what kind of results do u see with a l98 cam in an lb9, or are they the same? also, what kind of results do u see with a lt1 cam in an lb9? ...the lb9 would be all stock for the most part...thanks for the help


((i posted this in the tech/gen engine board too which im sure i shouldnt have done so if ur a mod please leave this one and feel free to trash the other, sorry, im retarded, thanks))

 

LB-9 (305) with manual trans had the same cam as LB-98 (350), LB-9 with auto trans had the lazy peanut-cam.

 

if u want to know whats better.. get the lt1 cam... there are better cams out there... but the lt1 would be better... the 350 cam can be found in the manual 305's from 87 on... and also have been found to find there way into 305 autos in the 90's... anyway.. i think that teh ZZ9 or ZZX cam would be better if one day u decide to throw the 305 away(like i wana) and go with a 350 or bigger...

 

yeah, i wouldn't go for the l-98 cam. too small in my opinion. lt1 is pretty healthy, lt4 cam is a little more meaty, or you can go brave like me and put a hot cam in the 305. Man does it sound cool. Haven't gotten it tuned yet, and still have bugs to work out with a broke ecm, but still noticed a diffence. reminds me of 69 camaro with a lopy bigblock.
but that will require lots of valve train stuff, course, any cam swap SHOULD. Plus there's lots of different ones from comp cams, crane, etc. if you want to go fairly cheap for a decent roller cam, maybe look at some of the GMPP cams (i.e. lt1, lt4, etc.)

 

if i put in an LT4 or an LT1 cam, what would u recommend i do otherwise as far as maybe valve springs, rockers, etc...im planning on new heads next summer, would the lt4 still be good enough with new heads (world torquers) u think? (i can always worry about that later)...thanks

 

If you haven't already, headers headers headers. bigger and better cams seem to respond well to headers. IMO, work on the exhaust first after the cam. then start working on the intake side. after that, a chip. then you should be doin some pretty good damage. World products heads for the 305 are a good idea, even if thats much later. Then even farther down the road, if your looking for a 350, its all transferrable. If you go for the lt4 cam, don't expect that big of a difference. Just when you start the exhaust and intake is when it will all catch up.

 

im gettin headers very soon and i plan on gettin new intake and the world heads and all that good stuff, thanks for ur help man
ph and whats the difference between the hot lt4 and regular? i guess one is for hydraulic roller lifters? do i have rollers stock or...?

 

you have a roller cam. f- bodies from '87-up had roller cams. the hot cam, lt4, and lt1 cams are rollers too. theres a pretty significant difference in the lt4 and hot cams. The hot cam specs are as follows:
Duration @ .050" 218/228
Lift I/E w/ 1.5 rr's .492/.492 w/ 1.6 rr's .525/.525
Lobe seperation 112
RPM level 1500?-6000

For the LT-4, specs are:
Duration @ .050" 203/210
Lift I/E w/ 1.5 rr's .476/.480
Lobe sep. 115
RPM level idle-4500

For a stock tpi, the lt4 has a power range more suited for it. but like i said, it will respond well with mods. the hot cam is a horse. obviously a "not for stock tpi" cam. heavy porting would be needed for this cam to work through its full powerband. I have it in my 305, and it works good, but i have yet to get it dynotuned. my intake, heads, and exhaust are all aftermarket, so hopefully, i'll be making good power to 5500 rpm with mildly ported intake components. As far as streetability goes, the lt4 is a bit more streetable.

 

If you don't have the L-98 cam already then get a LT1, but I switched from a L98 to a crane 2032 214/220 and only gained .3sec and less than 1 mph, (it did feel much stronger though).

Anyways, if you have an '88 IROC, then look for a LT1 cam since they have a little more lift, than a L98 cam.

 

Tportformula it sounds like we have very similar setups I to have the hot cam in my 305 and I love the way it sounds. What heads and intake stuff do you have? I too have yet to dyno tune it.

 

25-30hp over the stock peanut cam in the 305 TPI autos, even if you have no other mods. 85 TPIs had a very similar cam to the L98 cam, they put the peanut cam in in 86 and chucked 25hp right out the window with no other changes to anything that effects power. Why the hell GM did that I will never understand... If you have a 305 TPI auto you owe it to yourself to swap the cam. In my 86 I chucked in a mild 204/214 @.050, .420/.442 lift cam and it made a freakin world of difference. (I've also had a 85 305 TPI auto, and stock vs stock it felt a whole heck of alot faster than my 86 was stock. I question if the 215hp rating from the 85 wasn't conservative...)

40hp is not unrealistic for a cam swap on a peanut cammed 305 if you pick the right cam, especially if you have some other mods to take advantage of the cam. I would avoid getting too carried away though. The LT1 or standard LT4 cam seem like a pretty good bet for a 305 equiped with an automatic. If you have a stick you should already have the better cam, but even so you could stand to go a little bigger than the LT1/LT4 and get away with it, but I wouldn't with a daily driver auto...

