I'm putting a 4 bolt 350 into my 86t/a... I'm keeping the tuned port. The 350 is supposedly from a 79 3/4 ton Chevy. What parts won't swap over, what's not going to bolt up?

Also when is the cam going to become a problem? How much can I get away with before the computer gets upset?

Anyone have experiance with a swap like this?

 

Flex plate and oil dipstick.

Lose the truck heads, they are trash. They will make a 350 go slower than a good 305.

 

A '79 engine should have passenger-side dipstick.

Use a computer-compatible cam, and the computer will stay happy long after the TPI is gasping for breath. The Crane 2040 flat-tappet compu-cam should do the trick, not overwhelm the TPI. Shorter runners would still help, though.

 

The computer will get upset past about 214 duration on the intake side. It'll disagree but run with a 218 (like the hotcam). A 224, forget it. Dont do it.

You'll have to change the chip. If you dont swap injectors, probably an 88 305 5-speed chip would be a good place to start.

 

I'm kinda stuck with these heads... Its either them or the LB9 heads. Unless someone wants to hurl some better heads at me for nothing?

The 350 definitely has a drivers side dipstick, I checked that the other day. I still have to get the casting numbers to find out what it really is. Its an older sbc.

Why would the chip have to be changed? And how much trouble will I have if I use the stock chip and 19lb injectors? I'm on an extremely limited budget, but I might be able to barter my way into a set of 5.0 Ford injectors... Would that be any better?

 

Just for fun... the t/a...

 

Why? Well... the chip in an 86 sucks, trust me. Its setup for a 160hp engine, and believe me it'll limit you to that unless you do something about it.

 

Ok Doc.... so why a 5spd chip? Whats different in a 5 spd chip then an auto chip?

 

Hmmm...
Actually, on second thought, dont do that.
Its so nice being able to burn your own to fix little problems...

Get an 88 auto tranny chip. It'll still work better, and is a direct replacement for whats in there now. Timing and fuel curves work better than the 86 stuff.

 

After I said that, I got the thinking that someone has said in the past that 305s and 350s got passenger side in different years. The '79 305 I used to have was passenger side.

Can't hurt to check the casting #'s, though.

LB9 heads might not be a bad idea. With pocket porting and 1.94" intake valves, the small chambers will offset the dished pistons to bring compression back up a little. With those mods, they'll outflow the truck heads, too.

 

Now will an 88 chip freak out the computer with regards to the cold start injector? I'd like to delete the csi but were can I get the kit cheap?

Also what about my knock sensor? will the 305 ks work or should I get one for an 87 350?

 

Oh yeah, since I hate bugging my dealership parts guy for a part I'm not going to buy there, anyone got a part number for a chip and the most cost efficient source?

And why 88 instead of 89?

 

88 has the cold start, 89 doesnt. On an 89, you'll run into the VATS issue. 88 without the cold start doesnt work too well, not without reprogramming.

I'm using a 305 knock sensor on a 350, its working fine. I think people are too picky, I have a suspicion that 100k ohm resistor (thats all the difference is) doesnt make much difference.