never heard of a timing light lying before. i guess everyone these days are guessing at thier timing.....

 

i agree the rear end is the best choice. cams make a huge difference but are half as useful without headers.

 

if your gonna go to the trouble of sticking your hands in a dirty stinky rearend, don't settle with 3:73. 4:10 is the only way to go. most people believe that 4:10 is too much for a daily driver. usually people that have never actually messed with gears. believe me, your *** or your pocket book will never know the difference but the pavement will. Sick

 

I will agree with you sick that 4:10's launch good and let the smoke out of the tires. However you must understand that the incresed drivetrain speed associated with lower gear ratios will shorten rearend bearing and ujoint life, and have a tendancy to be noisier. Something to consider if you plan on a daily driver, how often do you feel like going in and changing bearings? I had 3:73's in my 79Z. Around town they were great, but, after a half hour going to work I could'nt stand it. And do I need to mention fuel mileage? I know that some guys like that race car feel as I once did, maybe at 31 I'm just getting old, but, I just enjoy driving my Z and I appreciate that more than launching hard and smoking tires. After surviving 27 years, I think my Z dose to.

 

Nope. Im 33 and I just wanna smoke tires. Which brings me to my next question...Why cant I??? (Smoke my tires?) Again, a refresher....1982 Z28, 305 w/ Edlebrock intake and 600 cfm carb. Posi rear. A/C and all smog crap removed. Car still needs some tweaking, (she sat for about 3 years) but IM really not impressed with her performance. Car feels about the same as my 79 Volare used to. (with a stock 318 4 bbl..) Off the line she is a DOG, and even when I load the gas and hold the brake, I really cant get the tires to roast. I know my timing is still a little off (I think IM running about 9 degrees) but man, I had really expected more. Do I just need to get her fine tuned, or is this all she's gonna be capable of?

 

not ******* you or nothing but its not a suprise that a 305 with intake and carb cant burnem up unless you do a brake stand. you said its a dog off the line, what intake manifold do you have on it? How many miles is on the cam and lifters? and what do you have for rear tires? i would prefer spending hte money on a 350, but if you want to stick with the 305, get a good bottom-mid end cam, and an intake manifold that matches it perfectly. get it on a dyno and find what advancement it makes its most power and get the carb tuned perfectly. theres more to an edelbrock then finding where it may sound good. tune one saide at a time, then when you make the other side catch up, put your hands over the exhaust and feel the exhaust waves. the pressure waves should be even spread out and as smooth as possible, that will tell you both sides are feeding a the same rate. and watch for bubbles in the fuel filter, bubbles mean its set too rich. ofcoarse you would need a see through filter.

 

Tires- old, nasty dried out 215/65-15's
Cam and lifters, miles ?- dunno. Im assuming stock, about 120K if origional speedo is correct.
Intake- an old Edlebrock performer, I believe.

I tuned the carb as stated, each side by itself. No bubbles in my clear fuel filter. (please explain that logic?)

What do you suggest for timing? My buddy (Ford/GM certified tech) set timing at 9 degrees. It seemed to run right, but Im now noticing lots of lifter knock/ping under light accel and just after passing gear lets off. Also, she is hard to start, cranks real slow and then catches. Which way do I turn to retard timing?

I know the 305 isnt a monster engines, but I had expected at least some tire squealing fun.

 

Retarding the timing is counter clockwise and advancing is clockwise.

Go to jegs or summit and get a kit. I think they sale a cam and intake kit. i think i would recommend the edelbrock torquer intake and cam.

 

counter clockwise is advancing the timing. when timing your engine, turn it o****er clockwise until the starter has a lot of trouble turning the motor over. that means its very far advanced. back it off a little bit at a time and try starting the car after each time. once the cars running good with a far advance, take the car for a good drive and if the motor knocks, lower the advance a little more until that is also clear. if you want to play it safe, get it at exact TDC and advance about 8 degrees or so.

 

replacin gears its easy but if you dont know how to do it it will make a weird noise