Hey Guys! I am new to the forums and had a question about my set up. I just got thru rebuilding a 1991 factory roller 305 and am going to use a HT383 roller cam. Specs on the cam are 196/207 duraraton and 431/451 lift. I am also using a set of 14022601 casting heads that have been milled .020. Flat top 4 valve relief hyper pistons and an edelbrock air gap intake and a holley truck avenger carb. My question is about valve springs. Will the stock 601 castings work? Do i need springs special for a roller cam? and if so what do you recommend. I don't want to have to have the seats cut to accomedate bigger springs if i don't have to. This is going in a 4x4 pickup that i use to haul my GTA on so it's not going to be super high po. Just building it for great torque. Thanks for any help in advance!!!! PS I also have a n edelbrock performer TBI intake and holley 670 TBI with a MSD blaster coil and accel distributor all for a TBI set up for sale if anyone is interested in great shape! I'll take $450 plus shippng for everything. or make a resonable offer.

 

How many miles are on the springs you have right now? If it's over 60k, I'd change them.

As far as machining the head, A factory type spring should work fine without any problems, that's really not aggressive lift on the cam. You using 1.5 ratio rockers?

 

Well i am thinking about running 1.5 on the intakes and 1.6 on the exhaust but i have not made up my mind yet. Any experience with this combo? Yeah i know it's not that aggresive of a cam but with the small cube 305, 4spd. and 3:08 gears in a pickup i was shooting for as much lowend TQ as possible. and from what i've read so far that HT383 cam is a TQ monster!!!! If anyone has any suggestions that would be great. So regular non roller head/cam springs will be OK? Can some one give me some factory specs on these ? Will i have to have the guides cut on these heads if i run the 1.6 rockers? will make it about 461/481 on lift. Here is a link to some i was looking at. Will these work? Any opinions? eBay Motors: SBC CHEVY 283 305 307 327 350 383 400 VALVE SPRINGS 16 (item 230024113760 end time Sep-06-06 15:29:50 PDT)

 

BUMP

 

You're looking for something simple, inexpensive, easy to install that works with minimal fuss, basically. Right?

OK, a very good spring upgrade I've found over stock (which is marginal even when new with a stock cam) is the Comp 981 springs. They are drop-in replacements for your stock 1.25" springs in every way. Stock installed height, stock locks, retainers, no machine work required at all. They do, however, give you about 30 lbs. more on the seat and about 60 more over the nose of the cam. They work just super with mild, stock factory roller cams. And they can take .500" lift (Comp lists them as .480, but I've used them several times up to a TRUE MEASURED .500", which is .050" from coil bind- plenty good).

I have no idea what those springs are that you posted the link to. They look like stock replacement springs but it's hard to say without any specs listed for them at all.

Please note that although the springs can take a fair bit of lift you will likely run out of room between your retainers and guide seals well before .500". The springs can take it but the heads can not- at least not without some machine work to mill the guides down. .451" lift using 1.5 rockers would be no problem at all for a stock head, but if you want to use 1.6s you should definitely check your retainer-to-guide clearance. Checking it while you are installing the 981 springs is an ideal time to do it since you've got it apart anyway.

 

Hey thanks for the help. I am going to install the HT383 cam and a set of 601 305 heads that have been milled .020. Sorry about the link for the springs, these are the ones i meant to post eBay Motors: SBC PERFORMANCE VALVE SPRINGS (16) (item 230026380760 end time Sep-13-06 20:11:28 PDT)

These have a very similar spec to the comp 981 and i can buy these from a local speed shop for 18.00 plus tax on a clearance sale. So would it be worth runnibg 1.6 on the exhaust and 1.5 on the intake for my setup? The 1.6 on the exhaust will put me at about .481 lift.will i be OK or will i still have trouble with guide clearance. Thanks again

 

I wouldn't try .480 with the stock heads. Might make it but do you really want to deal with the results if it does not? 1.6s are a very modest bump in power over 1.5s- not really an area you want to push the envelope on a budget buildup.

Those springs should work fine.