Alright, I have a 91 TA with a weak 305 TPI. I want to swap my engine to a 350 and I only have $2000. I'll be doing the work myself. I would like to keep my TPI setup so I was thinking a stock 350 longblock would be the way to go. Autozone has them for about $1100 but they wont take my 305 as a core, so it would be more like $1500. With new injectors...$200, and $300 or so for all the little parts(knock sensor, AFPR, Prom burning stuff)....I can afford this. I'm just curious if this is the only option I have? Is this what you guys would do if you were in my position? If I swap the gear I would be around 245HP? Does this sound right? thanks

dont get an autozone engine... Id look for a gmgoodwrech engine. They can be had for as low as 1300 bux(less shipping) and they conme with nice warantees. And, best of all, their NEW! Just look around some. I swapped my lo3 for around 2100 dollars 1345 for the motor (2 piece 350), 430 dollars for the intake (pre 86 performer) and headers (tes), and around another 250 some odd dollars for odds and ends.

I haven't seen any new engines for under $1500. If anybody know of any please let me know.

thanks

I got mine from Everett Chevrolet in Hickory, NC. They tried to charge me 2400 for it but after some haggleing the y brought it back down tot he list price of, i think, 1345 (or was it 1380?) And they charged 180 for to my door shipping and even though it was a new engine (LM1) or a very good imposter with all the stickers and literature, they charged me a core charge of 100 dollars for an overall charge of 1600 soem odd dollars Anyhow, you can give them a ring at 828-327-9171

I wouldn't buy an engine from Autozone if it were on sale for $5.99. A lady who works at my local autozone told me she wouldn't buy one either so what does that tell ya? Lol

Why this dislike of autozone engines? I know a mechanic who swears by them....of course, he drives a mustang.....

Is their a problem with the way they rebuild them? Or is $1500 too much money to spend on a stock 350 longblock?

..one more thing.

I'm planning on tearing down whatever engine I get and beef it up in a few years after I have my own garage and some money to do it right.

My current 305 was g-teched at 160hp!! The compression ranges from 150 to 90psi!

This is unacceptable, I used to love driving my car. What would you do if you had my car and $2K?

if i had that money, id do exacly the same thing i just did by buying a new 4 bolt. In a year or two when i get out of college, im gonna build up the motor, get a new trans, rip off the tbi and put in a carb, and mod the snot out of the car.

i just dont trust autozone. Your better off spending that money on a new or slightly used 350.

http://www.sdpc2000.com/cart.asp?act...id=128&pid=105

that would be the easiest engine to install for you. Dont have to worry about having to use another intake or flywheel/flexplate or oil contol (one peice seal).

WoW sounds like i got one hell of a deal on my motor and tranney i got both for onley $680 its a GM goodwrench with very low miles. I got this setup at a local junkyard that is very trustabel, this setup also came with the manifold and carb.

The sdpc2000 engine is a good NEW engine just not a HIGH performance one (A little work can cure that). But it will be as reliable as any new GM car's engine. I would not buy an Autozone engine either. Gone through too many of their alternators to trust their engine after the many hours of labor for installation.

hey crazy2.8, hows that new v8 working for you?

First of all. Autozones engines are not new. They are rebuilds. Second of all Autozone does not rebuild them. They farm the work out.

i wouldn't trust autozone engines......just doesn't seem right to buy an engine from them.......sure if you have a 88 chevy truck that all you want is a good motor in it then yea. but if you want your car to perform them i am sure there are other routes.
just my 2c.
i have never heard anything good or bad from them.....but then i never heard anything bad about jiffy lube untill i took my car to them a month ago. NOW everyone i know goes....."well i knew someone that got their oil changed there and this happened to them..................."
biker

alrighty then....

I will order this engine this weekend. With shipping it will be $1700.

Sounds like alot for a stock engine. But I haven't seen any realistic alternatives. So if I hear no objections or suggestions in the next day or so I'll go this route.

Thanks for all the help guys. I appreciate it.

that was the scoggin dickey engine you'll be ordering, right?

That is what I have, that's why I mentioned it. While not a racing engine with a steel crank it has the LT4 bottom end which is good enough for our low revving TPI engines. I replaced the heads with edelbrock performers and swapped in a ZZ4 cam. You basically have a low cost better flowing ZZ4 engine w/ out the steel crank. Good for mid 13's.

A 350 long block for $1100 will be a base motor.
Probabily without a roller cam. and with cast dished low compression pistons. These motors are not the same as a 350TPI motor.

