tbi questions

[thetoystore]

ok i have a chance to buy a stupidly cheap 350 out of a 91 chevy truck. motor runs well (rode in it today) and it will come with everything needed to run. so my question is can this induction and motor be cheaply built to make any decent hp numbers? somewere around 250 to the wheels more is better but less is not an option. or would i be better off just thrown some cash at a carbed motor. this car will be have an ls1 in it winter after next i just want a dependable daily toy untill then

[Camaroholic]

With a homemade adapter plate (or a store bought one), you can bolt the throttle body on to any cheap old aluminum carb intake manifold... The motor I just took out of my 79 Z28 was TBI, I had a Performer intake manifold and an adapter plate on it. The regular iron TBI intake manifold is quite heavy and not all that great. A little fab time with a welder and some scrap steel came up with the throttle cable mount for it.

Thing you'll have to watch is hood clearance. Stack all that stuff up and it goes away quickly.

[thetoystore]

true did'nt think about the hood. the car i'm look'n at has a running 350 in it but i've just got spoilt by how easy fuel injection is

[hgerhardt]

... The regular iron TBI intake manifold is quite heavy and not all that great. ...

They made iron TBI manifolds? ALL of the ones I've ever seen are aluminum.

I did that retrofit to my '71 Chevy C20 about 15 years ago. I bought a complete TBI 350/700-R4 out of a Suburban which had allegedly 30K miles on it. I installed ALL of the sensors that the original car had, including the speedo sender, brake switch, check engine light, ALDL connector... and that's the best $600 I ever spent on that truck. We've put at least another 150K miles on it, towed my GTO all over the country, and nothing ever seems to go wrong with it (better find a piece of wood to knock on). It always runs perfectly.

Doesn't make huge power (200 HP), but it's adequate to tow a 6000-lb trailer and the driveability is fantastic. Especially compared to the original Q-jet 350 with T-350. It's perfectly happy with your foot to the floor going up the Grapevine with the A/C on and trailer hooked up. They're pretty indestructible.

[Chevy Kid]

They made iron TBI manifolds? ALL of the ones I've ever seen are aluminum.

I did that retrofit to my '71 Chevy C20 about 15 years ago. I bought a complete TBI 350/700-R4 out of a Suburban which had allegedly 30K miles on it. I installed ALL of the sensors that the original car had, including the speedo sender, brake switch, check engine light, ALDL connector... and that's the best $600 I ever spent on that truck. We've put at least another 150K miles on it, towed my GTO all over the country, and nothing ever seems to go wrong with it (better find a piece of wood to knock on). It always runs perfectly.

Doesn't make huge power (200 HP), but it's adequate to tow a 6000-lb trailer and the driveability is fantastic. Especially compared to the original Q-jet 350 with T-350. It's perfectly happy with your foot to the floor going up the Grapevine with the A/C on and trailer hooked up. They're pretty indestructible.

I agree 100%. I've got one in my 64 Nova and it runs like a top.

Tim