Hi everyone, I need some advice from the experts with regards to my shop truck. The valve train is a little noisy and I got the dial gauge out and it appears that the lobes on number 6 & 8 are worn down. I will have to replace the cam and need some advice in this area (first cam change ever for me). The truck in bone stock, low miles and with a Rochester 2bbl on her. I have a few ideas that I need some help on. I am looking at some cams and accessories from Summit and wondering if I am going in the right direction. I dont normally pull anything with the truck other then a small trailer for a motorcycle. I would like to have a cam that would run well with the stock setup and a possible addition of a new intake and my old Rochester 4bbl. I would like a cam that is a step or two above stock. Here is the list that I am looking at. Thanks Crane Energizer or Edelbrock Performer Plus cam kits with lifters 204/204 or 210/210 degrees at 50`` ? (I am lost on what would be good here, I looking for power to kick in at idle, if this what you guys would recommend) Summit pushrods standard Summit roller rocker arms for small Chevy 1.5 ratio 3/8 stud Summit standard timing chain set Summit bronze distributor drive gear (for my HEI distributor)
In my opinion,if an engine has worn cam lobes ,then replacing the cam and lifters is ok on an engine used for non performance situations. When the lobes fail the metal particles often find their way into the bearings and pistons/rings.despite an oil filter.This can cause ring seal problems and shorten engine life.Adding hi performance parts may be a waste of time and money in this case. If you want the best performance you might wanna pull the apart the engine and go through it. Others may have a different opinion.
For what you're doing the pushrods are probably overkill, and the rockers are definitely overkill. Save your money and buy one good set of roller rockers if you ever step up to a performance motor. Cheapie roller rockers have risky durability. Get out of the summit catalog and into a cam manufacturers online catalog. Start looking at the pages that say RV/towing instead of the pages with pictures of camaros. Do this with a couple of cam makers. Judge by the notes what kind of lift and duration @ 050 they're recommending. You'll start seeing a trend that they're all in the same range. Now you can go back to the summit catalog and see if they offer a similar grind. Performer plus is a lot of cam for a RV 305. An RV 350, not so much, but 45 cubes will soak up a lot of cam. My guess, you literally want the smallest non-stock cam money can buy. good luck
Thanks for the tips, I noticed that Summit online does show listings for Truck cams, I will have a second look at this. It looks like I will stick with a new cam and lifters only, I understand that anything else at this point maybe over kill given this stock engine.
To clarify a little there's kinda 2 different schools of thought with 305 towing and it depends on rear gear. If there's a highway gear and you're towing at 2100 rpm, then you gotta gotta gotta stay conservative on the cam. If it's turning more like 3000 when you tow, you can get away with a lot more cam (standard performer cam-ish). Especially if you use an aftermarket intake & hedders. You give away a lot down low but if it spends hours on the interstate it might be a good trade. But still, a biggish 305 cam is still pretty mild by 350 standards. good luck
I think a conservative cam would be the best choice, just to avoid any other issues. I will look at a cam that is just a step above stock, the motor is really tight and does not burn any oil and has been really reliable for me.
Speakin' of GMC's, are Wayne heads still around for those big GMC's? Used to be a sprint car outfit in Tampa that had 302 GMC's with Wayne heads and they ran like hell.
I would take a look at the smallest "truck" cams from Comp but I'm not familiar with the specific grinds. I have personally used a Comp high energy 260 in a 305 and felt that it was a little large for what I wanted. I have also used a high energy 252 cam in a 327 and a 305 and loved it. The powerband is instant off idle and is all done by 4500 or so. If you don't find a newer grind that you like I would recommend the 252.
I would go with the standard 350 "929" camshaft and lifters - they are .390/.410 lift and 196/202@50 duration, on a 113.5 LSA, with 5.5 degrees advance ground in. The 929 comes from the original GM part number - 3896929. Its cheap, and works great. I have one in the 305 in my 57' Pontiac. Change the timing chain to a stock replacement set. A performer intake and 600 holley works great, but the stock intake and q-jet (non computer controlled) are not bad at all themselves. I have a low milage L03 305 in my car (factory 9.2:1 compression and "929" 350 camshaft), which was just to be a placeholder so I could drive the car while the 406 was being built - but its pretty peppy, gets great gas milage, and gets the car moving just fine. I am using a stock iron front fill intake and 600 holley on it. You don't need any of the other stuff.
I second the motion...I had a Comp 252H in a 305-powered Nova with 2.56 (!) gears, a 650 Holley and headers, and it was (and still is, 40K miles later) a real bear of a motor. Call Comp's Cam Help line and tell them what you have and listen to their suggestions. BTW, my motor was still pulling hard to about 5200. With that rear axle and a Turbo 350, it was like running second-third-fourth in a 700R4. I could still smoke 'em off the line, though. Fearless
I don't know for sure, but I think his 305 has a couple more cylinders in there somewhere... Fearless
I re checked Summit and they have the Comp 252H - I checked out Comp Cams and this appears to be a good start for me. I just need then to order new lifters and timing chain. Still may consider the roller tip rockers, not sure yet. THanks Again !
Oh, OK, I thought he was talkin' about a straight 6 like a 270 or a 302 .. Oppps! Still would like to know about those Wayne heads though ..
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