Im lookin to get a little more performance out of a motor i plan on building. The motor is gonna be pretty much all stock except for a cam. The car is only gonna be driven around on the street, but im lookin to get a little more power out of it. Engine is a 305 TPI. What size cam do you recommend? How does this one sound? http://store.summitracing.com/partde...2&autoview=sku

 

Is it a roller engine? What year is the block?
What do you mean when you say you're "building" a 305? What's being done? And why?

 

The engine is an 85 and it is not a roller. When i said building i ment that i was going to give the engine a minor rebuild and throw a cam into it. I wanted to put a cam into it to get some more power out of it.

 

Wrong. BAD wrong.

TPI imposes rather specific constraints on cam choice. That cam is an old design, somewhat generic cam intended for carbed 350s with low to medium compression. It is TERRIBLE in a 305, and DOUBLE TERRIBLE in a TPI 305.

There's no such thing as a "minor rebuild". "Rebuild" means disassemble, perform all necesary maintenance, and reassemble using all new wear parts. If you're not doing that, it's not a "rebuild"; it's something else (something less).

I'd suggest, as a minimum, that you send the heads out to a machine shop and have a valve job done, and new "positive" valve guide seals and new valve springs installed. In fact, I'd suggest using the valve springs that are recommended by the cam mfr, to go with the cam you end up with. Have your machinist install the springs which you will buy, according to the installed height spec supplied by the cam mfr.

I'd recommend this cam http://store.summitracing.com/partde...2D12%2D388%2D4 with the supporting parts Comp recommends. You can look that up in their catalog at http://www.compcams.com/technical/Ca...67_226-227.pdf Go down to page 128 & 129 of the catalog, which pages 7 & 8 of the file; and get the springs, retainers, locks, lifters, and timing set shown for going with that cam.

 

OK ill keep that one in mind. Any other recomendations?

 

He mentioned the xe252?
Wait, what line is that in, AH?
I'd go one step up,
http://store.summitracing.com/partde...4&autoview=sku
The 260.

Wider LSA and a tad more duration. I think it'd give a hair more HP. The 252 is pretty tame i'd think.

 

If you have the stock exhaust manifolds, go with the smaller one; if you have headers, you can go up one notch. Without headers, the larger cam will cost you more bottom end than it will gain you top end, for a net loss.