83z28blue

I was wondering what affordable upgrades i can do to get my 305 4-barrel 150hp engine to 200hp, and no k&n filter suggestions, they go for $80 here, i just feel its not worth it for a 8hp increase. I may need a cheap azz exaust system soon to pass my safety, so that could be a possibility, but thats real expensive. Also to clear things up, i work at mcdonalds! lol so you can tell my financial situation. I also don't want to go through the effort of getting a tpi 350, even though they are like $800 installed from friends(at least a month of work for them). I've covered the basics such as spark plug wires, spark plugs, some what good air filter, etc. Also when I floor the gas I kinda get a delay in acceleration, maybe fuel filter?

SSXeon5

Well I would highly recomend the Hooker Catback Exhaust for $263.00. They make great exhausts and will sound amazing. That will give prob 12-15hp im guessing, and is a good buy. Upgrade your carb and air cleaner to a Edlebrock Q-Jet Carb for $460.00, they will prob add another 12-15hp with a good edlebrock air cleaner like the elite ones. Hope that helps

SSXeon

Silver 3rd gen

I say Intake manifold and a mild cam ...would be a great start !!

Rice Killer87

yea,heh heh,cams are so awsome...whenever i blow my motor up again (well,hopefully i wont) ill be puttin a redical sounding 1 in!

jd13

I don't care what you've seen/heard or whatever, but no air filter will give you 8 hp. You'll be lucky to see .8 from a K&N.

Headers will give a solid gain. 10-15? I'm not too sure. I dropped nearly .2s in the 1/8 with just headers. Exhaust really wakes these cars up, so a catback is a must (I'd go with Hooker). Like said, an intake manifold and carb upgrade would help out too.

Beast5spdGTA

I would say headers will give you the most HP per $, get some used and it'll be even better. Try an open element air filter 14" X 3" which is less than $20. Make sure your timing is good/acurate. Cooler T-stat 180* or 160*. $15 for a few dragstrip runs will say a lot about your current power/state of tune.

My 305 TBI in sig has ~205 hp (178.1 RWHP) with only a few bolt ons and full weight 3500+lbs w/ driver.

Jim85IROC

Headers, cat, cat-back exhaust, new intake manifold, and a new cam should just about do it. An L69 is conservatively rated at 190hp, and the cam, exahust (exhaust manifolds to tail pipe), compression ratio, and maybe the intake manifold are the primary differences. You can't do much about your compression, but you can fix the rest.

Marc 85Z28

Headers, catback, intake, and aircleaner. 200HP should be easily attainable WITHOUT swapping a the cam.

And whatever you do don't waste $460 on a $hitty Edelbrock carb which you certainly don't need

Go here:
http://www.goingfaster.com/spo/carcraft325hp305.html

Jim85IROC

The cam in the LG4 sucks. Even if you do get 200hp, a cam is definately a cheaper way to get there. Look at the link you posted. They almost got to 200hp with exhaust work (that alone amazes me). They got another 25hp with an intake (also amazing). They got 45 horsepower just from the cam.

Beast5spdGTA

Yeah, but not everybody likes to swap their own cams, I'm currently 7hrs of work into mine and I just got the new cam in, still have to change valve springs and put it all back together. I'm figuring ~12hrs or so total. That's a lot of work probably cost $400+ in labor to let someone else do it for you. I agree the cam sucks, but I think you'll need the exhuast anyways to get that 45 hp gain.

83z28blue

Man, that was an awesome link there Marc. That's exactly the kind of stuff I wanted to know, real stats, with exact engine. I am now considering a good exaust system, but what to use, hooker or flowmaster. Flowmaster is more expensive though isn't it? Also, what would be best, new intake manifold or a new cam, with cost in mind. What would exaust and either one of those cost in Canada here? Or are there better upgrades to do. Sorry for such demanding questions, i just am not too good at the whole car and car parts thing.
Thanks

Marc 85Z28

It really doesn't matter what exhaust you go with. Just as long as it isn't stock. Just about any type of header, high flow 3" cat and 3" catback should do the job. You might see a small difference with certain combos, but all should work well. Muffler choice is more a sound issue than power.

And as far as cost effectiveness, a cam will make much more power than the intake for about the same price. HOWEVER, there is a lot of labor involved in swapping a cam, and is NOT something for a beginner to attempt. An intake swap is not that difficult on a carbed car. The cam in the LG4 is pitiful, but for the 200HP goal I'd stay away for now.

Get rid of that single snorkel aircleaner setup. Go with an open element or better yet, an 83-86 305 HO dual snorkel - if you can find one

Sorry, can't help you with the Canada issue

86 redbird

Not for sure without seeing it, but I would say that hesitation that your getting is from your Q-junk. I would look into having the carburetor rebuilt or tuned by someone who knows what they are doing. Q-jets can be tricky.

If money permits, I would look into a good holley or elderbrock carb.

Zepher

This combo got me about 200hp out of my LG4 motor.
Edelbrock 1406 carb
Edelbrock 7101 Performer RPM intake
Edelbrock Air cleaner
K&N Air Filter

I had stock manifolds and stock exhaust on the car and ran a 14.9 @ 91.67mph. Not bad for a 130K mile motor.
http://www.transamws6.com/pics/transam/Edelbrock.jpg

SSXeon5

Yeah ok your a cool guy those are really good carbs and yeah u dont need it, but it does help performance :P

SSXeon