Dropping a throttle body 350, any suggestions?

by TJ77 Sun Aug 09, 2009 3:04 pm

Topic says it all! Gonna have to work something or with the intake, I'm sure, but other than that? Any ideas, let me know

by ant7377 Sun Aug 09, 2009 3:35 pm

You want o put a TBi on your car? Not for nothing but I would stick with a carb.

by TJ77 Sun Aug 09, 2009 4:50 pm

I plan on sticking with the carb. But I heard the intakes won't line up, or something. Is that true?

by Limey SE Sun Aug 09, 2009 6:12 pm

if you plann on sticking with carb the two different manifolds wont work together to my knowledge for one is carb'ed and the other is throttle body injection

by TJ77 Sun Aug 09, 2009 7:36 pm

Would the intake with the carb fit the motor? I think it's concidered a vortex

by 1973 454 MONTE Sun Aug 09, 2009 7:59 pm

the bolts that hold on the intake on a newer 350 go straight down into the heads.
an older 350 the bolts go in at an angle.

you need to but an carb intake for the newer motor.

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/EDL-2116/

by Limey SE Sun Aug 09, 2009 8:18 pm

They're intended for small block Chevy engines fitted with either 1996 and later cast iron Vortec heads, or Edelbrock's E-Tec aluminum heads......

My friend here local has the heads and manifold for sale for 500 for both if interested

by Limey SE Sun Aug 09, 2009 8:22 pm

also these are local to you in chi town his ad is as follows

SBC Alumnium Heads E-Tech 200 FRESH

ONE MORE TIME.......

Got a set of E-Tech 200 Heads complete

Maybe 40 passes made with them before they were just redone.....

Just had them decked and surfaced,
upgraded to K-Motion double springs good to a .750lift,
New retainers as well
stainless valves, so on and so on..... also have been ported
All work was done by Polarek Engines

They are in the bags and ready to go.

Stock they cost $1200 a pair........ got a reciept for $700 in recent work done......

Asking $950 OBO.....
I will also toss in a set of ARP head bolts for them as well

by TJ77 Sun Aug 09, 2009 8:58 pm

I checked the casting numbers and it's from 88-95 chevy. Possibly 4 bolt main?? I'm hoping. Came out of a truck. Guess there's a plate for the mechanical fuel pump. Now I heard something about the intake being a hair off. Can this be worked out?

by Limey SE Sun Aug 09, 2009 9:01 pm

thats where that one year difference will come into play.....and it will make the world of difference in the build

by TJ77 Sun Aug 09, 2009 9:06 pm

Maligoon, crazy things have happend with this car. I'm going crazy!

by Limey SE Sun Aug 09, 2009 9:10 pm

if it was me i would just get the vortec heads and matched manifold instead of just trying to make it work somehow you will spend more time,headache,money then it would be worth

by The Dude Mon Aug 10, 2009 12:38 am

Alright, at first you had me lost. I'm still lost kind of, but I will tell you what I know & see if this answers anything at all.

I assume you are wanting to know what needs to be done to drop the 350 into your car. The TBI 350s that came out of 88-95 trucks ARE NOT Vortec motors & it isn't called vortex heads. Just had to clear that up. You don't want a factory 4 bolt main & I don't know that they were available in later models anyways? I'm unsure of that part. I do know that 2 bolt main blocks are better for building, since you can buy splayed 4 bolt main caps & have them machined to fit. Splayed are much stronger.

Yes, the 96 & up vortec heads require a totally different intake, but tbi heads can use older intakes if you are willing to do some grinding on the intake bolt holes. If you really have the factory heads, the last 3 numbers on the casting should be 193. Pop out the intake valve & get ready to be either amazed or confused. There is a "swirl vane" in there to promote low speed swirl & torque. Depending on who you ask, these are either good or bad heads. They are good for low end torque & gas mileage, but they peter out after 4000 rpms & are not suited for high rpm use. I have a set that I might end up porting & using for my DD 350 build (thanks black).

Also,there's nothing wrong with TBI. It's probably the easiest of all fuel injection systems to tune, gets better gas mileage than a carb, & produces good torque. This is why 88-95 Chevy trucks were good work trucks & also why 305 TBI Camaros will keep up with 350 TPI Camaros stock for stock. Well that & the fact that 305s came with 5 speeds, lol. I have thought about using TBI in my 76, but I'll probably end up going carb'd.

