HI
I am trying to go from TPI to carb on a 305 small block, i heard the heads from the 305 will not work with a carb set up on it.....is that true and also why will they not work, im young and trying to learn help me out.

 

It is not true. The only "issue" is the intake mount bolt angles for the center two mount bolts on each side. Edelbrock, Weiand, and Professional Products all make carb intakes that will bolt to those heads. You can modify carb intakes for earlier style heads so they will fit as well.

Why do you want to switch to carb? Have you read the tech article on the topic? (It's linked in the "welcome to the carburetor forum" sticky in the Carburetor forum if you are having trouble finding it.) There are several issues that need to be addressed.

 

I think many people switch to carbs either because they believe fuel injection and maintaining it is daunting or they believe it will be easier to tune for performance. While the latter is true to a degree programing isn't that hard. There is plenty of information out there to do it yourself.

Personally with any SBC in these cars its TPI or nothing for me.

 

im switching to carb because my car right now has a 305 carb but it spun a bearing yesterday, im not lookin to make super power just as my daily driver, as for the engine im putting in. A friend of mine has a 305 block that was tpi....but he took all the tpi parts and put them on a 350 when he did his engine swap. All i have now is the block along with the tpi heads, i was told they would not work due to hole for the fuel injectors, so i was just planning on getting my heads manufactured because i know someone who will do it for free for me. My plan was to take my heads put them on his block along with my intake manifold.

 

You can put all your stuff from your 305 on it. Heads, intake, carb, all of it. Swapping to an aftermarket carb takes a lot more effort and work than most people think. Its not like you can just throw a carb on an intake and call it good.

 

I understand that thats why i plan on using my distributor along with my quadrajet carb that i am having rebuilt and tuned once it is back on, like i said im just looking to get my car up and running again since it is the only thing i have to drive

 

Okay, let's reset the scenario: You aren't switching from TPI to carb, you're switching your carb longblock out with a longblock that came from the factory as TPI.

Guess what - the factory put the same block and heads under a carb in the 1987 model year (cam & exhaust were better on the TPI version, but otherwise the engines were identical). There were no extra "holes" in the heads for TPI. The only difference was what I already told you - the angle of 4 intake mount bolts, the center two on each side.

You can either try to find a factory '87 carb intake manifold, get an '87-up pattern spreadbore intake from Edelbrock, Weiand, or Professional Products, or modify your current intake manifold mount bolt holes.

 

A sample of intake choices:
http://www.summitracing.com/search/D...l/?Ns=Rank|Asc

If you keep EGR, your choices are more limited. The Professional Products intake will fit on either bolt angle type head.

 

You could put your heads on that TPI block, but personally, I wouldn't do it. The later heads have center bolt valve covers, which are much less prone to leaking. For the cost of the intake manifold and a set of gaskets, you can leave the engine assembled and do an engine change-out.

By the way, what year model car did this 305 TPI engine come out of?

 

Finally that question was asked heh ^^

Which 305 are we talking here

 

the TPI engine i want top put my heads, intake manifold and carb is from a 1991 Camaro z28

 

Okay, forgot to ask the other question: What year is the carb'd car? If it's '87, your carb intake will bolt right onto the '91 engine.

Assuming your carb'd car is '86-earlier: Unless there is something "wrong" with the heads from the '91 engine, just get one of the intakes that fit the '91 heads and install the engine. You'll be going from flat tappet lifters and non-self-aligning rockers to roller lifters and self-aligning rockers. The pushrods between those two lifter types are different lengths. The standard advice is to keep lifters, pushrods, and rockers as matched sets, which you won't be able to do. Unless you're willing to buy new pushrods and rockers, just use the '91 heads with a new intake.

 

could we take the push rods and rockers out of the TPI 305 and put them in my heads in the same order they came out??

 

Yeah, you can. I personally wouldent, but you can. I'd allow it some time to run without whoring on it, run quality 10w-30.

 

I know i should replace them completely but im a high school kid thats works as a cashier with not a whole lot of money and now i have no car lol im just tryin to get back and running. As for a update we got the heads and intake off monday, they got resurfaced and cleaned tuesday gasket set was order as well as a new distributor cap and rotor plug wires are also on the way, the rest of the block is coming out tomorrow as well as painting the other block and cleaning up the firewall

 

Buddy when i was your age, i had a 78 bird with a 350 pieced together from about 20 different engines that soaked in the woods for god knows how many years. Probably had 10:1 on one cyl, and 9.5:1 on another haha. I know exactly where your coming from. Alot of us do.

Unfortunately, alot of people out there have mommys and daddys that buy them 426 rwhp fifth gens for there grad present, and think there mr. badass.

 

Btw, make sure you degrease that block really well and use good high temp enamel, other wise that paint will last you 2 months.

Oh, being your going to carb.. if you've never played around with a thirdgen harness before, im guessing your not getting a carbed engine/dash harness for the car.. I would look up some schematics on how to wire a harness from tpi to carb. If your not good with wiring, you may have a project on your hands. But in all reality, your going from tpi to carb, you can make a carbed motor run with 4 wires if you wanted to. so really, your getting rid of alot of electronics.

 

well my daddy wont be helping me that wasnt the way he raised me everything i want i have to work for own my own. Dont get me wrong he will give me his opinion on what i am doing and tell me im an idiot sometimes but thats just because he made all the same mistake and is letting me learn from mine.