Finding the right cam for Chevy 305 from the lot of cam in the market isn’t a walk in the park.
To get the very best, you will need abundant evidence to help you decide on the best choice.
A bad camshaft, aside from other disadvantages; can reduce the performance of your engine and increase your fuel consumption.
No one wants this.
Today, our article reviews the top five cams for your Chevy 305.
There are high-quality brands like COMP Cams CL12-602-4 Big Mutha’ Thumpr 243/257 Hydraulic Flat Cam,
Chevy SB 283 305 327 350 400 RV Cam, Torque Camshaft Cam, and more.
To learn more about the cam for Chevy 305, keep reading.
A Quick Comparison of Top 05 Cam for Chevy 305
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What is the Top Cam for Chevy 305?
The COMP Cams CL12-602-4 Big Mutha’ Thumpr 243/257 Hydraulic Flat Cam are the best cams for Chevy 305.
They are known for their excellent services, as well as their standards.
Why is COMP Cam the Best Brand for Chevy 305?
The COMP cams CL12-602-4 Big Mutha’ Thumpr cams are designed with excellent features to fit the Chevrolet GEN 1 Small Blocks, which includes the 305 thus, providing the best solution for Chevy 305.
They also provide a broad torque curve and exceptional horsepower gains.
Best Cam For Chevy 305 (Reviews and Buying Guide)
You’ve been searching for some of the best camshafts for Chevy 305.
Look no further; we have picked the top five for you!
01. COMP Cams CL12-602-4 Big Mutha’ Thumpr 243/257 Cam
Highlighted Features:
- Cast iron material
- Hydraulic flat tappet cam type
- 3-Bolt camshaft gear attachment
- Fits Chevrolet 305 perfectly
- 107 lobe separation
- Comes as a complete kit
If you enjoy the loud sound of your exhaust while idling, the COMP Cams CL12-602-4 Big Mutha’ Thumpr is certainly for you.
Aside from having a powerful performance idle, this cam is packed with many benefits.
It is an excellent choice for street rods and muscle cars as it provides a broad torque curve and outstanding horsepower gains.
Your engine will get the boost it needs by engaging the valves for a pretty long time.
To take advantage of what this cam offers, we recommend an operating range of 2200 to 6100 RPM.
This range will improve the power and the torque at the highest.
The possibility of incomplete combustion is absent as its high compression is 9:1
Pros:
- More air intake
- Available in K-kit, GK, and CL
- 107 lobe separation
- Longer exhaust duration
Cons:
- Needs high vacuum pressure
02. Chevy SB 283 305 327 350 400 RV/TORQUE Cam
Highlighted Features:
- Good mileage
- Strong torque
- Smooth idle
- Excellent towing cam and RV
- Includes zinc oil additive
The Chevy SB 283 305 327 350 400 RV/Torque cam has good mileage and strong torque.
It is an excellent towing cam and RV. It has a smooth idle.
This cam is for non-computer-controlled engines and fits well with Chevy 305, helping its engine work excellently and also helping to reduce fuel consumption.
This is one of the best cams for Chevy 305.
Pros:
- Strong torque
- Good mileage
- Meets the required standard
- Reduces fuel consumption
- Perfect fit for Chevy 305
Cons:
- Limited to non-computer-controlled engines
03. Torque Camshaft Cam
Highlighted Features:
- Good idle
- Intake/exhaust lift 420
- Weighs 13.45 pounds
- 30.5 x 6 x 3.3 inches
- Does not fold
The Torque camshaft cam with flat tappet lifters comes with a zinc additive for break-in.
This cam has no noticeable sound via the exhaust and is an excellent low-end pulling cam for Chevy 305 and 4×4 trucks in general.
This cam works perfectly with Power Brakes and Air Conditioning. Exhaust/Intake lifts .420”.
Has .442 duration at .050” lift 201/214 smooth idle.
Pros:
- Good allowance for air intake
- Fits all 4×4 trucks
- Not expensive
Cons:
- Too many pits on the metal
04. RV Torque Camshaft Cam & Lifters Kit Plus Double Row Timing Kit
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Highlighted Features:
- Smooth idle
- Low-end pulling cam
- Good mileage
- Strong torque
- Excellent cam for towing
- Does not fold
The RV Torque camshaft cam and lifters kit has a Melling.
It is compatible with non-computer-controlled engines like the 1958-95 generation 1 small block Chevy engines.
This cam for Chevy 305 has good mileage, towing cam, excellent RV, smooth idle, and solid torque.
