I am writing this in here because at all the other boards I have posted at I get no replies. I have a 1987 IROC Z and am going to rebuild the motor here rather soon. I am debating a carb. or my current TPI setup. I would of course get the edelbrock baseplate and large tube runners on the carb. However, carbs seem to perform just as well and they don't have that wall at about 5000rpm to over come either. Any suggestions would be good. I am on a budget so please no 400cu in build up involving mega buck parts. I am wanting somewhere between a 327 and a 383. Thanks guys.

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TPI 305,
Gutted airboxes,
gutted MAF,
K&N filters,
Corvette Servo.
14.9@93mph

"Speed kills, wanna live forever, drive a Ford."

 

So how fast are you wanting to go?

ODB



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*I do custom performance mods on Edlebrock Performer carburetors (dualplane intake mods in the works),
White 1986 Irocz, 305 with iron #416 heads,
383 with aluminum TFS heads,
Edlebrock Performer-RPM intake and Performer #1407 carburetor, +110hp shot of crack, 700R-4 tranny, Vigilante 2400 lockup converter, 3.25:1 Ford 9" rear, Mcreary Road-Stars, SLP-stainless 1.75" shortie headers & Y-pipe, single 3" Borla exhaust, Linginfelter-TPI camshaft part number 74216 pulls 17" vacuum solid. Cam specs 213/219 @.050 114-LSA, sometimes advertised at 216/219 @.050 112-LSA .462/.470 lift @1.5:1 ratio. Using Harland Sharp 1.65:1 roller rockers. MSD-6AL, billet distributor, multi-retard, blaster-3 coil, and RPM switch. SouthSide machine subframe connectors, SSM lift-bars, Moroso 4" underdrive crank pulley.

N/A runs 10.9 @124,
Crack-runs 10.3 @135
haven't run at track since Oct-99

 

I want to be in the 12's. I was talking to my motor shop the other day and I have a setup that would put me in the 12's with TPI but from what I hear it could be done cheaper with carb. Plus I like the idea of a 327 or a 383. The 327's are real high winders so a high redline would be in order. But how reliable would a carb be vs. the TPI and how much more/less would I be looking at initially and for maintenance?

THANKS GUYS

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TPI 305,
Gutted airboxes,
gutted MAF,
K&N filters,
Corvette Servo.
14.9@93mph

"Speed kills, wanna live forever, drive a Ford."

 

ODB will show you the way. If tuned right, your carbed set-up won't be much worse for mileage than TPI, esp. if you retain the torque converter lock-up. As for reliabality, stop believeing EFI snob propaganda. What's unreliable about a carb? Oooh, you might have to adjust the choke every so often, like twice a year max. Yeah, that sure is unreliable...
Cost wise...hundreds vs. thousands of $$$. Hell, a TPI base alone is twice the cost of teh carb intake you'll need. Depending on your carb of choice, a junkyard Q-jet would get you there, even if you bought a new carb it would pale in comparison to runners. And then the steep learning curve of PROM burning and tuning that set-up.
...ed (driver of TPI, lol)

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Ed Maher - Moderator @ The Carb Board
92 Z28 Convertible - Quasar blue / Tan top
LB9 4L60 GU2 G80 - stock, soon to be sleeper

- Definitely prototypes, high powered mutants of some kind. Too weird to live, too cool to die

 

My engine only cost me about $2500 to put together. The maintenance on the carb is just cleaning with a $1 can of carb cleaner every once in a while. Have to keep the air-bleeds clean and debris out of the needle & seat area. If you run a very high quality fuel and air filter (which I don't) then maintenance is even less. Once it is tuned in, then you just have to be happy with the choke setting. If you live in a warm area then you can remove the choke with no problems. Just to give you an idea, I have not run a choke on a carburetor since 1988.

Your big power-maker will be running the 3.75" crankshaft from a 400cid. You can run the stock rods and stock heads, but you will need shorter pistons. Even with your stock camshaft and stock heads, the 400 crank will get your engine producing huge amounts of power with a carb setup. More than enough to run 12's.

ODB



------------------
*I do custom performance mods on Edlebrock Performer carburetors (dualplane intake mods in the works),
White 1986 Irocz, 305 with iron #416 heads,
383 with aluminum TFS heads,
Edlebrock Performer-RPM intake and Performer #1407 carburetor, +110hp shot of crack, 700R-4 tranny, Vigilante 2400 lockup converter, 3.25:1 Ford 9" rear, Mcreary Road-Stars, SLP-stainless 1.75" shortie headers & Y-pipe, single 3" Borla exhaust, Linginfelter-TPI camshaft part number 74216 pulls 17" vacuum solid. Cam specs 213/219 @.050 114-LSA, sometimes advertised at 216/219 @.050 112-LSA .462/.470 lift @1.5:1 ratio. Using Harland Sharp 1.65:1 roller rockers. MSD-6AL, billet distributor, multi-retard, blaster-3 coil, and RPM switch. SouthSide machine subframe connectors, SSM lift-bars, Moroso 4" underdrive crank pulley.

N/A runs 10.9 @124,
Crack-runs 10.3 @135
haven't run at track since Oct-99

 

Any specific suggestions on a Carb size and particular brand of carb and manifold? Are 327's hard to find??? Just trying to get as much info as I can. I am still debating but a carb is sounding tempting right now especially with its low price. One more thing, how do carbed motors hold up over a period of 4-5 years with lots of miles. Do they loose power faster, slower or the same rate as and FI motor. For instance my friend has an LT1 car with 100k on it and he runs 13.8's and he has an exhuast, ignition and cold air intake. The car doesn't loose performance even though it does have 100k miles on it. Is a carb going to be as strong at 100k as a FI motor with the same miles???

------------------
TPI 305,
Gutted airboxes,
gutted MAF,
K&N filters,
Corvette Servo.
14.9@93mph

"Speed kills, wanna live forever, drive a Ford."

 

I am certainly not a professional, but I do know this, any motor will last a long time with proper care and maintenance. If you beat on it all of the time, of course it will shorten it's life span to a point, but either way whether it is fuel injected or carb'd both will last pretty much equally with good upkeep and maintenance. My carb'd IROC has 212,700 miles on it and it has only lost about 3 tenths since new.

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1986 IROC LG4 "Bone Stock" (for now)

 

Anyone else?

 

I am going with a non compu carbed 383 on my 86 Z28 Camaro. Sure you can get a fuel injected engine to support good horsepower but it will cost you. Now a properly selected carb(Holley)will quench the thirst on a 383 with it costing you alot less. I am going with a 850 Holley double pumper. This engine is supposed to be above 400 hp so I need a carb that will give the engine what it needs.

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Big 454 '86 Camaro Z28 '72 Nova w/454 BBC