i have an L03, and am about to convert to carb. a buddy of mine is selling me his edelbrock 600 carb, vacuum secondaries, electric choke, with a metering rod and spring kit for $150. its in very good condition. is this a good deal? also, should i get a new fuel pump (i have an 89 RS, just to throw that in real quick), or just get a fuel pressure regulator? what all am i going to have to change? i know i will need a new distributor and intake manifold. will my air cleaner assembly fit the carb? any other info that would help me would be extremely appreciated!

 

you'll need a switch to lock up your torque converter as it takes lock up commands from the ECM, which you will have to ditch to run a non cc carb...

 

when would i need to lock it up? all the time?

 

usually during 3rd and 4th gear. theres a tech article on this site that shows how to make a switch....

 

yeah, i remember seeing how to wire the switch. so whenever i hit third gear, i should just switch it on? is there any way to do this without it being such a hassle to switch it on and off fourteen times just going to the store? (exaggeration intended)

 

not that i know of, but someone else might know....

 

Is it a 1400, 1405 or 1406? the 1400 is 50 state street legal and the others aren't. Don't buy a carb that you'll just have to remove. Most states are OK with all three though, it's really only important in places where they'll actually check emissions.

As for locking up the tranny... you could always defect over to the dark side! Never too late to drop in a T5 or T56...

Edit: You should look into exactly what type of fuel pumps you have versus the fuel pump you need. I am not completely knowledged but I believe that you just need the one fuel pump up front and if my sources are right you have an in tank pump that is either excessive or totally useless.

 

are you saying i have two fuel pumps? i knew i had the one in the tank, but i have one up front too? so is the in-tank an auxiliary or what? my 700-r4 has been screwing up lately, so i have been thinking about a new tranny, and a t-5 does sound VERY tempting, but where would i get a cheap one from? junkyard or summit & jegs? i dont know about the 1400 1405 or 1406, i will try and find out. he has it on a 70 1/2 camaro, so that might be an issue. why are the other not emisions legal?

 

The 1405 and 1406 don't have a hookup for the charcoal canister... I don't know if that's the reason though. I have a 1406 that I've got to get past the visual inspection soon... but I'm planning to hide it with a giant stock aircleaner when I take it in... if that fails, I slap on my spare 'vette carb and limp it back over.

All I know concerning fuel pumps is that I have only one and it's right at the bottom front of my engine.

Cheap T-5's should be attainable at the junkyard (they go for $75 here)... just hang around the local U-Pullit and find out when a new 5spd thirdgen is coming... trannies and engines are the first to go when they get to the bone yard.

 

I think they sell a vacuum operated lockup switch for those 700R4's

You should check out Jegs or Summit

 

MattRS,I just caught this post. Are you sure that that 600 edelbrock is a vaccum secondary carb?

 

i know it is vacuum secondayr, but not sure if its 600...may be 650. its the 1406, i do know that.

 

Everyone else who doesn't know the answer, feel free to say so!

Here's what you're looking for:

TCI Universal Lock-up Kit
Installation of this kit makes retrofits into non-ECM TH-700R4 or TH-2004R vehicles a snap. System allows automatic operation of the TCC in 4th gear under stable engine operation, and disengages the clutch when accelerating or down shifting. Also provided in the kit is a manual override option. Constructed from OEM connectors and oil resistant wire, we install this kit in all our complete TH-700R4 & TH-2004R Streetfighter Transmissions.

Description Part No.
Lock-up Wiring Kit 376600

Summit Part No. TCI-376600 = $72.95

(Note: Painless also sells a kit, but costs around twice as much)

I bought this, though I haven't installed it yet. Its a pretty neat kit. You have a couple of different options of how to hook it up, but as far as installing it goes it looks pretty straight forward to me, and none to difficult.

mattRS: as this says, you only need lockup in 4th gear. My daily commute was over an hour long, and I never had a reason to lock it up. You just flip the switch if you're going to be on the highway for like 10-15 minutes plus. A trip to the grocery store wont need even a single flip of the switch (unless you're WAY out of town). I don't care how lazy you are, saving two flips of a switch is probably not worth 73 bucks. However, if you have a bit of disposible income burning a hole in your pocket, have at it!

 

two questions and one statement
statement:thanks for helping out and clearing my mis-conceptions up.
1st question: will not locking it up cause tranny damage, or just not as good mileage?
2nd question: i read a tech article on rigging up the switch, and it said it was hard on your tranny. is this when you are in full lockup all the time (and how does that lower e/ts), or when you are not locked up all the time?

 

Going from a L03 to a LG4
any ideas about that?

 

Not running a lock-up will add heat the tranny--that can be bad. You might as well take advantage of the lock-up.

That rigged up lock-up switch was for somehow make your car faster in the quarter mile--completely different from the lock-up kits you buy. For example, the TCI kit locks the converter in 4th gear when the engine is under little or no load--unlocks when you stomp on it or any time you are in 1-2-3 gear. I have the TCI kit in mine.

 

82camaro is correct. Some people have roasted a tranny after removing the lockup capability, but some people run without it and are just fine. As I said, my car never had any problems commuting over an hour every day (lots of stop and GO) without the lockup. If your tranny is not in the best shape and maybe due for a rebuild, it can be the straw that breaks the camels back.

As I understand it, rigging up the lockup switch is no different than having the computer do it, except it is not automatic. As opposed to the computer grounding the lockup wire, you do. This should not make any difference in how the lockup works or its effect on the tranny. As for the kit, if you flip the lockup switch every time you get on the highway, and again when you get off, theres not a difference. If you've got the money, do it (its easy), if not rig the swich and you'll be fine.

As always, the above is IMHO, and you're mileage may vary.

-5

 

You could also always leave in the ECM and retain lock-up capability. That would be the chepaest/easiest way. I'm pretty sure it would still work. I don't think that torque converter lockup requires a signal from any other sensors to work. By the way, you don't have to worry about emissions if you live in TX (yet).