I was wondering if anyone would know what the cam specs are for the LG4. I am planning on swapping in a new cam. I was thinking of the Edelbrock Performer Plus that is matched with the intake that I have now, but I believe it is a bit of a weak cam as it has a duration of .395/.442 and a lift of 265/295 I was wondering how much of a difference would this be over the stock cam. What cam would be the best one to buy while still retaining the stock TQ convertor? If anyone has any thoughts, I would appreciate it.

 

LG4 cam was

.350 lift intake
.385 lift exhaust

178* dur @.050 intake
194* dur @.050 exhaust

109* LSA

IMO that Performer cam is still too small. Since you already have a good intake and headers, consider a Comp Cams Xtreme Energy 262 or 268 cam. 268 is about the max with a stock converter. However, while either will run good with the stock TC, even a cheap 2400 stall unit would do wonders. Still, they will make a ton more power than the that Edelbrock crap. A lot of people have used those cams with really good results. It should put you in the neighborhood of 260HP.

 

Thanks Marc. I knew the LG4 cam was crap, just didn't realize just how bad they really are. The comp cam 268, is it good for daily driving? Also is it with this cam that I could achieve that high amount of horse power? If I could gain that much HP since the last Dyno Day that I organized, I will make a few of the boys crap themselves. We have been trash talking since the late fall. The LO3 boys have been riding me pretty good, being that I have a "boat anchor" as they like to call it. Love to make them eat every word.lol Anyways, thanks for the info.

 

Is you thermostat housing pink?!?! :lala:

It's OK, thirdgen.org is tolerant of all sexual persuations, I'm sure.

 

Funny guy...you know darn well that it's a highly polished chrome waterneck...that is showing a reflection of that pink dress you like to wear...lol

 

I know very few people who would recommend an XE268 for a 305! That is hefty even for a 350!

Eek

That is WAY too much cam! An XE262 is the ragged edge

For good lower rpm response and decent upper rpm power, go for a Crane PowerMax260 or 266. And they will work fine with a stock TC.

 

268 hefty for a 350? No wonder we have so many people around here with slow cars... Too many people around here put in too small of a cam (for "drivability) and expect results. You really have to go big to overcam a motor.

That cam has only .470 lift and 224/230 dur... That's mild! A "hefty" 350 cam would be around .550 lift and 240* + duration @.050. Car Craft got 270Hp out of a 82 LG4 with dual exhaust, better carb and intake and that cam. Subtract about 10HP for the single exhaust and 260 sounds right.

Sitting Bull - If I built a 305 with a 268 and his mods and you built a 305 with your suggested cam I'd show you taillights all day long. A coworker of mine has that cam in his older Blazer with a Performer intake, Holley carb, and headers and believe me, there is no lack of low end with stock TC and stock gearing. It runs 14.8, and weighs over 4400lbs.

 

I'd have to agree. Sorry Sitting Bull!
A lot of people say that the 305 can take a bigger than usual cam, because of the high stroke:bore ratio. Aparently, it'll still make driveable torque, and will spin pretty high. Ever seen that 400 horse 305 buildup? I think it was Car Craft that did it. Try a search. A lot of people hate that article because the 305 had to rev to like 7 grand, and some people say it blew up on the dyno. I don't remember specifically.
Neways...

 

i once heard you could replace a stock LG4 cam with a piece of hardened round stock.

 

Sure, the cam will allow the engine to start and run.

But the folks I know of running a 305 with an XE262, 2200 stall tc and 3.73 gears say that the 262 is as far as they'd go. Fear of a lazy engine, as the 262 is the ragged edge.

Try talking to Daniel Haslet. He's running 14 flat, not 14.8.

http://www.ws6transam.org/

 

Dan also has a 3400 lb F-car, not a 4400 lb K Blazer.

I'd be inclined to agree with a XE256 or XE262. Without some decent gears, a stock converter will keep the motor from ever seeing more than 3000 RPM at legal speeds; and that means you gotta stay small on the cam. Sure, a 268 can produce great power in a 305; but I wouldn't want to drive some 2.73 gear stock converter setup around like that, which is what he's got, it would be a total dog until 60 MPH in 1st gear. I've seen it too many times.

Yeah that 400 HP 305 article is a joke in its own way, yet at the same time, it does illustrate that there is some degree of potential there. I have it saved on my hard drive, and I go back and re-read it every once in a while, just for grins. It was a flat-top 305 with massively worked 041 heads on it, cut down to about stock 305 chamber volume; and a Comp 292 (!) cam. One of the points that it makes very strongly, but fails to ever eben mention at all, is how much less they got out of it than they would have out of putting the same number of $$$ into a 350 instead of a 305, and letting the cubes act as an "amplifier" to the dollars.

It did in fact blow up.... "...spun a rod bearing not more than a month after it went back in the car..." "...but it did run long and hard before losing a bearing..." Yeah right, it ran long; long enough for the next issue to come out. They don't show a torque curve, but they do give a table that starts at 3500 RPM. Not what I would consider appropriate for a daily driver with 2.73 gears.

