Looking for some easy cheap horsepower. I have a 91 Z28 vert with a stock 305 except for a flowmaster exhaust. Thinking about some headers. For someone just getting started and looking to add a little horsepower, but not go over board, what would your reccomendations be. Thanks!

 

Most effective way would be to get rid of the 305, lol. Just playing.

I'm not sure how much power you can actually get out of a 305 but I would definitely start with the exhaust. Get a set of headers and have all new piping ran with either no cat or a high flow cat. The noticeable difference from doing just that should be a good amount. If you decide not to get headers, try getting rid of the A.I.R. system, if you haven't already. UNLESS, I see you're in Iowa, you have emissions laws in your state, you might not be able to get away with doing that.

Have you replaced your stock air intake set up? Try that. There's not a whole lot of cheap stuff you can do really. I mean, you can get yourself some better flowing TPI runners and port your plenum and intake manifold, then get a bigger TB. Or you can get a new intake manifold.

But, being someone that went from a 305 to a built 355, dump that 5.0!

 

As was said to me once

Cheap
Reliable
Fast

pick only two.

Anyways you can do a fair amount to a 305 without pulling the heads off. Headers are a def must to wake it up. The stock log manifolds are terrible. Intake would be next on the to-do list (port the plenum, aftermarket base, aftermarket runners). And if you have the intake off...might as well swap in a better cam shaft. All those things should put u in the ballpark of 210-220 rwhp (with a good tune). Are they all cheap...no. Out of them all you can probably walk away with the headers for the least. And i would do headers first anyways before you do anything else to the motor.

 

Why is everone so tough on the 305?Intake and headers are going to be your best bang for the buck, so to speak. You can get an AFPR and TB airfoil, but they don't really do anything for hp, in my experience...but they do seem to help the engine rev a tad quicker. Not really any cheap power builders for these cars though.

 

Another vote for headers and exhaust here.

...No need to swap throttle bodies until you have WAY more power. ...and really any of the intake components are "good enough" until you start doing more. Any changes at this point aren't going to be cheap, and they won't do too much as far as gains.

...but you can look in other places than the motor too. A deeper set of gear will make a noticable difference. ...and probably the single best bang for the buck mod I've ever made was a 2400 stall torque converter. TOTALLY changed the driving experience.

 

I did everything in my sig and it gave me 175rwhp on a mustang dyno.
Stock heads (new springs though), stock bottom end with 100,000 miles.

I agree don't worry about a bigger throttle body, you wont need it.

Nothing is really that cheap. A roller cam is $230 - $250.
Another idea (cheaper) is to get an LT1 cam off ebay.
Intake & runners are going to cost you over $600.00 new.
LOL..TPI stuff isn't cheap.
A holly stealth ram is going to be cheaper.

I did everything in my sig, knowing I can take everything off and swap it over to a 350 when I get the money.
But there is a lot of good info on this site.

Headers and a nice exhaust is the best.
Then if you wanted, swap to a taller gear in the rear end.
I went to a 3.73 and tossed out my 2.72!