Recently my 1992/305 RS/TBI has sprung a slight intake or head leak (290K on the orig engine) and I was thinking "while I was in there" to do a little wake up on the engine without spending entirely too much cash. The engine still runs beautifully but I can tell it has lost a bit of "pep" over the years. The last time I checked the compression it was perfect as well (dont remember the #'s off hand though). I was wondering if anyone had any experience with some of the cam kits available on the market for this and what you all would recommend..... And any other "while im in there" advice will help as well. So far I know that once I pull the heads I am going to have them worked at a local shop but havent really had much input on what work should be done to them. And the cam kits that I have seen state they work with the current computer setup which is a plus for what I am looking for.... Not looking at getting a ton of added HP but just a "wake up while im in there". Please any additional advice would be greatly appreciated....

 

Don't hesitate to look at the crank shells, and at 290K the rings are probably a little thinner than they were 20 years ago.

 

Unfortunately that isnt in my cards at the moment. If I were to go in that far I would probably go ahead with a 350 but the budget is tight unfortunately

 

Ok so you're not going to "refresh" it then, you're just going to put in a cam.

 

why would you be looking at top end work on an engine that has that high of miles?

honestly, try some Lucas or other magic in a bottle and save your pennies until you can spring for a $1300- $1500 rebuild or a 350 long block.

You could always try tossing in a junk engine and pray for more miles

 

My idea of the refresh was to put a little cash into the head to have them cleaned up and looked over, replace the lifters with fresh ones (if needed) and "while im in there" consider swapping out the cam. Noticing that alot of "cam kits" are costing almost as much and lifters only. Even with the high miles the compression seems fine and one day... when it comes to having to open up the bottom.... I will just get a 350. But currently there is nothing "wrong" with the bottom end at the moment. I understand the thought of "why would you" but please consider that this is my daily driver and I will be doing this work over a weekend. This is only due to a slight leak on the intake. And during a gasket change I was looking for "while your in there" advice. Not that I dont appreciate the thoughts given and I totally agree but its like going to a doctor with a slightly sore shoulder and him saying "wow at your age lets go ahead and replace your hips and put a few pins in your ankles! Yeah I know they are working ok right now and your not having any problems with them but lets go ahead and get that out of the way!" I have no experience with these "cam kits" and was hoping that I can pull from the knowledge of my fellow camaro enthusiasts on pros/cons of them and if there was any other suggestions "while im in there"....

 

I wouldn't bother with the heads, unless you actually have leaking valves or something. You're not likely to get them in and out of a machine shop in the same weekend anyway, unless you have some connections who can do it for you.

 

What they are trying to say is if you go to putting a cam in it now could be detrimental to the life of the 305 you now have. A cam designed for more power could (would) give you more cylinder pressure and based on the mileage of the rings and cylinder walls WILL give you more oil and compression past the rings(blowby), making the outcome worst than leaving it alone.

 

your bottom end may be fine right now but if you go and do a cam and increase the power and most likely make it rev higher it " May" start showing it's age .

 

I wouldn't say that.

 

Ahh I didnt realize that those kits were going to increase it that much. From what I was reading they were very mild and computer friendly. I do have a little leaky valve issue (very tiny smoke puff if sitting for a few days) so thats why I was going to have them go over them. I do have a shop that can get them done for me quickly that is local here (friend of the fathers).

 

They're not going to increase it that much. Put the cam in if you like.

The puff of smoke after sitting is a valve stem seal starting to leak. You don't even need to take the head off to fix it.

 

Would you happen to have any experience with these mild cam kits and be able to recommend one or recommend which ones to avoid?

 

The typical "mild cam & lifter kit" is NOT what you want. Your engine has roller lifters, and these cam & lifter kits are flat tappet. They use a different timing set, different pushrods, and in general are a downgrade from roller lifters.

 

Yup, you don't need a "kit" at all... just a cam and some gaskets.

 

How about a rear gear swap? It'll make the car faster than any cam will and you don't have to tear into such an old engine.

 

Working on the rear end won't fix the leak in the engine.

 

I say keep the stock LO3 cam. I'm running 13's with it, along with Vortec 305 heads and 1.6 RR's.

Are you sure the engine hasn't been rebuilt? If you pull a head, you might see 30 over on the piston, which means it's been rebuilt.

 

Yeah Im sure it hasnt been rebuilt. I have owned/maintained it from around 110K and the previous owner kept extremely detailed records. From what I am seeing it looks like I wont be doing anything except putting a new top end gasket set on. I will probably still have the heads glanced at since they will be off. I wasnt really trying to hardcore upgrade the engine. I have always been a fan of MILD upgrades but only if you are already opening stuff up (on my daily driver). I read quite a few posts on the LO3 and I thought it had a "peanut cam" and found that companies like Edelbrock offer:
"Edelbrock's Performer-Plus cam and lifter kits are designed for optimum torque from the low-end to the mid-range. They feature smooth idling cams for daily drivers, trucks, vans, RVs, and 4x4s. They offer improved throttle response and torque. Each kit includes a camshaft, hydraulic lifters, assembly lube, and instructions."
And state that they are computer friendly for around 125 bucks. Even replacing the lifters with junk after markets cost around 80-100 from what I have found. but what I didnt know was that the LO3 was Hydraulic Roller.... And that the cams I was looking at were Flat tappet. What was the big differences between the Z28 305 and the LO3 that I have? Mainly heads and intake/fuel delivery? Or did it have a different cam as well?

 

I'd say do a engine rebuild but if not, pull the heads, get them cleaned, get new roller lifters, new intake gaskets, maybe 1.6 RR's, and that's it.

Your timing chain has probably seen better days too. But if you are replacing that, do the pan gasket too.

 

Oh, of course not

I was saying instead of a camshaft, I guess I was thinking in the terms of "making the car faster", not an actual repair.

 

Yeah I appreciate all the advice. I wasnt really going for a spped thing. The "while im in there" part is what I think most are missing hehe. I wont be in the rear end anytime this run and not in the timing cover and not in the tranny. Im replacing gaskets.