can a 94LT1 cam be put in a 85 TPI 305?

 

i know an 85 isn't a roller motor and the LT1 is but is there any diffrence in the cam itself?

 

won't work. The LT1 cam is a roller cam. The 85 305 block is not a roller block.

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91 Trans Am WS6
Bright White
5.0 TPI auto
Flowmaster 3" 2 chamber catback
Trans Go shiftkit
2000 stall converter

Built on Wednesday

 

ok now i need to know why it won't work

 

It will work if you get a roller retrofit kit. It allows you to put a roller cam in a non-roller engine.

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West Coast GM Shootout 2001!
1991 Camaro Z28
5.7L 5-Speed (originally 305)
13.25 @ 107.18 MPH
Southern California
Member: SoCal 3rd Gen F-Bodies
Webmaster: SoCal F-Bodies
-=ICON Motorsports=-

 

A later roller cam will not work in a pre-roller block because their is a step nose machined in the front of the cam for a retainer plate. The retainer plate keeps the cam from walking forward, since the roller cams have the tendency to walk foward.

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Hybrid Black 5.7L 5 Speed
'95 Competition Yellow Corvette Coupe ZF6

 

...and then there's the lack of distributor gear on the LT1 cam...

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1982 Z-28

See http://www.mycar.net/mafb/registry/detail.cfm?id=276 for details

 

the LT1 cam DOES have a gear for a distributer

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1991 banditt2 #130 of 600 http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/streetdawgracing http://y42.photos.yahoo.com/tonysams72. http:/discussion-board.com/GreaterCincinnatiFBodyAssociation

 

The LT1 is not much different from stock, except it has a higher lift. Use that cam as a club or something and go to sdpc2000.com and get the take off ZZ4 cam for $99.

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Hybrid Black 5.7L 5 Speed
'95 Competition Yellow Corvette Coupe ZF6

 

the cam would go in a 85 305 TPI block now i've checked.and the lift #'s on the LT1 are alot higher than the stock 305 tpi.(this is not for my car bythe way).a buddy has a 85 Z and was wondering what kind of power he would get with an LT1 cam and 1.5 or 1.6 RR's

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1991 banditt2 #130 of 600 http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/streetdawgracing http://y42.photos.yahoo.com/tonysams72. http:/discussion-board.com/GreaterCincinnatiFBodyAssociation

 

Is the block machined for the front cam retainer plate? Use a Nylon cam button. Retro-rollers ($250-$350) must be used with a 7.3 inch pushrod FYI. Production roller blocks use 7.185 or 7.2 inch pushrods, somewhere around that figure.

Your buddy would be lucky if he picked up 10 hp, and that would be going from the peanut cam to the LT1 cam. If they are going through all the effort, why do it with an LT1 cam? Are you positive that modifications are not needed to the front of the block to prevent the cam from walking foward? Yes, dimensionally they are the same, but the step in the front will be an issue. If you found out what is needed to make the swap work please let us know.

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Hybrid Black 5.7L 5 Speed
'95 Competition Yellow Corvette Coupe ZF6

 

My gosh look at all the misinformation here...

Blak92!: Whats the point of the roller retrofit kit, then? It supposedly includes everything you need to convert from non-roller to roller cam.

kevinc: I used an LT1 cam in my L98 engine from November to February. I guess my distributor never moved during that time, eh?

blak92!: The 85 TPI does not have a peanut cam. But you are correct in saying his friend wouldnt get a big gain by switching to it.

Pick up a cam catalog somewhere, like from Crane or Comp Cams. They make plenty of non-roller cams that will work with your 85 305 TPI.