okay im looking to swap in a new engine into my 84 z28. it has the LG4 and im in NEED of something with more cubes!

heres what ive narrowed my options down to:

350 TPI
400 SBC

i havent gotten a price on the 400 yet, but i know where i can get a non running 350 TPI for 50 bucks. ive narrowed it down to these two and it seems i am stuck, see..

350 TPI - 50 bucks, needs rebuilding, would probably be cheaper than buying a running 400, but then i have to deal with all of the wiring issues,

400 SBC - probably more expensive, but then again it would bolt right in without having to deal with the whole fuel injection system

the performance is obvious, the 350 TPI has more power than the 400, but im not sure if its the power im looking for, i like the low end grunt, and, well, 400's are a good of engine as any for low end power, plus it has more cubes, they both are good engines as far as im concerned

here is why im troubled. i need to have it done by spring, if i bought a running 400 i could drop it right in (metaphorically speaking) but if i got the 350 i would have to rebuilt it and everything, so as far as time goes, the 400sbc would have the upper hand, but then again the 350 has an upper hand on $$

right now i am leaning more towards the 400, id keep it fairly stock, (headers, mild cam, new carb/intake) it will bolt in, i have a 5 speed so im pretty sure the tranny can handle it if im not on the gas constantly

i guess the main thing that keeps the 350 in my mind is the cost, im a senior and working at mcdonalds (trying to get a new job, hopefully in a few weeks) and money is sparce right now, although i have a $50 bill burning a hole in my pocket and i keep thinking of getting that engine for so sheap!



what are your opinions/suggestions? keep in mind i want the swap to go as quick and painless as possible

 

why not get the 350 and stroke it to a 383 ?

 

I'm not sure where you got the 350 TPI is more powerful than a 400. I guess if the 400 were in its totally stock 1979 configuration perhaps, but with a decent intake and carb and a better cam, it will make just as much power, even with the crappy heads that come on them.

Even if the engine is cheap, the 350 needs rebuilt. Plan on 500 bucks for machine work. Then the cost of all the parts needed. Plus the cost of the parts required if you wanted to keep it TPI.

If this is based at all on performance, you dont want the TPI anyway. Its not great, or even good for that matter. It sucks.

 

here is an idea

maybe you can just buy a good vortec 350 complete they are around $800 here in mn with about 80xxx miles. that price is complet and running with the computer and harness--or you could look at a vet motor and tranny for 3500 to 5000 complete and running. just a thought

later and
GB

rick

 

I dont think either of those are going to be cost effective for him, when taken into account the amount of money spent on converting his carb'd car to accept them.

 

yes, spending $4000 for a motor on a car that i only paid $1400 isnt a very good investment. when i said the 350 had more power than the 400 yes i mean in stock form, but i spose this reverts back to the old saying 'theres no replacement for displacement'

thanks guys, all i needed were some backup points to tell myself. ill call around the junkyards here to see what kind of prices i can get on one, should be able to get a good price seeing as we have 5 junkyards here in town

 

So, you want my honest opinion? Why? My dishonest opinion is cheaper...

Honestly:

What you paid for the car is irrelevant. Very few of us are in this for the money. All that's important is getting the maximum ear-to-ear effect for the money we have to spend. So, if you have $4000, it may very well be "worth it" to spend it on an engine going into a $1400 car.

Now, the big problem with this ear-to-ear/$'s ratio is we typically have problems with using what's between the ears and rely instead on what's in the chest. Translated: We don't think things through. For instance, what's this talk about TPI? You don't have it, you don't need it, the engine you get may have had it but it doesn't have to keep it, getting it will reduce the E-T-E/$'s ratio, so forget it. Plus, a running engine will almost always cost less than an engine that doesn't. So, if the $'s part of the equation is limited, don't get an engine that doesn't run.

Finally, you're starting off completely on the wrong foot. What your car doesn't need is a more powerful engine, what it needs first is the capability to support more power. That means you need to get rid of that factory exhaust and air cleaner systems, and put on something that has some flow capability. That alone will make the engine feel like it has more cubes. Next, a McDonalds budget doesn't warrant Jay Leno-like spending. Build this thing in stages. After you get the exhaust and air cleaner working properly, put a performance cam in it. That may require some work on the heads such as valve springs, but that's a much smaller deal than putting in a completely different engine, especially one that needs to be rebuilt. At this point, you haven't done anything that won't transfer over to a 350 or 400 sometime in the future, but you will have increased the power output of your 305 by at least 33% - that's an accomplishment that a 350 or 400 will not be able to match if you don't do them first.

Get the picture?

 

im probably gonna get a job at valvoline instant oil change, they are hiring, monday im going in there to apply, should get me a couple more bucks than mcdonalds and ill like it 10000 times better..

exhaust and intake are going to be the easy things, i already know what im going to do, i have a cheap and easy route to go, should get me optimum results as well.

i cant drive the car right now so i think id rather go into the summer driving it with the power its going to stay at, rather than trying to build it up over the summer than having to put it away again in november.

oh and the smog stuff is the 1st thing ill be ripping off when i get the motor, i dont want to tearinto the internals, but ill be getting headers without the air tubes on them and ill do away with the EGR and everything i dont need