It is a great every day driven low-end pulling cam.
Pros:
- Great for towing
- Solid torque
- Great mileage
- Excellent drivability
Cons:
- Expensive
05. Chevy Cam Kit 268H timing springs
Highlighted Features:
- 1500-5500 RPM Power Range
- Falcon performance brand
- 458/458 Valve Lift
This cam comes in a kit and provides you everything required to change a cam for the street machine, as well as gaskets.
This cam is excellent for Chevy262-400 V-8 engines.
It has an excellent stock converter and possesses great street performance.
Its idle is choppy.
This kit includes a row timing set with a three-keyway crank sprocket, victor cam change gasket set, hardened valve locks, lifter set, and flat tappet cam.
Pros:
- Great street performance
- Provides everything required for a cam change
Cons:
- Expensive
Factors to Consider When Buying Cam for Chevy 305
Below are few factors to consider before buying cams for Chevy 305:
Compatibility
The cam you intend to buy must be compatible with your engine.
One mistake you do not want to make is over-cam with too much duration or valve lift.
The valve lift should not be too low or too high.
It must be perfect for the engine; else, the cams would become stuck up in position.
To get the best cam for Chevy 305, we recommend that you have a good concept about the specification of your engine – know your engine in general – after that, get a matching cam that fits.
RPM Range
It is unavoidably necessary to know the operating RPM range of your Chevy 305.
Perhaps you are wondering what this range is about;
the RPM is the best performing range of the engine.
It is crucial for the RPM range to match the engine;
otherwise, it would be useless.
When the cam complements the engine, it will help the engine run elegantly while lifting it and increasing its duration.
So, the place of a matching RPM cannot be overemphasized.
Valve Springs
One of the most commonly encountered challenges during the installation of a new cam is using valve springs that do not match with it.
You might not get the correct RPM performance or use because stock springs ate bound up or too weak to handle the lift.
With high lifts, one must use the valve springs recommended by the manufacturers.
However, stock springs work well for stock cams with low lifts.
Envisioned Usage
The envisioned usage of the vehicle is crucial as it plays a major role while searching for the cam you will need.
You want to start by being certain of the type of engine you intend to build.
Do you intend it for drag racing or daily driving?
It is also essential to check the gearing and transmission.
For obvious reasons, a longer duration profile and higher lift add up additional power.
However, if it does not align with the engine’s power and potential, it will have little or no effect.
Instead, it can be damaging to the engine.
FAQs
Can I Use Old Lifters with a New Cam?
Never use a new cam with a used lifter, but you can pair a well used filter with a new cam.
If you are taking off a good used lifter and cam and intend to reuse them in the same engine,
it is crucial that you keep the lifter in the same manner they were detached from the cam that they were previously on.
Precise lobes pair with their lifters and this cannot be changed.
How Do I Fix Incorrect Break-in?
Fill the crankcase with new, non-synthetic oil.
Do this after the accurate lubricant is introduced to the lifters and cam.
Use an electric drill and a priming tool to prime the oil system.
This enables all the oil to pass and causes the oil filter to become full.
There must be a timed ignition and the fuel system primed.
After that, fill the cooling system, start the engine, and run it between one thousand five hundred and three thousand RPM.
At break-in, ensure that the pushrods are spinning.
This will indicate that the lifters are also spinning.
If the lifters fail to spin, the lifter and cam lobe will fail.
Sometimes, you may have to rotate the pushrod for it to start the spinning process.
Can Mechanical Interference Have an Effect on My Cam?
Mechanical interference can have effects on your cam and can cause it to go bad.
Mechanical interference comes in different forms:
Valve to piston interference
This happens when a variation in cam specs is sufficient to cause the piston and valve to contact.
This challenge can also occur when the valve size increases.
There has to be at least a 100-inch exhaust and a .080-inch intake.
Spring coil bind
This occurs when there is contact between all the coils of the spring before the valve completely lifts.
Valve springs must be able to move a minimum of .060 inches beyond the cam’s valve lift from its height.
Retainer to seal
There should be a minimum of .060 inches of clearance between the valve guild’s top and the bottom of the retainer when the valve is at complete lift.
Can Inaccurate Valve Spring Pressure Cause My Cam to Fail?
Yes, incorrect valve spring pressure can cause your cam to fail.
Do not install valve springs without authenticating the accurately assembled pressures and heights.
The recommended valve spring pressures are highlighted below:
- Mechanical street roller cams: Below one hundred and fifty pounds.
- Radical street flat tappet cams: Between one hundred and five to one hundred and thirty pounds.
