Hot Rod Forum banner
Status
Not open for further replies.

stock power build 305 chevy circle track engine

43K views 22 replies 6 participants last post by  BigEd36  
#1 ·
im looking to build a 305 (they dont allow 350s) for my circle track car. i am limited to stock parts, and only a .030 overbore.
pistons must be cast dished pistons
cam is a .420 lift rule
i have 601 or 416 casting heads no vortec heads
stock aluminum intake manifold and must run a q-jet carb
I cannot gasket match or port.( no grinding of castings allowed )
the rules are very strict. i would like tips on the best pistons to use with the shallowest dish, the best cam to run (nonroller flat tappet hydraulic lifter and custom grinds are ok)
which bearings are best. the best bearing tolerances to use as well as end play would be much appreciated. also i have a 1 and or 2 piece rear main seal block which is best

the car is an 81 monte with a turbo 350 and 2.73 gearset run solely in 1st gear

the track is a 3/8 mile banked clay oval with medium to high bank

any and all info would be much appreciated
 
#3 ·
sadly no i cant use a gm 302. strictly a 305 in a gm car, and only a 302 ford in a ford car. i cannot intermarrage motor to car or id run a FORD 302 in my chevy ha. i can however use internals from different engines as long as the dimentions are similar. like using a 350 crank but they are heavier so i wouldnt.
 
#5 ·
raced roundy for 13 yrs

I used to 5 angle grind the intake seats with the 5th angle basically being a plunge cut to open up the throat, Id flow it on the bench and pick about 20 cfm, pretty decent. theres no grinding so technically its a strait up valve job.

Many stock Chev heads have a horrible short side radius on the exhaust port, the 305 is no exception. There's a corner cast in there or just left behind by production and you can feel it with your finger, i used to grind this out, leave it with a rough finish, once the engine is run this mod is undetectable as the port gets carboned and looks like a normal port.
now she can breath a bit better.

Run your lifters at or very near zero lash, pry the clips out and put in 3/4" cir-clips, your cam can now behave a little like a solid on the top end and theres no pump up of the lifters.

try and make compression anyway you can because this will pull you out of the corners, factory 305s come with tin head gaskets but the aftermarket don't sellim, you can use 350 tins and they should still work.

You can dish a 305 flat top no problem on a lathe, pretty much all dished pistons are machined flat tops anyway, any good machinist could put a small dish in your set for you in about an hour and a half.
 
#7 ·
Use an inverted dome piston w/a tight quench. KB sells a 10cc dish like this but you may be able to find a smaller dish elsewhere.

There are lift rules circle track cams by several manufacturers. I like Isky for circle track, but there are others that are good, too. The duration is what you will need to look at the closest, along w/the intake closing point. You'll probably find that a relatively close LSA will work well but I wouldn't go overboard w/it. Something in the 104 to 106 degree area is where I'd start.

I'd use a short travel hydraulic lifter and very little preload even though Crower makes a cheater (their word) lifter that looks just like a hydraulic but is a solid. No need to cheat- this sounds like a drivers class anyway, and if you go flying by everyone, you will get protested and torn down w/o a doubt. And if the scrutineers are worth their salt you will be caught.

There are fast bleed down like Rhodes and Rhodes V-Max lifters that could be useful for lowering the duration seen at the valve. Even though they also lower the lift, it's the loss of duration on the bottom end (you get it back above 3-4000 rpm) that would help more than the loss of lift will hurt when using a cam that has a ton of duration @ 0.050" lift. It would allow you to pull harder off the corners, while allowing for more top end than you could ordinarily get using the same cam w/normal hydraulic lifters. These lifters are also used where there is a vacuum rule because they increase the vacuum over a normal lifter at idle.

Note- There are other thoughts on lashing hydraulic lifters as well as camshaft specs. Study the subject carefully and see what you come up with.

I'd want 0.080" wall pushrods, screw in studs and guideplates and a spot on valve train geometry. The rest of that page has a number of points that need to be checked, too.

There are authorities on reworking 305 heads for max performance that hopefully will add their thoughts so I'll leave that to them.

Use as accurate of a rocker arm ratio as possible. This can make a big difference considering stock rockers have been measured to have as little as 1.35:1 ratios! You're already lift limited, so you want to keep what little you have. Instead of GM rockers, look into a set of Crane stamped rockers. There are others as well, but Crane is what I have experience with.

The carb could fill a book, suffice to say it needs to be spot-on and tuning it will matter a great deal. Be prepared to go to school if you don't know them well now, or to pay a good chunk o' change on a custom unit from Ruggles or Jet.