 

My setup is in my sig, if it shows up. i just redid it, so hopefully it works. if not, i have a ported plenum, slp runners, edelbrock base thats mildly ported, and world products heads w/ slp 1-3/4 " headers

 

Is it important to change your chip when going from a peanut cammed 305 to an LT1 cam? Is the difference in cam size small enough to get away with the stock chip?

 

If you are gonna go through the trouble of removing the motor and instaling a new cam.......put it into a bigger motor!
...while you're at it, of course.

 

If it was only that easy, there is a little thing called money that alot of us don't have alot of.

 

my 305 has just over 50k miles and its original, id honestly rather put a lot of effort into making a badass 305, maybe that sounds stupid but thats what i want
-so, to make sure i understand-the lt4 is gonna be a great cam for me? but if i wanna go a little bit easier then lt1? i really appreciate the help

 

Who said anything about removing the motor?

 

yeah, i was gonna say, can u leave the motor in and remove the radiator, or just jack the engine up enough to slide the cam in and out?
oh and i hear the lt4 is really for high rpms? what about the lt1?

 

You can remove the radiator, and loosen the A/C condenser so you can pull it up and out of the engine bay out of the way (having unbolted and moved to the side the compressor unit) leaving the lines connected so you don't have to empty/recharge the A/C system. Then there is a simple X-Brace that you can pry out of the way or unbolt and then the cam will slide right out. Not too much trouble at all, I've done the in car swap a couple different times.

That regular LT4 cam doesn't look like a high rpm cam at all. Only thing that is aggressive at all about it is the lift, the duration is mild so it will perform well down low...

 

what else will i need to upgrade when i change the cam? i heard somewhere that id need to do head work to fit in new springs, etc...do i need new springs? do i need new anything else (hopefully next year im getting new heads)...and is there anywhere that can run me through the process of doing a cam swap? thanks

 

Well guys .... I am so curious .........what are ya running with that cam in your 305 ( with the mentioned mods) TPortFormula and
chikn305 . i am interested in doing up my 305 ( a little ) but I was never sure what I could expect from these mods.

 

be sure to get a bigger cam than the l98. when i bulit my 355 i had the guy at the shop put in a l98 cam into my 89rs but i could of went alot bigger, and my car is a tbi. wish i would of know more about moter's at the time like i do now

 

I don't have any numbers with my setup yet, but trust me, once i do, there will be a post. Keep an eye out.

 

I don't have any numbers on my either but as soon as the track opens back up I'll post the results i plan on doing ome dyno tuning next week so i'll post those numbers.

 

Im gunna go with new heads with my ZZ4 cam... can i reuse the rockers and push rods?

 

I am seeing some a lot of bad information here


I am doing the same thing, well I got a 350 L98 cam for free off a friend. And since I'm building a new motor. I thought the cam will keep my 305 fun for the summer while I am building the big boy.


GM's Mr Peanut

Duration
EXH .050 IN = 178

IN. .050 IN = 194

Lift
IN = 0.350
EXH = 0.385

LSA = 109

Someone above stated the LB9 and L98 cams were the same. THEY ARE INFACT INCORRECT.

87 L98/G92

Duration
EXH .050 IN = 202
IN. .050 IN = 206

Lift
IN = 0.403
EXH = 0.415

LSA = 114.5

88-89 L98/G92

Duration
EXH .050 IN = 207
IN. .050 IN = 213

Lift
IN = 0.415
EXH = 0.431

LSA = 117

90-92 L98/G92

Duration
EXH .050 IN = 202
IN. .050 IN = 208

Lift
IN = 0.412
EXH = 0.429

LSA = 114.5

ZZ3

Duration
EXH .050 IN = 208
IN. .050 IN = 221

Lift
IN = 0.474
EXH = 0.510

LSA = 112


You can see the differences for yourself. Its not a huge jump, more of a mild step up but it is better than Mr. Peanut.

 

i think u misunderstood, no one said they were the same, someone said that the l98 cam was in some 305's with manual tranny is all...

 

Hey IROCZ88x,

You have alot of good info here (this thread) to consider. About the only thing I'd add to the lot is this -- is your car MAF or SD ?

If MAF then you have a wider range of cam you can consider before significant PROM work is required.

If SD then you will be pushed into PROM work by even moderate cam upgrades.

RP.

 

ive got MAF and im planning on a lot of serious future upgrades so i think im looking for a cam with a little ***** but not too much for everything else stock for the time being...

 

I'll be just like every other ***** on here, just get a 350 and don't waste moneyon your 305 ROFL

j/k

 

man i love my 305, when its done it will be many 3-fiddys, not that id race a fellow chevy...id hate to see u in the v6 boards

 

Why I own a 3.1L v6 Z24 that puts down a good 275hp


274.6hp 310 ft/lbs to be extact

You know what a Z24 is, Nothing like spanking some stock Zs and Stangs with one of those old boys

 

holy shiat, thats pretty impressive...it must have rlce inside

 

Nope. just Comp Cams inside parts