- Street-type flat tappet cams: Between eighty-five to one hundred and five pounds
- Street-type hydraulic roller cams: Between one hundred and five to one hundred and forty pounds.
For street use, race roller cams having high valve spring pressure and lift are not recommended.
This is because of the lack of oil splash on the cam at a lower running speed.
The springs have to be assembled to the suggested height by the manufacturer.
Can Excessive End Play Cause My Cam to Fail?
A thrust plate controls some cam’s backward and forward movement in certain engines.
For these engines, their recommended end play amount is between -003 to .008 inches.
End play can change due to many factors such as timing gears, thrust plates, or during the installation of a new cam.
Suppose the end play is too much, it will cause the cam to move back in the block.
And this would cause the side of the lobe to have contact with an adjacent filter.
What Can Cause a Cam to Break?
A broken cam usually occurs when a connecting rod or other spinning part loosens and strikes it.
The cam will sometimes break after a short period of use due to a fracture or a crack in the cam.
Such fracture or crack can be caused by inappropriate handling before installation or rough handling when shipping.
Is It Safe to Drive with a Bad Cam?
You can keep driving your car if the car runs without a stall, acceleration issues, or a funny sound.
But if the vehicle isn’t running as it should, then contemplate replacing the crankshaft sensor.
However, we recommend that you run an accurate test before doing that.
Can My Car Run with a Broken Cam?
A broken cam can have a significant impact on the top end of your car’s engine,
causing severe damage to parts such as pistons, valves, crankshaft, connecting rods, cylinder blocks, and heads.
What are the Signs that My Cam Position Sensor is Failing?
If your vehicle fails to drive like it used to, stalls often idle roughly, has a reduced gas mileage, stumbles often, accelerates slowly, or has a reduced engine power, these are pointers that your cam position sensor could be bad or failing.
How Does a Cam Duration Affect Performance?
At high RPM, a longer duration allows more exhaust to escape.
It also fills the cylinder and produces more power.
On the contrary, at reduced RPM, the open valves decrease the piston’s pumping pressure, causing less low-end power and a reduction in cylinder pressure.
What are Some Top Reasons for Lifter and Camshaft Failure?
There are several reasons for lifter and camshaft failure, some of which includes the following:
- Incorrect valve train control
- Coil bind
- Incorrect cleaning of lifters
- Wrong break-in oil for cams
- Ignition cut rev limiters
Can Oil Contamination Destroy my Cam?
During assembly, no engine can be too clean.
Although cleaning a block can be very time-consuming and commonly requires equipment such as a heated parts washer and a hot tank,
the possibility of getting around the bottle brushes is slim.
Bearings, lifters, and cams rely on a microscopic layer of lubricating oil to prevent them from galling.
Any grit or debris suspended in the oil turns into an abrasive that immediately gets stuck in the close clearance or destroys their surfaces.
When those life-giving oil passages are blocked, the lifter or bearing starts to fail.
This is particularly true of surplus material haggard during installation that drops the block or silicon contamination remaining from the surfaces of gaskets.
The bottom line is, if you want your lifters and cams to live, it has to be clean.
Can High Oiling Temperature or Insufficient Oiling Cause my Cam to Fail?
Appropriate oiling is crucial to the life of lifters and cams.
There are four Rs of appropriate oiling, and they are as follows:
- Getting the Right Oil
- Introducing it in the Right place
- In the Right time
- The Right Amount
Oil temperatures do not spike under normal working conditions.
A mechanical blockage or bind causing surplus heat is usually the cause of rising oil temperature.
Mechanical blockage includes lifter sticking in a clogged or bore passage.
Pressure and heat are required by ZDDP wear additives to release the zinc molecule and create the protective phosphate layering in a calculated and even amount.
With too much heat, the chemical reaction that creates the layering will not occur, and the additive will become antioxidants and, after that, get consumed.
And when this happens, the damage will occur.
There will be insufficient oil depth or the absence of padding between the moving parts when there is low oil pressure.
And when this happens, moving parts touch and produce heat and then start to fail.
For every 1,000 RPM, we recommend 10 lbs. of oil pressure.
A high-capacity oil pump is advised when improving RPM.
Final Thought
The correct cam will not only provide extra torque and power for your engine but will also help you to conserve fuel consumption.
After the installation of a cam, you will notice an advance in the mileage of gas.
For this reason, you want to get the best cams for your Chevy 305 with all the features we have mentioned in the buyer’s consideration.
We hope that our article helps you with the selection of Chevy 305 cams.