Hey I need some feed back
I want to swap my 2.8 V6 Fuel Injection out of an 87 Firebird
for a 350 block. Should I stay with Fuel Injection or switch to the Carbed b/c it would be cheaper. I would like some feed back so I can figureout what to do
Thanks

 

This really comes down to a personal choice about what you want your car to be like. But if you are looking for a few pro's and con's:

- TPI fuel injection swaps are notorious for electrical grounding problems and vacuum leaks. It can drive you crazy. But you will have a factory style system with parts availability. You will also need the TPI style cylinder heads with the angled center manifold bolt holes, unless you are willing to modify things.

- Aftermarket fuel injection systems work but they are costly (thousands of dollars by the time installed and running) and you don't have many choices on where to buy service parts. You also have to contend with tuning the system. But that can be a positive if you have a highly modified engine.

- Carburetor is the least expensive. It won't give you both fuel economy and wide-open acceleration performance, but they can give you one or the other. If you are after wide-open throttle performance then the carb is just as good as fuel injection. You can use your existing fuel system by attaching a "high pressure to low pressure fuel regulator with a bypass port" to your existing fuel lines. The stock V6 fuel pump is a high pressure pump and can provide quite a bit of fuel at low pressure for a carburetor.

 

Welcome aboard.

In addition to what Qwk said, it's really impossible to make a specific recommendation without knowing the following:

Emissions?
Intended use.
Budget.
Mechanical ability.

 

I have looked around and I have decided to go Carbed 350
summit part # - NAL-12496968
I want to upgrade to 5 speed and posi before but let me know about some more choices for parts and installation

 

It won't be cheap to put limited slip in your car.

I'm sure there are kits to install limited slip (GM calls it posi-traction) in the stock Australian 10-bolt in your car. But the Aussi 10 bolt just isn't up to the abuse your are going to dish out. Those rearends are reliable to about 300 Hp. You'd have a lot of money in a fairly weak rearend with no room for growth if you modify your stock unit.

Another option is to swap in a Borg Warner 9 bolt with disc brakes from a IROC or Trans Am. These are stronger but usually come with poor gearing. You can get a 3.73 gear set from companies like TPIS. Once again you'll have some decent cash tied up in that rearend but it is probably the best use of money for what you need. Remember you get disc brakes out of the deal.

Your other option is to purchase an aftermarket performance rearend from companies such as Currie, Strange Engineering, or Moser. They have complete high performance drop-in setups and you choose what type of limited slip you want, gearing, etc. They are fairly expensive but they are tough. But probably too tough and expensive for what you need. Your main choices are rearends based off Chevy 12-bolt platform, Ford 9-inch platform, or Dana 60 platform.

Whatever you choose, be a bit conservative. If you use a manual transmission then you beat your rearend worse than with an auto transmission. A manual transmission transmits more shock loading that can expose weak parts in the rearend.

Also, I would lean towards a limited slip like a Detroit Tru-Track rather than a clutch type Auburn posi. The Detroit Tru-Track will give you traction in the straights but allow you to come off a corner harder on the throttle and earlier than the posi unit. Better for a car planned to carve corners. And it won't wear out like a clutch type posi limited slip. Believe me... one good burn out with a posi unit with one tire on gravel or water and the other tire grabbing traction on pavement and you won't have much left of your posi unit. That's why racers that warm up slicks in burn out boxes usually have very sturdy posi units that are a little tight for street use. A typical street posi won't live long if abused.