You should be able to rebuild a 350 roller motor, reuse your old roller cam and valve train, rebuild your 305 heads for it
and even throw in a few up grades. Like block decking and Hypereutectic pistons and 1.94 valves for your heads. You need a 350 roller motor (block/crank/rods)for a core.

You want to build a "Flat top" motor at any rate.
They do not cost any more to build.
Look in the phone book and find a competent automotive rebuilder shop in your area. Go there and tell them what you want to build. Get an estimate. Get a few estimates.
You and a good automotive machine shop can build a better
basic performance motor than you can buy off the shelf.

If you want to go fast--er, check this out before you pickup the
phone and order a throw together cheapie motor.

Here ya' go.







http://www.goautocenter.com/300hp_tpi_1987-89.htm

It's $1955.00, but I'd say it's the best for the money. It's REAL close to what you want to pay, plus it's another $250 for shipping, but 300HP/369ft/lbs of torque is something I'm sure you'd be real happy with spending a little more $$$ for.

But it's up to you.

AJ

thats the one i was going to get but its too much for my tbi. It would never be fed properly. I hear alot of people like that motor though...

Nooooooooooo don't order it!!!!!!!!!! for 1300 dollars theres a GM goodwrench crate engine, it's not too high performance, but it's brand freakin new. K-S auto has them here in western NY, they are located in tonawanda NY, belive me i use more gas to get back and forth to K-S than i do to go to work. they are a performance auto store, not some freakin chain store that hires babling idiots! it's an awesome place, it really is

come to think of it, why don't you just buy a decent 350 from a junkyard and rebuild that bad boy back to new? i can get a gooood 350 for around 300-450 bucks around here. I'm thinking about it, i really am

Thats probably the same one i have. Hed have to f' with the bolt holes on the intake to get it to fit, not to mention new flywheel/flexplate. Its pleny doable buy youll have to tack on 150 dollars or so for odds and ends to get it to work. Oh, and none of your old sensors will fit right in teh block/heads expt for the knock sens. Youll have to buy unsightly brass adapter fittings to get them to fit. Almost forgot. The heads will be missing holes for your serpintine setup. Youll have to drill and tap to do it right. Some of my stuff is gone on my belt line expt. for the essentials so i left one bolt out.

AJ's pic looks good...but for another $200 dollors you could have GM's Base 350HO with Vortec heads and the updated 86 and up block. ALL sensors and accesorys will fit with NO mods. It's rated at 330 HP and 365 Ft. Lbs. of torque.

And AutoZone engines are death waiting to happen.

the problem with that engine is that there is no performance andd the compression is too low (8.5:1). it doesn't have a 1-piece RMS which means when the seal goes it's a pian to replace. It doesn't have a roller cam like the scoggin dickey one and the one it does have is junk.

The scoggin dickey engine is the better deal by far. It is a great base to start with. In fact I'm sure the autocenter engine is that scoggin dicky (caprice engine) with just a ZZ4 cam.

I like the torque and throttle responce alot. Like said, though witht the little joke of a cam (lift/duration isnt quite as bad as the lo3) combined with 8.5:1 compression it only puts out around 210 HP or so. The only thing it has going for it is the 4 bolt main caps. But then again you can always put in splayed bolt mains in your newer block.

Ive looked at the 350HO engines and I don't think I can get it to pass emissions. Also they have warnings that it should only be used with pre-1973 non-emissions cars. Also they say don't use fuel injection, only a carb....

But that 300hp engine that AJ92_RS posted looked VERY interesting. My question is can it pass emissions? and will my 91 TPI bolt right on? It says 87-89 TPI on the page....

http://www.goautocenter.com/300hp_tpi_1987-89.htm

Also, can my drivetrain handle near 300hp? I don't wanna blow my trans. It has 135K miles on it. I don't know exactly what model trans it is. Its an automatic.

and thanks for the info....this site rocks :rockon:

if your careful your trans should last. That engine is just past the outer limits of the 700R4's torque capacity. I dont see any reason why it shouldnt pass emmisions with all your emmisions stuff hooked up. That 350 isnt much different then the older ones. Just has a few updated design changes. The most notable one being different one piece rear main seal and a roller cam that all the newer 350's and 305's have including yours. I believe it also has the l98 heads w/ the 87 and up intake face pattern so it should hook up just fine. Just need to tune it.