Ignition timing may also be important if the engine is cycling from relatively low to high RPM during the course of a lap. But if you are maintaining at least 3000 rpm, the timing really only needs to be set to the max power timing and left there. You might try experimenting w/a curve to see if there's something to be had, but don't be surprised if the lap times as as good w/the timing locked. No need for a vacuum advance, so remove it and use a lock out plate in its place. These were on production vehicles for a couple years during the '80s, but you can buy or make one easily enough.

The exhaust system can fill a book, too. I would give a hard look at using a single exhaust system. They can make superior low end torque and are lighter. Otherwise, use a crossover and if you have to run mufflers put them as far to the rear as you can.

There's just soooo much more, but given the scope of an internet post, that's about it for me. I'll end by saying that handling is as important- if not more so- than hp.

Good luck.
 
#8 · (Edited)
Too bad you can't use a 307, I would take a 307 over a 305 any day.

jerethei, post your rules or a link to your rules if you can, it would help us help you.

That's a weird piston rule, I've seen rules requiring a dish or flat top piston, but never a dish piston only rule. If allowed, a d-cup/reverse dome style piston like Cobalt327 mentioned would give you the best quench. In the KB listings the KB145 hypereutectic has a 12cc D-cup dish (it's the only dish piston I see listed). Is there a compression ratio rule? If using a brand of cast/hypereutectic piston other then KB be aware that many of the pistons have the "rebuilder piston" shorter compression height and would need extra block decking to get the piston's deck height where you want it for a good tight quench.

As far as running a 350 crank in a 305, the main factor in the heavier weight for a 350 crank is because of balancing for the larger (heavier) pistons in a 350. A 350 crank balanced for 305 pistons will need weight removed, which is MUCH better than having to have heavy metal added to a crank. If you ever need to have a bunch of heavy metal added to a crank to balance it, you may want to be setting on the commode when you get the bill, 'cause you're gonna sh**!!:eek:

Cobalt 327 has already mentioned Isky cams, which are good. Howards Cams also make lift rule cams, and has a pretty extensive listing of .420 lift rule grinds, most have multiple choices on the LSA of 106*, 108*, 110*, or 112*. Check 'em out here, scroll about 2/3 down the page to the lift rule cams. There's enough grinds that it would take 2 screen shots for me to post just the .420 lift cams as attachments. For a reasonable price you can have them grind whatever you want. Don't get carried away with the duration, remember the rpm ranges in the cam listings are for 350's, a 305 will move the band up a few hundred rpm. Unless you have a vacuum rule I don't believe you'll get much benefit from the Rhodes style lifters. I've raced on quite a few oval tracks, usually the revs only vary about 1000 rpm. Once you're under green I don't think you'll drop the revs enough for the bleed down feature to come into effect, unless you're geared too high. With 6.88 overall gearing (your 2.73's times 2.52 low in the TH350) that shouldn't happen. Actually, 6.88 seems like quite a bit of gear for a 3/8 with high banking, 2.56 or 2.41 ratios may help keep the engine in a better range in the power band.

I'll quote Cobalt327 because this needs to be emphasized: "handling is as important- if not more so- than hp." From what you've told us (and without seeing your rules) I suspect you're very limited on chassis mods and tires allowed, either DOT tires or a narrow, hard, hockey puck style tire. Once you have enough HP to spin tires, more HP only makes your car harder to drive. Especially if your track is normally dry-slick it doesn't take a lot of HP to run up front. A good driver in a good handling car with a solid engine that can finish races without destroying itself or overheating will put you with the leaders at the finish.
 
#9 ·
Big, the KB186 is spec'ed at 10cc according to Summit. Click on image for full description.



I found it odd, too that they specifically call for a dished piston. And a Q-jet instead of some type of 2-barrel.

I wonder if dishing your own piston would be allowed- or tolerated. If this is like so many other "hobby stock" classes, almost no protests are lodged because the whole lot is illegal in one way or another, so no one wants to be the one to cast the first stone.
 
#11 ·
The KB186 is for a 3.75" stroke with 5.7" rods. In a .030 over 305 it'll be a 334! The Summit listing doesn't show the same picture as shown on the KB website, wonder if the pistons have been changed recently. The attachment shows the KB listing for the KB186, the picture shows a very different piston than the Summit listing.
 

Attachments

#12 ·
Wow! These rules are really serious about keeping things pretty stock. But.....if they don't enforce them the rules are worthless. Instead of keeping a level playing field for the low $$$$ teams, they're just handicapping them if they try to race by the rules and guys are trying to buy wins with illegal equipment and $$$$.

