mxcrazed

so here is my situation i have an 87 firebird 305 700r4 that i am going to attempt to swap a 350 5spd into out of an 87 ta but you cant get 350 5spd so i was hoping that you guys could direct me where to find the numbers on the engine and tyranny to determine what the hell they are plus the "350" is a tpi which i will be converting to a carburated motor using the edelbrock carb intake distributor and fuel pump/regulator if that is all feasible give me feed back please

five7kid

iTrader: (14)

Welcome to thirdgen.org.

To verify the 350 engine, the casting number is behind the driver's side head, part of the bellhousing casting. Go to www.mortec.com to find what the casting number means the engine is.

Converting an L98 TPI engine to carb is feasible and has been done many times. In 1987, they changed the intake mount bolt pattern so the center two bolts on each side are at 72 degrees instead of 90 degrees like the rest. You either need to get an '87-up bolt pattern intake, or modify those bolt holes on the intake so you can get them into the heads.

I wouldn't go with the Edelbrock carb, especially with a manual transmission and especially not with a T5. A Holley double pumper would be a much better idea.

I didn't realize Edelbrock made distributors. At any rate, you need a distributor with mechanical and vacuum advance if you convert to non-CC carb.

mxcrazed

no i mean im gonna use the stock distributer out of the305 in the 305 because the one for the tpi doesnt work with the carb from what i know the the reason im usung the edelbrock is because thats what i have unfortunately this is an extremely low budget build but i have wanted a ta since i can remember iso ill have to make due btw do you know where the casting # is on the tranny i cant be sure its a t5

mxcrazed

im sry i mean use the stock 305 the distributer in the 350 i also intend to use the stock fuel pump and regulator thanks for the help

mxcrazed

Well that was over a year ago now and Fseven has been telling me to get rid of the edelbrock all along but it was enough to kill the T5 It died today and I Only got to actually drive it for less than a month :-(

five7kid

iTrader: (14)

Depending upon what exactly you were doing driving the car, the Edelbrock may have actually contributed to the early demise of the T5.

What do you have planned to get it back on the road?

mxcrazed

Well first and foremost I was merging onto the highway, I down shifted into third and pressed it to about 3/4 throttle and I heard some horrible clanking noises. How would the edelbrock have prematurely killed my t5?

I suppose it is still possible I broke the pressure plate or something though. I have a couple of options on how to get her operable, one would be to buy the t5 or 700r4 on craigslist for $100-$200 another would be to rebuild my 700r4 or my t5 the last would be to do a t56 swap with my tax return.

Unfortunately I am broke at this point in time and find it more urgent to rebuild the dana 35 rear end in my jeep which is quite a bit more reliable even at 177k. The pinion bearings are shot and I don't have a pinion depth gauge or In/lb torque wrench that goes to 6-7 in/lb available to me but we will see how that goes possibly tomorrow night. It is just so frustrating I have owned the car for a year and a half and only driven it for about 3 weeks total and even after all the stuff that I have fixed it still doesn't compare to my jeep in reliability or amenities. It is too bad that anyone that owns a thirdgen also has to own a backup car these things just aren't reliable.

brandotron

iTrader: (2)

Nah, man. I think you may have gotten a raw deal in terms of reliability, but my v6 was running great after 140k and my Formy 350 is going strong at almost 100k. I think reliability has a lot to do with how the original owner treated it right off the lot. Sounds like the guy you bought it from didn't love it like the rest of us.

Good luck on your build man! If you have a daily driver, I'd wait for the funds and do the t56 swap. The t5 isn't rated to handle the torque of a 350, so that might be your best bet.

mxcrazed

You are correct no one cared about this car. It now has a new radiator, alternator, starter, battery, 355, intake manifold, carb, blower motor, the t tops leaked the speed-o doesn't work the dash lights didn't work the driver side head light didn't pop up the dummy lights didn't work the floor was rotted the seats were a mess the rear defogger didn't work and had multiple lines broken when I got it working the radio didn't work the doors sag the passenger door handle was broken the tranny only shifted into 2nd the 305 was full of sludge the e brake lines are cut the list goes on and I fixed every thing all that is left to do is the e-brake the speed-o and all the body work it is a crap shoot a never ending list.

brandotron

iTrader: (2)

Well best of luck to ya. I don't think I'd have the cajones for that big of project!

mxcrazed

Well the ol' dana 35 in the jeep is working great now it is silent, on to the next project. Speaking of the Firebird the guy wants $100 for the t5 so I'm gonna jump on that now and ask questions about mine later. I'll post updates later.

five7kid

iTrader: (14)

Speed shifting to compensate for the poor response of the secondary AV's.