harpo_87

i am fairly new at engine overhauls, and i was told that this was a good place for finding info on vortec upgrades/conversions. i have a 350 TBI in my 89 truck. i would like some help from anyone who could possibly give advise. i know its not a camaro but, i am trying to buy one! i just cant find one thats good enough.

dimented24x7

iTrader: (2)

Welcome aboard

Vortec longblock wouldnt be a bad upgrade, nor would the heads.

The engine in your truck is an LO5. The shortblock is fine but the heads and cam arnt real good but thats usually not the first place to start. Some good things to do for starters would be exaust mods. See about getting a full aftermarket exaust for your truck. Preferably 3 in. but Im not sure what is and isnt available for your vehicle. Youll have to poke around a bit and see who carries headers and cat-backs.

Stekman

The Vortec block (and engine in general) is a good platform to build off of. I have a Vortec block. 4 bolt mains, 1 piece rear seal, factory roller cam. However, the block you have now may be just that as well. So it's a toss up.

As for the swirlie ports you have now versus the Vortec heads, there is very little comparison. Vortecs hands down.

As for advice, what is it you wish to know about your 350 TBI, the 350 Vortec, or anything in between? What is it you want out of the engine? What do you want the truck to do (or be able to do)?

harpo_87

well i would really like to know what (if anything) i have to do to my TBI. do i upgrade it? or keep it the stock? i am a fan of CHP mag. and i know that they went through alot of trouble with the TBI and i was wondering if i might hit some of the same roadblocks. really in the end i would like my truck to just have that extra power that it deserves so that when i go down to the tracks for high school drags i show all the ricers the true power of a small-block chevy.

Thank you guys for all the help!!!!!!

dimented24x7

iTrader: (2)

Some of the basics to address are...

Exaust: The stock exaust will really put a lid on things. You need to upgrade the entire exaust from the heads to the back of the truck so that more power can be supported.

Fuel: Its a good idea to replace the stock pump with something that can pump a decent volume of fuel and supply fuel pressures over stock. This will come in handy if you really decide to push the fuel system, and its generally not a bad idea to replace the stock pump since they jsut plain suck. Walbro pumps are popular.

Trans/drivetrain: Theres not too much to be done there initially. If you have an auto then maybe a better TC with a stall thats better matched to a new engine combo and a shift kit. If you dont have 4WD you can put better gears and possibly a posi unit if the rear didnt have one to begin with.

If youll be doing any sort of modding, youll want to get prom burning equipment. Its a necessity with EFI, jsut like a carb it needs to be tuned as well. There are low buck burners available as well as freeware so theres not much cost involved if you just want basic functionality.

After that you can swap out the stock heads and cam to something thatll be more condusive to making power. You can also get a larger tbi with high pph injectors, a good intake, nice aircleaner, etc. You definatly need to do the basics first, though. You cant build a house without a foundation.

harpo_87

thanks for the help. i am going to look into all of this. now i would just like tio know will it be worth it? and is it really difficult?

ShiftyCapone

iTrader: (7)

it is no more diffulcult than modding a carb or TPI or any other small block set up in my opinion. People get mad and fed up when the chip burning comes in. That is the hard part. However, I have no idea how to tune a carb so every persons view of whats hard is different. It is well rewardning since TBI utilizes a nice mix between old school hot rodding and new school technology.