for my first post i have some questions regarding which cam i should choose. ive been reading for days and feel like my eyes are going to bleed. i used the search and went way back to 2001, but i couldnt fins someone asking the same question with the same setup. and i have mainly delt with rotary cars that dont have as many moving parts that i have to worry about.

i recently aquired my dads 85 IROC (305 tpi). one of the first things i wanted to fix was the smoking on start up and while i was at it i decided to have it ported and polished at the same time, and since the engine was torn down that much i decided that i was to get a cam aswell. the car has a 3.23 posi rearend, k&n filters, 95 shot of nitrous, ported & polished heads (once they return) and a hypertech chip that everyone here says is crap. besides that and suspension its pretty much stock.

i was wondering if i HAD to go with a computer controlled cam or if i could pick anyone without freaking the computer out. what does it mean if the cam is computer controlled? i want a cam that i dont have to burn a prom for at this time, but i also want one that will go the best with future mods. the only 2 cams that are listed on summits site that are computer controlled are:

This one

and this one

which one would be the best? also i noticed that all the other cams listed on their site say the lifters are included but these dont, are they included?

sorry for the long post and thanks to any info you can give!

 

anyone?

 

I'm pretty sure that computer controlled means that they're computer compatible. Since you can't simply tune an EFI car like a carb car, "most" people need a compatible cam. That's my guess, and looking at the numbers on those cams, it seems they'd be fine.

I'd go with a bigger cam if you're gonna be in that deep anyway. I'm not sure how big you can go on a 305, but I'm running a ZZ4 cam in my 350. Too much bigger than that requires computer work. It's a .474/.510 -208-221 cam. Like I said, I'm not sure about the 305. An L98 (350TPI) cam is pretty good too, since you can get 'em cheap. Make sure whatever cam you get, you have valve springs that can handle the lift.

Not sure why the lifters aren't included. Keep in mind that the ZZ4 and L98 cams are roller cams, and I don't think you're currently (1985) set up for a roller valvetrain. That may have something to do with the lifters not being included.

*edit*(both cams you listed are flat tappet/lifter, not roller, which is what you would need unless you upfit).

Hypertech isn't actually "bad" per se, it's just not worth the money. If you already have it, don't worry about it.

 

thanks for the response! ive been holding off on buying a cam until i at least heard from one person who has a remote idea. the guy doing the port and polish is also putting in new springs and just said as long as the lift wasnt above .500 id be fine.

 

Don't get me wrong, I can't really recommend a specific cam for your 305. I did all sorts of research when i swapped in my ZZ4 cam, but I don't know too much about 305s, and for that matter, what other issues may arise from not having a roller cam.

Both those cams are bigger than even an L98 cam, so they look to be good choices, but again, I'm not an expert.

 

I'm by no means an expert engine builder so don't take all as set in stone. I'll at least make a stab at helping you.

I've known of guys (not on this board) running a 218/224 .495/.502 112LSA cam in a 383 using a stock 305 chip. Running how well I don't know. It definately wasn't "optimized" for that setup.

For your 305 I'd venture a guess as long as you keep the duration under 215 you'll be fine.

I've alway taken "computer compatable " to mean one of two things. 1. The cam is emissions legal or 2. The cam is computer friendly and not need reprogramming. Neither of these terms are absolute as I've seen cams computer compatable yet not emission legal and any cam change can use optimizing for your combination, even if it's stone stock.