How to Carb My TBI?
09-01-2003, 10:06 PM
#1
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Location: Stillwater, OK
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How to Carb My TBI?
I'd like to put in a nice crate motor (350 Carbed) into my RS. The problem is, it's gonna be carburated. What do I need to complete the swap? A new fuel pump perhaps? How do I get all my gauges to work? Can the 700R4 be re-used? What about my cooling fans? Motor mounts?
At first I was thinking about a Vortec Heads + LT1 Cam combo..and I'd be stuck with about 200 RWHP.
Then I thought about an LT1 swap. The hassles and pricing would mean I'd get a better deal from selling the RS and just buying an LT1 since you can get them for about $6000 now.
So final option would be a nice crate motor from MAS - 385 HP from a 350 for $3500 - dyno sheets included.
Thank you for all the replies.
At first I was thinking about a Vortec Heads + LT1 Cam combo..and I'd be stuck with about 200 RWHP.
Then I thought about an LT1 swap. The hassles and pricing would mean I'd get a better deal from selling the RS and just buying an LT1 since you can get them for about $6000 now.
So final option would be a nice crate motor from MAS - 385 HP from a 350 for $3500 - dyno sheets included.
Thank you for all the replies.
09-01-2003, 10:44 PM
#2
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Location: Markham, ON
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good call on the 350 if your getting a motor and have any mechanical skills i always reccomend buying a short block and putting whatever combo you want together. Either way if your getting a 350 crate motor might as well look at getting a 383 crate motor not too much more expensive and will give you a little bit more bang for your buck. Either way i think as long as your going from an sbc to an sbc the motor mounts should work. Your tranny should be fine (depending on how powerful the motor is you might blow it up at some point but it will at least bolt up you can always get it rebuilt anyways.) everything else someone else will have to answer
09-01-2003, 11:02 PM
#3
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Location: Commiskey,IN USA
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Your fuel pump will work but you'll need a pressure regulater.Your motor mounts will work,You'll also need a coil in cap HEI dist. and the trans will work but may need some upgrades to handle the increase in power over the 305.I've converted over TBI and TPI
cars to carb and it's actually a easy swap it's just all the wireing can be a little intimidateing.Any questions just ask.
cars to carb and it's actually a easy swap it's just all the wireing can be a little intimidateing.Any questions just ask.
09-02-2003, 06:32 PM
#5
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Leave your stock wiring just like it is. Tie the unused connectors (i.e. TPS, injectors, ESC, etc.) in a bundle somewhere out of the way. You might need it all one day. You can take the stock sensors out of your old engine and put them in the same places on the crate motor, and all the gauges will work (except the tach, which you'll need to wire to the new distributor.) You'll also need to run a power wire to the distrib, you can pull it off the fuse box "ignition" terminal IIRC. It would also be a good idea to take the bulb out of the "check engine" socket, because the ECM is going to sh** a brick when it sees all the FI stuff missing. That's the easy way to do it.
09-02-2003, 07:50 PM
#6
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J is rite but you don't have to run a hot lead from your fuse box to the dist. The wires that now go to the dist./coil will have a heavy guage wire amoung them that just needs to have a different plug on the end of it to connect to the distributer and the same go's for the tach wire.The tach wire should be white and the hot for the distributer is thicker than the rest and I think it's red.I'll have to go look at my Iroc to be sure but rite now it's raining cats&dogs
here now.
here now.
cats and dogs that cant be good for your paint!!!
09-03-2003, 08:02 PM
#9
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Originally posted by TheGreatJ
Leave your stock wiring just like it is. Tie the unused connectors (i.e. TPS, injectors, ESC, etc.) in a bundle somewhere out of the way. You might need it all one day. You can take the stock sensors out of your old engine and put them in the same places on the crate motor, and all the gauges will work (except the tach, which you'll need to wire to the new distributor.) You'll also need to run a power wire to the distrib, you can pull it off the fuse box "ignition" terminal IIRC. It would also be a good idea to take the bulb out of the "check engine" socket, because the ECM is going to sh** a brick when it sees all the FI stuff missing. That's the easy way to do it.
Leave your stock wiring just like it is. Tie the unused connectors (i.e. TPS, injectors, ESC, etc.) in a bundle somewhere out of the way. You might need it all one day. You can take the stock sensors out of your old engine and put them in the same places on the crate motor, and all the gauges will work (except the tach, which you'll need to wire to the new distributor.) You'll also need to run a power wire to the distrib, you can pull it off the fuse box "ignition" terminal IIRC. It would also be a good idea to take the bulb out of the "check engine" socket, because the ECM is going to sh** a brick when it sees all the FI stuff missing. That's the easy way to do it.
09-03-2003, 08:35 PM
#10
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The ECM will still control your cooling fans as long as you leave it connected to the appropriate sensors. The first time you start it up after the swap, the computer will throw every code it can think of and go into "limp home" mode. It will operate everything that's still hooked up based on those parameters.
Also the power wire to the stock distributor isn't quite big enough to support the draw of a coil-in-cap style HEI setup. You really do need to run a seperate (larger) supply wire.
Also the power wire to the stock distributor isn't quite big enough to support the draw of a coil-in-cap style HEI setup. You really do need to run a seperate (larger) supply wire.
09-04-2003, 06:54 AM
#11
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I've used the stock power wire for the distributer before and never had any problems,actually my TBI Formula I use to own I did that way and then put 30,000 or so miles on the car before I sold it and I never had any problems with the stock dist. hot wire being big enough.
09-04-2003, 12:04 PM
#12
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I just know that I've seen a few cars that have been changed to HEI with high-rpm misfire problems. The coil can't charge up fast enough through the stock wire, and when you run a heavier-gauge supply it fixes the problem. Maybe it's only an issue with a high-output coil.....
09-05-2003, 12:21 PM
#13
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