ll-84camaro-ll

ok guys right now at this point i have made up my mind and im deff swaping out my 305 even though its a mean 305 there is still nothing better than CID so my question is should buy a LT1 or buy a 350 block and swap my tpi setup and parts.

which one is better for the money. also i will be selling my 305 so i will have some extra cash from that for performance parts

five7kid

iTrader: (14)

That's a subjective question that can't be answered as-is.

The simplist would clearly be a Gen I SBC 350 under your TPI. The one with the most potential would be the LT1.

$'s/HP is not linear, so you need to pick either the results or the $'s.

ll-84camaro-ll

hey five7kid do you know what the price is for a LT1 with a t56 trans would be? also if i just went and got a 350 with the tpi unit on it would i have to modify my tpi unit other than diff fuel pump and bigger injectors? i know that the ecm will have to be reprogrammed but what else would have to be done.

thanks in advance for the help

ShiftyCapone

iTrader: (7)

The TPI on the 305 and 350 were the same with minor differences. Starting with a 350 and using what you have will keep more money in your pocket. Good running LT1/T56 combos range from 2500 to 5000. All the little stuff will pile on top of that. I would stick with what you have now since a 350 can basically slip in place where that 305 was. A few searches will tell you exactly what you need to do for a 350 swap.

Z28ricer

iTrader: (2)

Only problem is that after the 350 slips in the 305's place, to get even the same power as an LT1 he'll have spent more than just the engine alone in mods.

pasky

If he goes carb, nah....TPI, yup.

ShiftyCapone

iTrader: (7)

I agree. I hope he would at least put a solid cam and decent heads on a 350 swap as to stay under the cost of a swap. If not, than the LT1 swap would yield better results as you mentioned.

Z28ricer

iTrader: (2)

He's considering keeping tpi, either way, he will be spending a good bit of money compared to what an engine that he can get for $800 reasonably will do.

ll-84camaro-ll

so you guys are saying 350 or lt1 because i can get a 350 for real cheap and then have alot of money let over for cam, rockers, heads, fuel injectors, headers etc.... but then again with the money spent on that i could prob just buy a lt1 engine

TexasLT1

while the usual $1500 price of an LT1/T-56 combo may seem appealing, there are a lot of little underlying costs that add up very fast. by the time it was over and done with, we probably spent about $3000 on my swap alone, not to mention all the stuff since then. if you're on a tight budget, I'd stick with the TPI and mod it as you get the money.

ll-84camaro-ll

yea im kindof on a tight budget right now so im going to get a 350 block and swap my tpi unit over and then use extra cash for some mods. what would be some "inexpensive" mods to boost a 350's horsepower.

TexasLT1

that depends on how inexpensive you mean. first and foremost should be headers and exhaust. Then I'd probably go for TPI mods to open it up and let it flow more. Once you do all of that, I'd do a cam swap, nothing too drastic, but there are plenty of mild cams out there that will get you some good power for the street.

ll-84camaro-ll

well i already have a 3" catback and was planning on getting hooker headers with a custom 3" y pipe. i also have Jet throttle body air foil and ported intake plenum plus i have some other little mods like Accel cap rotor and wires, Bosch Plat. +4 plugs, ADS superchip, 160 degree thermo, Hypertech cool fan switch. i also have 3:42 gears.

ljnowell

So basically, short of a catback, everything is stock?

ll-84camaro-ll

no i have some tpi stuff and i have diff gears in the rear end and some stuff done to the computer. i cant remember what the guy i bought it off said he put on but ther are some other things that i cant recall. i think he said that he has an msd ignition on it but im not sure what else