Originally Posted By: lifeson2112
OKay lets say I go buy one of those Edelbrock carbs from AutoZone, and want to bolt it on.
That's just throwing away money. As posted above, it will take more than one magical part to increase performance.
Not trying to be a [censored], but dealing with engine performance is like dealing with a chain. You are only as good as your weakest link. No matter how much you throw at an engine (parts/time/money) you are always limited by the weakest link, be it exhaust, induction, ignition, parts quality etc.
The goal is to set a TOTAL budget, an overall plan, and address the weakest links first. On almost any first gen smallblock, exhaust and cam are the primary weaknesses. You can throw a nice/higher CFM carb on there, but with a restrictive exhaust, and a factory cam (that is often a bit flat in a Chevy), you just wasted a lot of cash on a carb.
Put money into performance that can be "carried over". Frankly, spending money on any internal parts for a 305 is a losing battle in the performance war (especially heads). Money spent on exhaust, and to a certain extent, induction, can be carried over. If you are serious, time to upgrade to a 350 at least (or any 4"+ bore)so you can use big valve heads.