Can anyone tell me exactly i'll need to make this engine work?
http://www.goautocenter.com/300hp_tpi_1987-89.htm

Knock sensor
22lb SVO injectors
afpr

is this it?

thanks

Wait a minute!

AJ's posted engine is good, but the 350HO is just that-HIGH OUTPUT. I recently installed one where my LO3 used to be. I can even use my stock TBI and PROM. EVERYTHING HOOKED UP WITH NO PROBLEMS. Then again, we don't have emisions testing here either. The extra $200 is worth it for the Vortec heads. I'll let you know when I grenade my 700R4.

"Use only with pre-emisions 1973 cars..." Sounds good to me. Engines sucked after 1973 anyway.

yeah LS1s blow

I have the goautocenter.com 300HP TPI 350, in my 92 RS with TBI.
Bought and installed it last year. Runs great, passes smog in CA as a 305 (even with the custom chip installed) and so far have 13,000 miles on it.
My car has a WC T5 and so far it is holding up, but I plan on replacing it with a stronger trans next year.
While I do have a lot of other mods, it will (at least)require an adjustable fuel pressure regulator and a custom chip to run well.
Your 91 TPI Setup should bolt right on, but if you currently have a 305, you'll probably need bigger injectors.
E-mail me if you want more info on my install.
-Rich-

The pre 73 reference is to protect themselves from CARB and EPA issues. The standard $1,300 goodwrench motor is a 1985 or older truck engine replacement. the heads are the older design (non centerbolt) and the manifold will need to be massaged to fit. The sensors will be close but not exact, and the issue about the two piece seal is only an issue as to how the flexplate fits. FYI, a two piece rear main seal can be replaced with the motor in the car, a one piece seal needs to have the crank removed to change the seal. The base vortech motor (300hp) for $1900 from GM is a great deal, unfortunately it is totally different for fitting your TPI manifold to it. You can make it fit with adapters, but when you are done, the flow rates are down so you really havent gained anything. the http://www.goautocenter.com/300hp_tpi_1987-89.htm looks like the best swap candidate if you want to get done with this project without a lot of hassles. Check with your local GM dealers to see if they can match the price, and let them eat the freight. Also check with Jasper engines, they are probably the best engine rebuilding shop in the country and they have dealers all over. http://www.jasperengines.com/frames.html The crew at autozone may be incompetent, but they aren't building the motors in the back, a national rebuilder is.

I just swapped my 305 to a 350 and changed over from carb to tbi also for only about $1000. I found a really nice iroc with a 350 tpi that had gotten into a bout with a telephone pole. I picked up the wreck (which was in great shape except for the bent frame and the whole drive side) for about $700, which provided my motor, trans, fuel pump and lines, wiring harness and many other items i sold. Try accident following!

I can't agree with that. Either of the two can be changed with the crank still in. The one piece only requires removing 4 bolts from the back of the block. On a 2 piece, you have to drop the rear main cap, then fish the upper half of the seal out, WITHOUT scratching the piss outta the main journal. The only advantage with the 2 pc. is you MAY be able to change it with out dropping the trans. But even that's wishful thinking.

I gotta agree with that.

AJ

You don't even have to remove the four bolts on the one-piece rear main seal. It just pops out with a screwdriver blade. It has three little notches to pry it out with. Just pop it out, wipe any crud out of the groove and pop the new one in. I do it every time I have the flywheel off .(I'm hard on clutches)

-Rich-

I passed emissions with my engine.... of course I spent just a little over $2000... Probably closer to $2900 with all the goodies.
Plus the little nightmares I had with the fine tuning of everything.
I can't stress enough the importance of a computer compatible cam no matter what you choose.
The engine itself was $1998 plus some change....

First Incident: Alternator goes out on 91 Ford pickup, go buy a new one from autozone, put it in, fries. Autozone doesn't take back parts that have already been installed but after arguing for 5 minutes they took it back. Went to local auto parts store in town and got an alternator for 10 bucks more than Autozone but it worked when we hooked it up.

Second Incident: Windshield wiper motor for 1987 Pontiac Trans Am. Went to Autozone to buy a replacement because mine didn't work. Bought a new one from them.. Well guess what, after installing it, it didn't work. Took it back, told them I didn't install it but it doesn't line up with the bolt holes on the car and went to the junkyard, picked one up for 20 dollars less than Autozone wanted, and IT WORKED!!

