I am trying to find the best hwaders for the money. I know I will need a new y-pipe also. I want to buy headers and y-pipe together but what are the best performance, price, and installation wise? I want a cam that I don't have to mess with computer but I need it to sounderstand good and have some rumpidy-rump? I am also unsure about best overall gearing? The car is my daily driver so I don't want to go too crazy just typical mods.

 

You are not going to get a rumpidy-rump cam to live happy with a stock engine, much less a stock computer controlled EFI engine. You might be able to go big enough just for it to not sounds as smooth as stock does, but you will not get that race car idle sound.

Headers.. For good budget headers I still love the hooker shorties and hedman long tubes. I got a pair of hedman long tubes on mine that was bought 10 years ago, used on 3 diff cars, and my dad has a set of hooker shorties on his that I bought for my 1st third gen about 16 years ago. Those has been in 4 diff cars and 6 diff engines.

With the cam, I would look at something in the 214/228*@.050" size max, with a 110 or 112 LSA

 

Like this COMP Cams 249-12-256-4?

 

Yeah that XE256 would be a good one. You could go maybe 1 step bigger to like a XE262 but that would be the very max.

Wait a second, you said '91 305 right? That would be a roller cam engine, not a flat tappet engine. The XE256 you numbered is a flat tappet cam..

You would need a hyd. roller like XR264HR-12 (08-501-8)
Or go up to a XR269HR-12 (08-502-8) but it will also need new valve springs and check/fix retainer to seal and guide clearance.

 

So if I got the XR264HR-12 (08-501-8) cam, I wouldn't need to put springs in?

 

Yes and no.. .480" lift or so is about max for stock pressure springs on a performance engine.

You could get away with stock springs with that cam if it's just mild, normal use driver, low rpm, etc but if you are hammering on it and spinning RPM up, you may get valve float.

I think for the price, I would put a set of howards 98214 $30 springs on it.

 

What gears do you have now? As for cams I would try running a small like COMP Cams#249-08-500-8 and I would replace your valve springs with it. Its not going to rumble but would sound nicer than your stock cam if you paired it with a new exhaust system like you plan on doing. I would stick to gears in the 3.23-3.42 range. If your car is an automatic as I am assuming it is than swapping in a small stall converter will add a little pep to your car too. If your only planning on mild upgrades I would get a 2,000 RPM stall and install a shift kit. Really the TBI is holding your back. If it was me I would upgrade it at least a little if your going to keep it, larger TB, aftermarket intake, larger injectors and a tune.

 

If it were my car and I was thinking to keep it simple, super reliable and relatively inexpensive....find a LT1 cam (f body or corvette shaft) hooker 2055's http://www.jegs.com/i/Hooker/520/205...15C=1799571319 with a good cat and cat back, with a 3.23 gear. The cam is easy to find and cheap, the exhaust is almost necessary for any performance out of a 3rd gen, and those gears are great for street/highway. Should be great even without the tune and a tune will only help it out.

 

if it were me, the first thing i would look into was a used set of better factory heads ... the swirl port heads will hold you back the most ... you could put the best cam made in there, but not going to do much good with the tbi heads ... this is just not ever going to give you much flow ... http://image.customclassictrucks.com...t_head02_z.jpg

 

Fyi.most of the v6 Camaros came with 3.42 gears and they are the same strength as the v8 rearends.I ran one for years before I swapped in a fourth gen rear to work with my corvette wheels