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305 heads

1K views 15 replies 5 participants last post by  ezrollin 
#1 ·
i know everyone says 305 is crap but i spent $2000 on a rebuild b/c i wasnt smart enough about motors to know better so could someone tell me what kind of heads would be good to make my motor better for less than $500 or so
i have a "sound cam" thats what the machine shop said, bored 30 over, and headers
i still dont understand the meaning of things like the dur. and lope so if someone could help me here i would greatly appreciate it

thanks
 
#2 ·
The only description of the cam was "its a sound cam"??? They didnt give you anything else?

Or do you have the specs but just dont understand them?
 
#3 ·
yes thats all they gave me
like i said i didnt really understand motors at the time he asked what kind of cam i said nothing really special just something thatll give me some good tq. and he said "a sound cam then"
i had someone guess from the way it sounds w/ the mufflers off as a 3 1/4 cam so idk
 
#4 ·
would some 283 power pack heads be good or something designed for the 305 be better
 
#5 ·
"the sound cam" is not the "good torque cam" 99% of the time.

a cam that is known for sound will be too big most likely for you. Find/Get the specs!
 
#6 ·
"the sound cam" is not the "good torque cam" 99% of the time.

a cam that is known for sound will be too big most likely for you. Find/Get the specs!
ok i finally remembered to call the machine shop and i talked to the guy there and at 1st he asked if it was an rv cam (idk wut this means ive learned more but still dont know much) i told him i didnt think so
he said that he wouldnt of put anything bigger than a 443 lift and 280 dur

i dont know if it helps any but the motor put down 245tq at 3600rpm and 211hp at 5000
 
#7 ·
An "RV cam" is exactly that. It's designed for a little more torque than a stock cam, for RV's or trucks that tow stuff.

I'd almost go with a stock 305 head to bump compression up. The heads that end in 416 are supposed to be the best flowing 305 heads. Are you running flat top pistons?
 
#8 ·
An "RV cam" is exactly that. It's designed for a little more torque than a stock cam, for RV's or trucks that tow stuff.

I'd almost go with a stock 305 head to bump compression up. The heads that end in 416 are supposed to be the best flowing 305 heads. Are you running flat top pistons?
I'd almost go with a stock 305 head to bump compression up. The heads that end in 416 are supposed to be the best flowing 305 heads. Are you running flat top pistons?[/quote]
supposedly the stock numbers for my 305 are 140hp and 245tq so w/ my upgrades i gained 70hp and no torque

i was thinkin of going w/ 283 heads b/c shouldnt they bump up compression better than 305 heads or are they too small

yes i have flat top pistons
 
#9 ·
A lot of the 305 heads were 58cc or thereabouts, and 1.84/1.5 valve. The "Powerpack" heads you're looking at are the 896 casting, right? They're 60cc, 1.72/1.5 valve if I remember correctly.

From my experience, smaller valves have better torque results. Talk to the machine shop that built the motor, they'd be able to give you better answers than I can on what would be best for your application.

I would ask them for a cam card for the camshaft they put in your motor, too. It will give you all the specs on your cam, lift, duration, everything.
 
#11 ·
A lot of the 305 heads were 58cc or thereabouts, and 1.84/1.5 valve. The "Powerpack" heads you're looking at are the 896 casting, right? They're 60cc, 1.72/1.5 valve if I remember correctly.

From my experience, smaller valves have better torque results. Talk to the machine shop that built the motor, they'd be able to give you better answers than I can on what would be best for your application.

I would ask them for a cam card for the camshaft they put in your motor, too. It will give you all the specs on your cam, lift, duration, everything.
i dont know of what it was but i didnt know that smaller valves = greater torque (still learning)
the machine shop doesnt know what cam they put in there it was a little over a year ago that they did it so they dont know and i cant find the paper
 
#13 ·
Don't take my info as gospel truth, I'm still learning too. But from what I've seen so far, small valves seem to be better for torque and big valves for horsepower.
 
#10 ·
I know this is more than $500, but for just under $700 for a pair of dart heads that would work great/meant for a 305. They have 49cc chambers. Which is the only head I know of the will give a 305 more comp. than stock.
 
#12 ·
I know this is more than $500, but for just under $700 for a pair of dart heads that would work great/meant for a 305. They have 49cc chambers. Which is the only head I know of the will give a 305 more comp. than stock.
that would be worth the 700 i would believe if it would boost me up the 300hp mark
 
#14 · (Edited)
No,a 305 isn't a piece of crap. It's not the best choice for a performance platform but can perform well if properly built. The heads,carb and cam are critical. Go with the stock 1.82/1.5 or dart 1.94/1.5's as suggested the 58 cc chambers will kept compression up,forget the 283 heads. There are vortec 305 heads if you already have the manifold. A 600 Holley or the small Q-jet [prepared] will give plenty cfm. The cam is a personal choice,don't go over a Crane 272 or Compcam 268,go one step down if you want a stock type idle.
 
#15 ·
thank you for your info
ive been reading and im thinkin that i would be better off turboing my 305 so ive got to do some more research on that and from what i can tell i would need bigger heads to lower compression
 
#16 ·
Don't know your knowledge level on turbocharging but would caution you to do lots of research before spending your cash.The right selection of parts is critical to get the level of exspected. It's not necessary to lower compression below 9:1 unless you are going to run very high boost,too low comp. will give soggy perf. before boost. I do have a new t04b turbo if interested,pm.
 
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