Alright yuo guys so the title says it. my car is slow......=( and really dislike this...I got a 84 z28 with the LG4 IN IT =(...Ive pretty much read all of the threads on it and how to make an LG4 faster but most of them require swapping a cam and trowing more money into it....other than swappign in a 350 is there any luck doing anything else?

these are my mods to the engine

hooker 2055 headers
3" straight pipes no cat
flowmaster muffler
rebuilt cc qjet
edelbrock performer manifold
k&n open air element filter

suspension

KYB GR2 all around
Wonder Bar
IROC Sway bar in front
Eibach Sportlines springs all around

I really dont wanna dump more $$ into the engine im moving towards more the suspension of the car and looking into mayb a LT1 swap later on....unless I still have a chance of saving this slow LG4...what do you guys think? Its also my daily driver. ohhh and it has a t5 tranny just wanted to trow that out there as well.

 

the build I followed cost over 3k ... for a 305.... I should shoot myself, but I ultimately want a ls2 so this will suit my needs until then, however if you plan on sticking with era correct engines I would say just suck it up maybe replace the gears in the rearend with some nasty 4.56 and watch your gas gauge drop or put her on the bottle, either way 305 is going to cost cash to make fast, ill post my number under my build (which you saw earlier) when its complete but I would faint if it ACTUALLY made 300 whp and for 3 grand an era correct 350 could have done that and then some..

 

yes, your 305 is naturally slow... in fact, with a max of only 230ish hp being available in the best of the best later 350 powered 3rd gens, they are all naturally slow even if they feel quick off the line..

 

You're not ever going to have a fast ride if you don't dive into the motor. These cars are great builders, but NONE of them were "fast" for stock. In the 1980's they were, but everything else was also... slow.

 

It sounds like you may be one more $1000 purchase for a ZZ4 cylinder head ( or even around $500 for a ported/bored to 1.94 413 cylinder head) to see some increase. Other than that it sounds like you have done all you can, possibly upgrading the cam also...but like you said... It's costing you $$$$..


But the headers will swap over... You might consider a ZZ4 head since that will also swap over, but then again you might need another intake manifold...not sure if the performer will work with ZZ4 heads...

What size is your rear diff axle ratio?

Another consideration to think about is this....
Lets say you bought a new/used 350. Now you are pushing the limits on your T-5 and rear end but I'm sure you already knew that...

If going with an LT1 is your end-game, I would certainly concentrate on suspension and drivetrain work until you've made peace about your engine options.

Chuck

 

leave it as is do the other stuff and keep it running

Cubes are the easiest way to pick up power or most common anyway
You can get a converted LT1 intake to work on a Gen 1 sbc and save lots of headache over an actual LT1 conversion.

 

Yep .

Speed = Cubic Inches X Cubic Dollars , Squared .

 

that stock LG4 cam is really restricting your power potential-shortly after i bought my LG4/super T10/3.23 '82 z,i swapped the stock cam for a weiand cam that was similar to a crane 2030,put on headers with 3" single to dynomax muffler,made my non-functional cool air hood functional,rejettet the carb to compensate for modifications done and that woke up my LG4 bigtimeHad this setup in use 1991-94 and still have fond memories of that combo(BTW for some reason i never figured out,the stock fuel pump could not keep the float bowl full with the "hot rodded"LG4 so i installed an electric fuel pump with regulator to fix that problem-tried replacement stock mechanical pumps and those did no better than the removed one...)

 

cubic dollars meaning you'll need 3x what you think you'll need




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thanks guys for all the help....i think my next upgrade might just be a cam swap and thats it.......then ilma concentrate mopre on the drivetrain and start looking into a 350/lt1 swap....i kinda do want to keep the carburetor look to my car so im not too sure about fuel injection since ive gotten used to working on my carburetor...what do you guys think?

 

Nothing wrong with a carb at all, love em.

Know if you buy the LT1 the intakes arent cheap and not much to choose from. All the aftermarket parts are more expensive it seems especially a good cyl head. Not worth it just to have reverse cooling big deal.

Really,get yourself a regular old Gen 1 350 makes life much easier. Parts can be had anywhere

 

Not much to choose from since the stock intake is the best for it. Ported and it can support alot of good power. Aftermarket parts are not that expensive, the same rules applies here. Stock parts are good enough. Same deal with the heads, they can be ported to make good power.

 

Honestly i say just save up for a 350 how i have told you many times bro. Best bet or get a nitrous kit.

 

i see i see.....yup well this slow lg4 aint gonna get me no where so best bet for now is work on my suspension, and drivetrain....and ima start6 looking for 350 on Craigslist.

 

first id look at your rear end gears. itd be nice to have a nice lt1, 350 , 400 whatever your heart desires to build and swap in later but then again your rear end will play games with those engines too if you have some shitty shitty gears.

i bought an 86 lg4 5 speed with an ipen diff and 3.23;s but the thing gets up and goes quite well. has much more down low grunt than my built 700r4 and slightly modded lg4 in my old 85 as it had 3.08s and posi in the rear.

id start out with your rear end, once you know you have a good one under there you can live with the 305 a bit longer and itll help out with future engine swaps.