i currently have a 1992 firebird with a 305 TBI if i got a computer system out of a TPI car and used an LT1 intake manifold what kind of power should i see from this. i want to take the engine to higher RPM. i have 3.73 gears in it and i plan on changing my stall speed and putting heads and cam on it. i was going to put a carb intake on this engine but i have heard better stories about the LT1 intake and high rpms. would this swap be worth the hassle or should i stick with the carb intake with the TBI injection unit.

 

this swap is without a doubt worth the "hassle," which it really isn't any more. You can get a complete LT1 intake from....lt1intake.com You would have no problem running a TPI ECM and harness with this intake. Expect to pick up quite a bit from doing this swap too, although I can't give you specific numbers.

 

i was lookinginto a set of edelbrock heads and a decent sized cam. i have heard alot about the LT1 intake being able to reach much higher RPMs than the throttle body and the TPI. therefore i can run a bigger cam and have that idle i have seemed to fall in love with at car shows and have the performance to back it up. i am pretty good with fabbing up needed brackets and drilling to fit. the thing i was wondering is if i am going to buy new heads could i buy a set of aftermarket LT1 heads and use a ported LT1 intake manifold and not have to modify the bolt holes EGR and water provisions. plus i have found many LT1 intake manifolds for dirt cheap on ebay and at local junk yards. any more suggestions and tips are greatly appreciated. i have been kind of throwing ideas around for a while but i think this is the one i will decide on.

 

you could use LT1 heads, but you would have to weld up the coolant passage holes in them since they are designed for reverse-flow cooling. With that said, most companies make the same heads for SBC and LT1, just with the different coolant passages, so any heads you find for the LT1, you can definitely find for SBC.

And now that I reread your post, I see you already knew about that So yes, you can definitely use LT1 heads, just get them welded up and drill the intake for a distributor. Only other problem then is you have to run a remote thermostat housing.

 

also, as far as I know, you wouldn't have to make any bracketry at all, the accessory bracket holes in the head should be in the same locations.

 

i was talking the bracketry for like the throttle cable and TV cables and things like that. how large of a cam would i be able to run with this intake / heads setup. any other parts i would need to modify to make this setup work. im also pretty sure my 92 came with a factory roller cam. am i correct or have i been misled. thanks.

 

another thing i was thinking about is if i buy the intake and heads i can send the intake to the guy at LT1intake.com to have just the distributor hole drilled and the hold down braket installed i can polish the intake up and have the heads modified at a local machine shop. due to the fact i have no aluminum welding tools at our school shop. another thing i was thinking about is, would i be better off with an LT1 computer or an L98/LB9 computer to start off with? to make the tunning process more easy and less time consuming

 

You can't use an LT1 computer if the engine doesn't have the optispark, so you'll have to use a TPI ECM.

 

oh ok now i understand why no one uses it. just an out of the blu question is optispark possible to put on the small block or not even worth it

 

not possible as far as I know. not sure why you'd want to put it on anyway, there are better ways for spark

 

where is a good place to get a TPI harness and ECM to start off. would i bee better off with a painless harness? or will a stock one work just as well. also what else will be needed to make this setup work. i know i need a remote thermostat houseing the manifold and heads and cam obviously. another thing is should i go with speed density or MAF?

 

There's no reason to go with an aftermarket harness unless you just want a little cleaner and easier installation. The stock harness is perfectly alright. As far as MAF or SD, its up to you, although I've heard that the 3rd gen MAF is a fairly substantial restriction past a certain power/air-flow point, might want to check into that.

 

are LT1 heads a good selection to go with or would i be better off going with a good set of small block chevy heads instead. the regular small block heads would be a little easier but also a little more expensive

 

from what I've seen, SBC heads are actually cheaper than LT1 heads for the most part. You'd be much better off getting these because you won't have to weld them up, plus you can get an LT1 intake redrilled for hardly any more than the cost of the intake itself.

 

has anyone on the boards actually ever had an intake done by that guy that machines them. and to know what he charges if i send one in. because i havefound the intake manifold for like 20 bucks a few times with a throttle body and with fuel rails and injectors.

 

yes, a number of people have done it. probably check the vendor board for lt1intake.com as well as the TPI board. John does everything necessary to put the LT1 intake on a TPI engine.

 

Just want to say i've ordered from John before and he gets **** done. He got my fuel line sher quickly, your in good hands when you deal with him.

 

would i be better off paying for one completely from him or getting my own and sending it in to him? does he do anything special to the ones he sells directly? i know i can get the intake with throttle body injectors and fuel rails cheaper than 200 dollars and send it to him.

 

You'll find his prices are very fair and if you can find an intake for 50-100, grab it, if not, get one pre-fabricated from him.

 

yea he has good prices but i have found complete setups for like 50-75 bucks with everything i will need to start with once he does the machining on it. i would also consider having it colored depending on if it is just paint or if it is powdercoated, the powdercoating would seem like a nice investment

 

If you can find a complete intake for $50, ****** it up like there is no tomorrow, then you can send him the bare intake to have him machine it.

 

my friend bught a complete one with harness and everything for 20 dollars at a swap meet this year at the t/a nats