makes the flow swirl into the port from the common wall. You actually want to increase this bias by porting the head.
Don't worry you did.

The 91% rule is true at low to moderate ( street) lifts.

The area we are concerned with.

When your machinist cuts in the new 1.94 valve seat, your bowl will be the right size
if you ported it out to close to the stock valve seat dimention.
when you get them back you can carefully blend the last
deep cut ange into your bowl. Use a stone on a electric drill.

 

That would be about 1100 rpm with 2.73's.
If you like driving like this on OD then DO NOT put a big cam in.
Every thing you do to get more horsepower
has a definate effect at these very low rpms. Mostly for the worse. especially on a 305. Thats why you want to step up the rear gear and get a higher stall converter.
You can still have very good mileage and eat your cake too
If you do it right. Everything has to work together.


Roller Rockers are very sexy....... I wish I owned stock in a Roller Rockers Company....
*Note to self*

Roller rockers are about the last thing that I would buy for a mild to moderate street motor build up. They do reduce
friction a little and have better geometry at high lifts.
But cost a lot for what you're getting. When they wear, they get sloppy too. This sloppness cannot be adjusted out.You can make 420+ hp on the street with stock stamped steel rockers.
The cheapie ones like Proforms are scary at best.
The premium ones (Crane, Comp, Scorpion, Crower) are good but expensive. You can buy a Crane "Blazer" roller rocker for reasonable prices. they are the same as Crane's good "Gold Series", but without the Eyewash ( gold iodized). I'm not talking about the "Energizers" here. *Blazer*, ^Blazer^.....
The heavy duty stamped steel ones with the roller tip are not to bad. (Crane, Comp etc) I have these on my car. High ratio rockers can soup up a "too small" cam to make a bit more hp, By opening the valve a little faster and higher with the same seat duration, but why not just buy the right cam in the first place. They really only benefit a SBC when used on the intake side only on most street motors.
I like 'em on the intake side on mild dual pattern cams.
With most 305 heads with a machined slot in the head
to guide the pushrod you have to lengthen the slot a little
towards the rocker stud. You use a "Louis Tool' and drill to do this.