Third Incident: Morons. They've got morons on their payroll. I go in to autozone and ask about their engine overhaul kits and one guy (that I had seen in there several times before so he wasn't new) said he didn't know what an overhaul kit was.. He had to ask one of his coworkers to come over to me.

Fourth and Final Incident: Need new spark plug wires. Where do I go? Autozone. Why? I don't know. What happened? They gave me the wrong spark plug wires. What did they do? Give me my money back so I could go somewhere with people who know what they're doing..

Is that reason enough NOT to trust autozone or do I have to spell it out for everyone?

I was told by a mechanic friend that a 300hp engine is too much for my car to handle in its current condition. He broke it down to me like this...

engine $2250
injectors w/ afpr $250
prom equipment $200
knock sensor/water pump/misc parts $100

thats going to be a little under $3000 with tax.

So then I have a 300hp engine with my 700r4 trans with 135k miles on it. He said it would have to be rebuilt.

rebuild trans with shift kit/stall, he knows a guy $800
new u joints $40

and then there is my stock exhaust

headers $350
catback system $300 or true duals $600

then he was questioning my rear end...$???


Kinda getting out of hand. Does this sound right? I was hoping to keep it under $3000, but now its getting close to $5000

i'm thinking $2200 is too much to spend on an engine.

Maybe I should try to pick up a used 350 for around $500, keep the rest of the drivetrain intact, get new injectors and exhaust for $850, burn my own chip for $200, and be happy with my high 14sec - low 15sec car.

any suggestions?

If you want to do it right, now that I know the mileage on your car, you should replace/rebuild everything!!!

Here's what I would do:

Get a GM Performance 350, like $2500 tops (long block)

Have that weak trans. built to hold at least 400hp,
can cost up to like 1,500. Depends on who does it.

Replace your rearend gearing with a locker 3.73 setup
with new aluminum driveshaft.

Definitely go with the "stock" setup for the exhaust!

Dual exhaust sounds like crap, and is NOT worth the money!!!

Just get a 3" Flowmaster cat back setup w/headers and new Y-pipe or whatever brand you want!

Don't forget about the suspension and brakes!!!

If they are stock and/or original, you should replace them!
Like energy suspension front/rear sway bar kits, performance struts/shocks, strut tower brace, subframe connectors, trailing arms, panhard rod. that's another $1000 right there!!!!

I'm looking into doing a swap with my car as well, but I'm going to spend like $10,000 for everything. Because I want it done right!

Here's what I'm getting:

383 TPI GM Performance crate motor $4000

Buy a used V8 trans. have it built to hold 500+HP,
a friend of mine can do this cheap, like $600

Buy the TPI setup w/wire harness, PCM $500

Motor mounts for V8 $30

Headers/exhaust $600

custom air intake $50

Radiator $150

Water pump, alt.,P/S pump, fan and shroud, A/C compressor, A/C Lines $800

Aluminum driveshaft ?????

Of course, I have a V6, not a V8 already set in the car like yours.
I need more parts to make things fit and work than you do.
But I would have your whole drivetrain redone. Because that new motor will put more strain on that 134K trans.!!!!!

why don't you try this:

i was in the same problem about 2 months ago!
my motor was a 305 tpi and it spun a bearing at 75,000
i went to a junkyard (that i trusted) and found a 5.7L(350) everthing was there it was a 92 police interceptor motor w/ the experitmental cam and everything- i bought it for $350 it had about 24,000 on it and now it runns- great. It had the cfi in it and now it has tpi and working great. i think you better try a junkyard first before you go buy a new one---with 2k you could get a rebuild goin awith some great parts for the engine....

How much can I build up a junkyard engine without having to touch the rest of the drivetrain? Should I look for a decent junkyard engine and put it in without rebuilding it?

And when I was told I need a new rearend, does that mean the whole differential? or just a bigger gear? How much torque can my rearend handle.

thanks

i didn't rebuild it caused i trusted the guy when he said it was good but i can't say there----a new rearend is if you have a 10 bolt 7.5 junk it---if you have a 8.5 10 bolt get a new caseing like eaton or auburn... and a shift kit for the trans. i have a 280 hp engine or somewhere around there and mine is fine just don't beat on it!!!

Easiest thing is to sell the car and use as a down payment on my 99 Trans Am with 27k miles that I will sell you for $14000 or the scoggin dickey setup will run fine in your car and just replace the drivetrain pieces as they start tearing up down the line. You may also wish to search http://www.car-part.com and find a used engine with decent mileage and drop it in for less than half the scoggin price.

what all did the engine include