ENGINES

• 305 GM. 302 Ford only! No intermarriage of engine to frame.

ENGINES MAY BE BORED TO A MAXIMUM .030 OVERBORE

• No fuel injectors. No turbo.
• Aftermarket gaskets allowed.
• Carburetors- Must be Quadra jet (GM) or Motorcraft (Ford). Any stock OEM two barrel. Two (2) barrel carb on two (2) barrel intake. Four (4) Barrel carb on four (4) barrel intake. No adapters.
• Only choke mechanisms may be removed from the carburetor.
• No racing fuel or additives. (92 octane maximum).
• CAMSHAFT 420 MAX LIFT MAX LIFT AT THE VALVE. 421 IS ILLEGAL
• No HP stamped motors (HP=228.305).
• STOCK OR STOCK REPLACEMENT CAST DISH PISTONS ONLY
• No angle milling or performance enhancing work on heads or block.
• No vortex heads.
• No grinding of any castings. SURFACING TO CLEAN UP CYLINDER HEADS ALLOWED. Combustion chambers must still CC correct stock volume.
• Crankshafts may be cleaned up to .010 under, Mains and rods. One time only.
• No valve spring shims. Must have rotators. Spring shield may be removed.
• Head numbers allowed: 305

GM 305 cylinder head numbers allowed:
10065205 • 10065207 • 10159551 • 10159553 • 12509859
14010201 • 14014415 • 14014416 • 14014440 • 14020555
14022301 • 14022601 • 14022801 • 14039122 • 1403912
14101081 • 14102187 • 14102191
354434 • 358741 • 376450

302-(D80E, D70E, D50E). Heads must match the C.I.D.

Ford cylinder head numbers allowed:
F1ze • f3ze • f4ze. NO GT40P OR F77E CASTING NUMBERS ALLOWED


• Valves must be stock dimensions.
• No interchanging of rocker arms or ratios. 1.52:1 ON GM 1.60:1 ON FORD
• No offset key in crank. Damper must match CID.
• MAY DEGREE CAMS. DOUBLE ROLLER TIMING SETS ALLOWED
• No screw-in studs.
• Pinning of 3 studs per head max (per side)
• No roller cams.
• No balancing of motors.
• Intake manifold must match C.I.D. of motor.
• Stock distributor only. (Stock working order). Vacuum advance may be disconnected, but not removed.
• No propane or marine intakes.
• Must use stock oil pans. Valve covers may be altered to accept one breather. All holes in valve cover may be plugged. MAY USE ANY AFTERMARKET STEEL VALVE COVER(S) WITH UP TO TWO(2) BREATHERS ON DRIVERS SIDE VALVE COVER.
• Aftermarket air filters allowed.
• Thermostat may be removed.
• Alternator may be removed.
• EGR valve may be removed and holes may be plugged.

FORDS WILL BE EVALUATED AND REVIEWED MONTHLY ON COMPETITIVENESS. RULES MAY CHANGE FOR FORDS BASED ON THOSE EVALUATIONS.
STOCK OR STOCK REPLACEMENT CAST DISH PISTONS ONLY
emphasized all in capitals, wonder if the d-cup/reverse dome pistons will be allowed.

No valve spring shims. Must have rotators. Spring shield may be removed
- No shims? Guess you better not have old weak springs, how would you correct the tension?

No balancing of motors
Motors are balanced from the factory, how are they going to tell if you balanced it or the factory did. If an engine is rebuilt with the allowed .030 overbore it's gonna throw off the factory balance, and should be rebalanced unless the piston weights are very close.
 
#13 ·
There's a Guy here who's building engines and wants 2500 bucks he gets custom ground came. And the lobe separation angle is 108 degrees but the lift isn't Max the motors have mad low end torque all on pump gas I'm looking for torque out of the corner more than top end I'm only hitting probably 5800 rpm before I let off. Any setup to help bite would be appreciated as well.
 
#14 ·
They are quick to pull valve covers and drop oil pans but that's it. There is a bunch of whiners who are quick to throw down the protest fee to tear down someone. A Guy could argue that those pistons are dished being there's more than just valve reliefs in the pistons and aren't the technically a cast part which is then machined?
 
#19 ·
310 or 334 what gives?



They are quick to pull valve covers and drop oil pans but that's it.

Are you bein strait up with us, in 13 yrs a racin i never saw a pan dropped on any car in any class. they pump the motor if there lookin for stroker oversize.

strokin a 305 to run in pure stock is over the top. Are you really buildin this or anything for that matter?, sure there's block machining and whole bunch a other stuff too.!.
 
