Hey guys

I ran into a steal on a 84 305.

I've never owned a Camaro, but spend a lot of time turning wrenches on Jeeps. The guy trying to get rid of it claims that the timing belt is shot. Looking around at Oreilly's I can get a new one for pretty cheap. With the 4.0 in the Jeeps Ive worked on, getting at the timing chain was pretty simple but I have no clue about the 305. What all do I need to remove to get at it and how can I tell if it is only the timing chain giving it problems. Is there anything specific I should look for in an 84 to be weary of?

-Henry

 

84' timing chains are easy to swap as they didn't have the serpentine setup yet and the pesky aluminum accessory brackets that go with it. all you have to do to get to the chain is remove the belts, the water pump, and the lower pulley and balancer. Most accessories can remain in place with a few bolts removed from the brackets. take off the timing chain cover and swap the chain out. reassemble in reverse order! i couldnt tell you a good way to tell if that is all that is wrong as there are some other possibilities.
to me the biggest issue with the 84 305's was the electronically controlled carburator. personally i dont think the thing is worth much as anything but a boat anchor. i got rid of mine after about 2 years of near constant tuning issues with the thing. depending on your emissions rules you could either swap up to a tpi setup and computer or down to an 81 or 82 HEI ignition and electric choke carb. i went the 81 82 route and enjoyed it thoroughly. trouble free, forgiving for other upgrades, and relatively cheap for parts, the down side is it probably wont reliably pass the emissions test. mine was about 50/ 50 when i tried it. now that i live in an emissions controlled location i am switching to TPI. its not done yet so unfortunately i cant give you any advice there!