Put some real gears and a decent converter behind it, or even better a stick shift, and that all changes. That isn't what he asked though.

My recommendation based on the owner's statements would be the XE256. Anything bigger than that will just slow the car down, make it unresponsive on the street, and make it consume more gas.

 

IMO, any high performance cam wont be worth the iron its made of if you dont dump those stock heads. The lesser performance cams <268 will do wonders but witht he stock heads youll see greatly diminishing returns because the heads just wont be able to flow enough to let the engine achieve its full potential. Granted the LG4 heads arnt the worst things out there but their definatly worth replacing.

 

Which proves the point even more

One thing I learned when choosing a cam for my 305 was that your hp curve acts like a teeter-totter, as you increase or decrease duration.

Increase it and your low end power dips, while the high end hp increases.

Decrease it and the effect is vice-versa.

A 305 exacerbates this phenomona, versus a 350, due to its smaller displacement. A 350 has enough extra torque to compensate for the doggy low end of an XE 268, while a 305 simply doesn't.

The trick is to assess what you are REALLY doing with that engine. Are you revving consistently into the rpm zone where that power becomes useful, or are you just kidding yourself and staying below 3000 rpm 98% of the time???

Is this car for the strip or is it getting you around in traffic most of the time???

Quite often the low rpm power of a lower duration cam more than makes up for any gains in high rpm power, depending on your TC and gears. And it's a lot more fun to drive, too.

Peak power is cold comfort if it's only found at 5800 rpm!

NT, it's too bad we couldn't cruise for a couple of hours at Christmas. We'd have had some fun

 

O.k. so what your saying is that if I went to the 268, I would be overcamming the motor. If I go to the 262, I would be at the very most that I should go. BTW the TQ converter is stock as well as the 3.27 posi rearend. Now others are saying 256 is the right cam...so much for clarity. I guess I will have to figure this out soon.

 

id jsut go with the 256 and be done with it. It will be a huge inporvement over what you have and the car will still work well on the street. Even the puny one i have was a huge improvement over what the motor origionally had. Dont think i could have gone much bigger with the stock 1200 RPM TC and 2.73 stock rear, not to mention a stock tbi + computer. Has a tendency to bog down a bit at WOT when the engine is below ~2500rpm. Youll really curse yourself if you put one in thats too much for the motor. It will suck all over.

 

http://www.compcams.com/catalog/056_057.html
I have been browsing the Comp Cam site and came up with the specs on all the cams that everyone is suggesting. According to my other post, I have a roller cam, so does that mean that I need to go with another roller? I looked at the XE 264 Hydraulic Roller cam. The specs seem pretty good. I dunno...I e-mailed Comp Cams for more info.

 

OK, if you are running a roller cam then just get an LT1 cam. They are perfect for a 305 with a stock TC and your gears--and can be snagged off eBay for $50

I just don't know if they have a fuel pump eccentric. Still, that can be overcome with an electric fuel pump and pressure regulator.

 

You will have to pardon my ignorance, hence the reason for this post. The "LT1", is that a GM part or is this an aftermarket cam? If I wanted new, where would I purchase one? Would you happen to know what the specs are?

 

Sure. It's a GM cam and can be bought new, if you like. But a roller cam is OK to buy used

These are lift numbers with 1.5 and 1.6 rockers.

GM .450 .450 .480 .460 1993 LT1 STOCK
GM 230 208 .450 .460 .480 .491 116 lsa 1994-95 LT1 STOCK
GM 205 207 .447 .459 .477 .490 117 lsa 1996 LT1 STOCK


The webpage is here:

http://www.malcams.com/legacy/misc/CamData.htm


I don't know what GM charges but they're on eBay for $50.

 

F-Bird'88, who really knows his stuff, also likes the newer GM 383 truck cam. It is a little smaller than the LT1 cam but will give you better mileage, while not losing much in the power department.

 

Yeah, I know, dammit. As you know, I was pretty tight for time, tho.
In the summer, I'll be back out west for a little while. I'll call you, and we'll try it again if you're free.

 

Well I finally got an e-mail from Comp Cams. They are recommending the XR264HR Part# 12-412-8" specs are dur.- 264/270 Lift-.487/.495 LSA-110*. Now to find one without breaking the bank.

 

thats alot of lift, what kind of heads do you have?

 

The heads are stock, as I had told the tech people at Comp cams. This is their recommendation for my car. They consider this a mild performance cam for daily driving, good idle with a good midrange and it is for a car with 3.23- 3.73's. I don't know alot about cams, that is why I posted on the board. I realize that everyone will have different opinions as to which cam is best, but I will sort through the posts and find what everyone is agreeing to. I know that the heads will be the most restrictive part of my engine, so someday when money allows it, I will either buy a set or have the stock ones ported and polished.

 

IMHO the duration is fine for your application but id check ahead of time what the max lift is on your present heads before you start breaking springs and pulling out studs.