If you want to be entertained for hours about these heads, look up "193 heads" "swirl port heads" or "TBI heads".

by novaderrik Mon Aug 10, 2009 10:08 am

not all 87-95 heads are crap. the L98 Camaro had a decent iron head on them- and that same head was used in Caprice cop cars in at least '87. they don't have the "swirl port" configuration like the "regular" heads of the vintage.
i've got a set of those heads on my Monte right now, and they made the stock 882's look like junk when i set them next to each other. better ports, smaller more contoured chamber, and just generally a better looking casting.
as for putting an old intake on the late model heads- it's easy. all you gotta do is grind the middle intake manifold holes on each side a little bit so the bolts will go in. either use a die grinder, or a die grinder bit in a drill. set the intake on the heads and you will see what needs to be done.
or you could get an intake for the 87 and newer heads- the last of the factory 4 barrel intakes (87 Monte SS, Caprice, truck, etc.) are pretty good for a factory intake and are made out of aluminum.
one thing that could be a problem with using a TBI motor in a carbed application is that some of the roller cam motors didn't have a lobe on the cam to run a mechanical fuel pump- i'm not sure about the flat tappet cams used in truck motors, tho.
and about the TBI setup- i'm seriously kicking around the idea of putting a TBI setup in the Monte. i've got the wiring harness in my 87 pickup and the ecm, intake, throttle body, and distributor out of a 92 Caprice. all i'd need is a gas tank with an internal pump and fuel lines. i know of a '91 Caprice in a junkyard that could donate all that. i like the TBI setup- i averaged 26mpg in my 92 Caprice cop car with the 350 and 3.42 gears. it also always started right up no matter what the weather was like and would do massive burnouts whenever i wanted to.

by The Dude Mon Aug 10, 2009 11:30 am

novaderrik wrote:not all 87-95 heads are crap. the L98 Camaro had a decent iron head on them- and that same head was used in Caprice cop cars in at least '87. they don't have the "swirl port" configuration like the "regular" heads of the vintage.

That's why I said to check the last 3 digits of the head casting. What castings are the TPI heads, I thought L98 heads were aluminum?

Flat tappet cams used in the 88-95 motors are the same as any flat tappet cam. No worries there. An upgrade to a factory style roller cam is easy on these motors as well.

by novaderrik Mon Aug 10, 2009 11:54 am

the Camaro L98 had iron heads. i can't remember the casting numbers right off hand, but they are still used on the 285hp replacement crate motors.
not every 87 and newer motor is set up for a roller cam. 87 F bodies and Caprice cop cars got roller cams in '87 and i think all cars went roller in '88, with the trucks keeping the flat tappet setup until the end of the '95 model year.
most 87-95 truck blocks don't have any provisions for the roller cam gear. the only way to know for sure is to look under the intake and see if it's got the tops of the lifter bores machined flat and the mounting bosses for the "spider" there and with the proper 5/16" tapped holes. there will also be a machined spot behind the cam gear for the cam thrust plate to mount to.

by The Dude Mon Aug 10, 2009 12:48 pm

All 3 truck motors that I've popped open had the revisions. Yes they were flat tappet motors, but on the ones I've opened up they just needed tapped. One was a 91, one was a 94, & the other one you would have to ask BlackChevelleSS, I got it from him.

Thanks for the heads up on L98 heads. So they are the same design & flow as the aluminum Corvette L98 heads right?

by novaderrik Mon Aug 10, 2009 4:58 pm

i don't know if they flow the same as the aluminum heads, but i do know that the chambers are bigger. the aluminum heads have 58cc chambers, and the iron heads are 64cc. the aluminum heads have the regular old intake bolt pattern, and the iron heads have the newer revised pattern with the middle bolts at a different angle.
every late model truck engine i've seen hasn't had any of the roller cam provisions-they were 87, 92, and a pair of 95 blocks. i've also got an 86 305 that had the one piece rear main seal but nor provisions for a roller cam, and i've seen an 86 350 block that was set up for the roller cam provisions, even tho i don't think there were any roller cams in '86.
they actually made quite a few different variations on blocks over the years.

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Dropping a throttle body 350, any suggestions?

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