Hey guys and gals,

The big plan for the last year and a half was to rebuild my 305tbi and slap a T-5 transmission in, but I recently came across a very nice carb'd 350 that I think would swap right in. It's probably in the 250-300bhp range, mild cam and mild heads with 3,000 miles on it. The cost to rebuild my 305 with an LT1 cam, tune, and reinstalling it could easily run up to $2-3,000, and after a long discussion with a mechanic today I am considering the swap to get way more power for way less money.

Say I pick up a carb'd 350, spend about $800... what else am I going to need to complete the swap? I know there is a write up on how to swap the 305tbi to 350tbi, but what all would need to be done to swap to a carb setup? I would think it would be much easier! How much will this cost? Would it be as reliable as my tbi?

 

There is a tech article linked from the thirdgen.org homepage about going from EFI to carb (also a sticky in the Carburetor forum).

You'll need a return-style fuel pressure regulator, plumbing parts to install it. Are you still doing the T5? LO3 exhaust is terrible, plan on $500-$1000 to replace everything if you haven't already.

Of course, this swap is illegal in all of the 50 United States.

 

Thanks!

I have a catback and cat delete already. It's a 2.5" setup though. All I would need is headers and the Y-pipe. Lol, illegal?! Doesn't suprise me but I don't really care too much either, what can the cops do? We don't have emissions here :P

 

The laws and regulations are Federal, so far enforcement has been local (constitutionality of this is debatable). So, while I can tell you what you would need to make this run, I will also advise with regard to the legal implications.