1987gt

has anyone ever taken a 93-97 vortec engine and harness from a truck 300-330 hp version and swaped it into a trans am? can it be done? and what would i need to do?

Spectre

The vortec motor has 255hp and 330 ft lb torque.
Ive got one.. one day it'll go in tho I just have the long block.
Id go with am Air Gap, and speed demon carb.
There's probably a way to make its current induction system
work.

THo, Id upgrade

1987gt

are you sure about i was told it had 300 hp because even the v6 vortec has 210 hp i find it hard to belive plus my friwn has a 97 votec and he ses its 300hp and it feels like i drove it it flys.

1987gt

well i found out your right but your wrong theirs 3 versions of the vortec 255hp,270,and 300hp im looking for the 300hp conversion anyway can it be done and is it easy as doing a LT1 conversion?

Spectre

really ?! , thats nice to know ..
I really dont know anything about retrofitting the harnest, no point taking a guest and mis-informing someone ..

But im sure someone will shim in ..

Good luck

1987gt

well thank you for your time anyway im glad i could help you maybe you should check the vin on that vortec you have it may have more power than you thought lol.

Stekman

The Vortec block itself is still a Gen. I design, so it will bolt right in, assuming you are upgrading from a 305 or any other V-8.

The harness really depends on what form of induction you wish to run. The Vortec intake is much like the CFI intake and quite restrictive. If it were my choice, I would sell the SFI setup on eBay and run a carb setup or something. Then, you don't have to worry about their crank position sensor and whatnot.

So, I guess, as far as difficulty is concerned, it really depends on your plans for the induction.

1987gt

well right now i have a 350 tpi but i thought the vortec was more like tpi then cfi are you sure about that the one i saw looked like efi not cfi? well the reason i want to change is i have done all kinds of mods and i just feel that the tuned port is a dog also so i thought maube a vortec would cure the problem?

cgb

The Vortec CFI induction is not performance oriented. Even if it simply bolted in a 3rd gen without wiring mods, it wouldn't be worth the effort IMHO.


Af for TPI being a dog...there might be something wrong in the tune etc.

I mean TPI wasn't exactly the fastest thing, but a mildy modified TPI 350 3rd gen with decent gears, tranny and traction should have no problem running deep into the 13's if not the 12's.

Stekman

The lower Vortec manifold looks almost exactly like the lower manifold found on the early cross-fire injection cars. That's about where the similarities end. Either way you slice it, it's still a form of electronic fuel injection. It just uses 8 injectors (as a TPI would) that branch off a centralized point, commonly refered to as the "injector spider." These are basically drilled and tapped into the inside of the lower manifold. The TB also sits on top of the manifold (like a TBI). However, the TB is just a TB and does not double as the fuel delivery source, so it is more like an MPFI setup. So really, it's a bunch of things intertwined into 1. Yes, I'm sure thats what it looks like. I have one sitting in my garage.

The design in theory isn't all that bad really. It's most resembling an odd looking MPFI setup. The thing, like stated, that is holding it back is the design of the lower manifold.

The easiset thing to do to get a Vortec long block in your car is to do a carb swap. Just get a Vortec specific manifold and some vacuum advance HEI distributor. No need for any crazy wiring or anything. Another option is the MPFI system as offered by Holler and Edelbrock. They both offer a Vortec headed versions, both retailing at like $2300 or something, give or take a couple hundred. Either way works, but, then again, I'm not sure if you have emissions or not.

1tinindian

This is exactly what I put in my car,(see sig).

One point though, the HP ratings are:

1996 5.7 Vortec - 250hp

1997-2000 5.7 Vortec - 255hp

I've dynoed mine at 265 rwhp @ 5150 rpm

That would equate to about 305hp, that the engine is putting out.
And there is still more to be found, with tuning.

The higher HP Vortec engines, that you mentioned, are of the 4.8, 5.3, 6.0 liter family.