I have been looking for a 350 for my car to swap in place of the 305 in it. Someone told me that they would sell me a complete 350 TPI w/wiring harness and a 700r4 transmission out of a GTA with 80,000 miles for 600, he said the engine and tranny ran fine. Does that sound good, or too much?

 

its not bad, id take it for sure go for it

 

mykah891,
STEP#1 - Before Purchasing a Motor
Get the numbers off the block and verify C.I.D., Year, etc.

Price sounds like the seller needs cash! or.....Is there another reason it's VERY reasonably priced?

Sincerely,
Kurt

 

Im guessing by the replies that it is a pretty good deal then,, i asked him for the numbers and the year of the GTA it came out of, after i get those what do i do from there? I apologize im not very good with engine things yet not really my area of expertise.

He also stated he was selling it because he came across another 350 block with a dual tunnel ram carb setup. (not really sure what this means but im guessing its a more powerful motor.)

Thanks

 

There are a couple of things you can do, take the valve cover off and get the head casting number which are sometimes not reliable, or on the back of the engine on the top where the tranny bolts in get those casting numbers and match it up
at http://www.mortec.com./ You need to do this... I did not and someone sold me a 150hp crappy *** LG4 instead of a 350 learn from my mistakes..

 

mykah891,
I think it is a very good deal PROVIDED that the Engine and Trans are in good condition. Mileage isn't too bad if you could VERIFY that it would be better. After you verify what you are trying to purchase by checking ALL the numbers you will need to do some basic checks of the engine itself. Do a search on this site several guys have posted some good instructions for this including checking compression, etc. If the engine is still in a vehicle (hopefully a GTA) you will have an easier time checking it out.

Are you sure you're ready for this project? Do you have a buddy or a relative that is gonna help you? This is a pretty complicated project your planning on undertaking! The guys here at TGO will provide tons of help. They helped my son and I EVERYDAY for the last six months! But..... you need some basic skills (and tools) to make sure you end up with something you're happy with in the end.

You should plan on a bunch more money for this swap than the $600 you MIGHT end up paying for the engine/tranny. If you do NOTHING to the engine and just drop it into your vehicle.... plan on another $600 minimum for misc. "STUFF".

It might be more powerful....although I really doubt it. A TPI 350 is a heck of a good set-up. TPI should be RELATIVELY decent on fuel, very reliable, and provide TONS of power. The guy that is selling it to purchase a "Dual Tunnel Ram" carb is [IMPO] dumber than a box of rocks. I'd take a TPI 350 in a minute over the set-up that guy is plannning on putting in his car. Although, that is just MY PERSONAL OPINION!

Also.... I am personally not knowledgeable of the TPI system. You need to get more than just the wiring harness. (i.e. Computer, Etc.) Hopefully some of the guys that are knowledgeable will chime in on this thread to make sure you get ALL the stuff you need to make it an easy swap.

Sincerely,
Kurt

 

Thanks for your replies, he is going to get me the numbers tonight, he said it came out of an 89.

Unfortunatly the engine is not in the vehicle anymore so the supposed checks for compression im guessing are going to be difficult to do?

I am having the engine swap done by someone when i get the body work done to my car, doing some reading over the last few weeks i am under the assumption that i will have most of the parts necessary for the swap in my 305 car and i will need to get a couple more things.

I plan on having the engine rebuilt and cleaned up before i put it in the car. Somebody here would know approx how much im going to sink into it to get about 350rwhp would they?

But anyways i will check on those numbers tonight, and is there anything else i can have him do to verify the engine is in good shape, its out of the car, but he is a very helpful guy from what i have been talking to him, and im pretty sure he would help me out on verifying its condition.

Thanks much

 

Along with the wiring harness, you'll need the computer and in-tank fuel pump. That is assuming you'll get everything that was attached to the wiring harness and engine.

Getting 350 RWHP out of a 350 TPI will require somewhere in the neighborhood of an additional $3000-$4000.

Unless you give it a 200 shot, that is. And hope a stock bottom end can handle it.

 

Ok, well he got back to me and said he will get the numbers to me tomorrow, he said that its one of those situations where he needs money, and i have delt with him before so i trust him when he says its a good engine,, now if someone wouldnt mind awnsering one more question for me.


He says he has a brand new carb intake for the motor if i want it. What am i better off doing as far as power wise, i recently got rid of my 02 SS not too long ago and i would like to get atleast the same power out of the motor as i had. Would i be better off getting the carb and going that route or going with TPI, as stated in an earlier post he said a good 3-4k to get around 350 hp, would it be cheaper/more powerful going carb?

Thanks

 

Carb typically produces better power than TPI. But, I wouldn't assume that you'll get as much power out of a carb that your SS had. The intake he's offering is probably a stock replacement type, which most likely won't have much power over 5000 RPMs.

Of course, the L98 cam won't have much power over 5000 RPMs, either.

More would be needed to match your SS.

 

Ok thanks for the reply once again, but i may have been a bit vague, i understand that i will obviously need more than just a carb'd 350 block to math the SS, but which would be the best route to go cost/efficiency wise to get there (Carb or TPI).

Gas is not really a problem i suppose because this car will only be driven on nice summer days (no rain no snow etc), im not planning on taking it to the track or racing it, but i would still like to have the power behind it for spirited driving like i was used to.

Thanks again.

 

You haven't said what your car is, or what, if anything, has been done to it so far. If you're starting from stock, then something along this line:

Engine rebuilt, good forged pistons, etc., ARP rod bolts.

Heads ported, good valve springs installed, rocker studs pinned or screw-in type installed.

Something along the lines of Comp XR274 hydraulic roller cam.

RPM air gap intake manifold.

Full exhaust change-out - headers on back.

Then a transmission to support it.

All this assuming you don't have emissions inspection or testing to be concerned about.

 

Sorry about that, im starting with an 86 camaro iroc and it has the stock 305 TPI setup and stock transmission, the 350 block the guy is offering to sell me is out of an 89 GTA its a 350 and it has the stock 350 TPI stuff on it, he said that he had a new carb intake that i could have with it if i wanted it.

I am looking for the route that will be cheaper in order to attain in the area of 325-350 rwhp whether it be carb or tpi, whichever is cheaper, i will buy a transmission later.

Thanks

 

Carb.