I have an 82 firebird trans am with a 305 Q-jet. Ive only made a few changes, i redid the exhaust, 3 inch flowmasters, i put an edelbrock performer intake, and ive put the k&n floating air cleaner on. I was thinking of putting a crane high performance street cam on and then maybe doing some vortec cylinder heads. My question is, without the expensive roller rockers, what is the best way to get this car where it should be. My friend has a thunderbird sc and it kills me off the line, i catch up in third, and blows away in fourth. I need some help.

 

Not sure what you mean by having the exhaust redone, but if you have a headers and a full 3" catback, you're already a step closer to your goal. I think you wasted some money on that intake, though... I've heard it's not much better than stock.

Next thing you will want to do is buy or fabricate some sort of cold air intake. The single snorkel air cleaner is a performance killer. Alternatively, you could buy an open element, but it wouldn't give you as much of a benefit over a cold air intake.

You'll definately want a new cam to wake your car up as well. Get a computer compatible cam to make sure your new cam doesn't send the computer into a wreck.

Don't spend the extraneous money on vortec heads. The heads you have on there can be ported to flow similiarly as the vortecs for less money. Plus, you will have to mill the vortecs in order to maintain your (already low) compression ratio. Then you'll have fitament issues to worry with. Just port and polish the heads you have or go with the World 305 heads and port them.

 

I assume you have a 4-speed manual transmission, since '82 didn't have a "stock" 4-speed automatic.

If he takes you off the line and then you catch up, you just need higher numerical ratio rear gears. You'll be ahead of him and stay ahead after that.

Otherwise, what Nate says here and ME said in your other thread is the right track.

 

The system messed up as I replied. Moving back tt.

 

why would an edelbrock performer intake be a waste? the one that was there was terrible. I guess have 2 question here. Whats is ultimately gonna be the best thing to start with, and what kind of cam is gonna be the best? I dont know if putting a high energy .500 lift cam on there is gonna be the best, because i dont want it dying everytime i get to a light.

 

Sounds like you may be overcamming it, what is the duration on the cam you are looking at? As far as the performer intake, not much better than stock, some people claim 20hp, I have never seen such big gains. A performer RPM would be a better choice probably.

 

thats just it, i dont know about the cam, ive been told so many things, im thinking of maybe something from crane around .400?

 

also, i dont have a 4 speed anything... i have a piece of crap 3 speed at, but i already bought a b&m shift kit.

 

Usually cams are measure in duration not lift. Those lift numbers mean absolutely nothing to me and others.

 

im thinking around 284/284

 

That is the advertised duration and a single pattern cam at that. Not the best for stock iron heads. Look for something with more lift/duration on the exhaust side than intake. Thats probably more duration than the CC Qjet and Distributor are going to like.

 

get some 3:55 gears or close, I would not go higher.

Even though its a 305 I have seen several 82+ 305 3rd gens haul butt with just a few mods on stock parts. Rebuilt stock carbs and just over all good freshened up parts.

my 79 2nd gen 305 Camaro wasn't near and fun, from a dead start. just more style