ok i guess ill start with cams. whats the difference between all these cams on the market? im looking into getting a cam and lifter kit but i dont kno wich one to get... there hydraulic lifters, flat tappet, solid... what does all of this mean??? and then theres lift durations... i have no idea what im looking at when i see this stuff. whats the max lift my 89 305 can handle? im looking for bottom end power. all i have done to the car is an msd street fire coil,cap,rotor, wires and a k@n. here soon im going be putting a new exhaust headers back and the next thing i want to do is a cam. also is there any way i can convert my tbi to tpi? my motor has 162,xxx on the clock. should i rebuild it first? im new to the SBC world so im not really sure what im doing.


for your time

 

for what your planning and the prices involved you can get a decent 350 bottom end (remanufactured unit) and tpi system (used) for a decent price and it would outperform a tpi cammed 305

if the motor was taken care of by previous owners then the bottom end should be okay and might not need a rebuild

roller lifters are hydraulic and have a roller bearing on the bottom, they give higher efficiency and longer lifespan than flat tappet which are just a flat surface rubbing against the cam lobe. flat tappet can be hydraulic or solid

your block is roller

i wish i knew more about duration and lift, if somebody can post a link to a website that would give that info and how it changes the motor i would appreciate it too

also use the as it will provide you hours of entertainment and information reading all that everybody has done and screwed up on so you dont have to repeat their mistakes

 

Roller and flat tappet are a description of the base of the lifter that rides on the cam lobe. A roller lifter can have more aggressive ramps on the lobes. Roller lifters have less friction.

Solid and hydraulic describe the operation of the lifter itself. Hydraulic lifters use hydraulic pressure inside the lifter to maintain valve lash. They require zero maintenance. A solid lifter is just that. Motion transmitted from the cam lobe to the rocker is metal parts pushing against metal parts. Solid lifters require valve lash which needs to be checked and adjusted on a regular basis. On a street car, every year or 2 at the most.

There are pros and cons to flat tappet and rollers lifters
There are pros and cons to hydraulic and solid lifters.

Because of the cam lobe design, flat tappet and roller lifters need to be installed on the proper camshaft.

On a typical street engine, a flat tappet, hydraulic cam/lifter will work fine. Using a roller hydraulic is better except for the increased cost of the roller lifters.

Your maximum lift isn't determined by your camshaft. You can easily install too big a camshaft. How much lift is determined by the heads and valve springs as well as piston to valve clearance. Normally with stock, unmodified heads, you need to keep the lift below .500"

 

ok where can i find a descent 350 bottom end and how much do they usually run? im on a pretty tight budget. i do have an advantage, my brother owns his own shop so i can get parts for a little bit cheaper that i usually could, and i also got free labor. and how much would a TPI setup run for it on average?

 

$1300+ for a good short block, most things on the 305 will transfer over, might even look locally or craigslist for a low mileage L98 or lt1 complete motor to swap in, motor swaps are fairly common with 3rd gen camaros.

however with your brother owning a shop and free labor that would make it alot cheaper to keep your existing motor or find a rebuildable 350 for cheap and have him rebuild it with decent parts, i wouldnt expect to get a 305 to produce alot of power over stock for cheap. a rebuilt 350 can get 300hp with vortec heads and tpi for the price of a remanufactured bottom end


for tpi i would look at junkyards or even classified forum on this website, many are swapping to carb and have complete tpi with ecm and wiring harness. i'm not sure what a complete tpi system would be worth.