#17 ·
Forget the 3.75" crank- you'll be busted in a NY minute. I wouldn't even use the inverted dome pistons unless they said specifically and in writing they're legal. It wouldn't be the first time your were told one thing then when the angry crowd surrounds the officials they change their tune. If it's not in writing, do not do it, period- unless you are willing to risk losing a protest.

And w/the rules you have (stock chamber size and dished pistons = a cr of about 9.4:1), they're not all that critical, anyway- you have enough octane available to quell detonation even w/full power ignition advance, so just optimize the quench to 0.040" w/the round dish pistons and call it good.
 
#18 ·
I have a few ideas,,, are you allowed to change the valves to after market? how honest of a guy are you? remember smokey Yunick loved rules.He found many flaws to exploit,lol.Big Ed, what do you think of a 104 intake centre for monster torque at low RPM?
 
#21 ·
Jerethei, I can see where you could get confused, especially if you're not real familiar with the specs on Chevy small blocks. A stock 305 has a 3.736" bore with a 3.48" stroke. The KB145 piston I suggested is for a 305 with a .030" overbore (3.766") which gives you 310 cubic inches. The KB186 is for a .030 overbore with a 3.75" stroke crank, which is used in the factory 400, 383 stroker (based on a 4" bore block with .030 overbore) and a 334 stroker (based on a 305 block with .030 overbore). So if you were to use the KB186 and a 3.75 stroke crank you would be building a 334, which would be illegal by your rules. The advantage to these D-cup/reverse dome pistons is the big quench pad. The quench pad matches to the flat part of the chamber in the head. Your quench measurement is the piston's deck height (how far the top of the piston is down from the block deck) plus the head gasket thickness. With a tight quench clearance around .040" between the piston and the head you get better detonation resistance so you can run higher compression ratios & more advanced ignition timing without detonation on the same octane rating gasoline. But, with your rules limiting the chamber size to stock and requiring dished pistons, your static compression ratio will be around 9:1, maybe 9.3 or 9.4:1. At that level with premium pump gas you will be able to run your ignition timing at a level for maximum power (around 36*) without detonation, so there really is no advantage in the reverse dome pistons for you. That's why Cobalt327 recommended to just use lower cost dish pistons and build with a .040" quench height.

The quench height is also why I recommended to be aware of the piston compression height when you buy your pistons. The piston compression height is the distance from the center of the piston pin to the top of the piston. The factory spec for a 305 and a 350 is 1.56". Many aftermarket pistons have a shorter compression height, (1.54" or .020" shorter is common) since it's normal for a rebuilder to deck the block, this keeps the piston the same distance "in the hole". The factory spec is .025" in the hole. .025" in the hole plus an .015" thick head gasket (the FelPro 1094) gives you .040" quench height. There's many combos of piston deck height (in the hole) and head gasket thickness that will give a quench of around .040. If you use "rebuilder pistons" that are .020" shorter in an undecked block, now your pistons are .045" in the hole, even with a thin .015" head gasket your quench is now .060". At .060" quench you've pretty much lost the benefit of quench. Also, since opening the quench distance leaves more space between the piston and the head, it slightly lowers your compression ratio. A rebuilder piston in an undecked block is about .045" in the hole, with a common .041" thick composite head gasket (like the FelPro 1003) you have a quench of .086", basically you have no quench. This is is why you have to co-ordinate the piston compression height, block deck height, and head gasket thickness, for the compression ratio and the quench height.

I didn't mean to make this post a mini novel, but I hope I've helped you understand this a little better.
 
#22 ·
I'd just put new rings and bearings in a good 305, swap the cam and springs and let it run as is while you get the rest of the car setup.

with the rules being that tight there won't be much of a power difference even if you do exploit the rules to the max, which is probably the intent.

One thing that it does not mention that I would do is fill the exhaust heat crossover.

Also with really restricted lift your valve job will mean a LOT, so you may want to focus your efforts there.
 
#23 · (Edited)
I agree, a fresh 305 ( or 310 with a .030 overbore) with a lift rule cam and fresh valve springs should get it done in this class. Plugging the exhaust crossover is a good idea. With "• No angle milling or performance enhancing work on heads or block." in the rules I'm not sure even a 3 angle valve job will be allowed. Most shops do a 3 angle valve job as a matter of course anymore. If it's allowed I would sure have one.

Jerethei, what cam have you been running. If you don't want to say on the open forum PM me.

Ed
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
You have insufficient privileges to reply here.