Ok, so I'm in the process of converting my car to a 400 block. I've got an Edelbrock Performer series carb and I'm having trouble connecting the throttle cables. The previous setup had the TBI and the connecting points are on the old TBI and I'm wondering how to convert. Also, the vacuum canister and half of the smog equipment are still in the engine bay. Since I'm converting to a carb system, is there any reason to keep this stuff in there? I'd like to have my car function and run without extraneous weight in it. Any help would help, thanks!

 

Before you get too far in your swap - does your state do visual inspections or emissions testing? If so, you may not want to swap to a carb setup. Otherwise, take a look through the carb section of the board here. You're not the first to do this kind of swap and there's a lot of good info over there, should answer all the questions you may have.

 

Depends on your local laws - but the evap canister, smog pump, AIR stuff can all go out the window.

If an automatic 700R4 tranny you'll need a TV cable geometry corrector for the Edelbrock carb ($20 at Summit) as well as a new throttle bracket (get a good sturdy one).

 

woahhhhhhhhhh slwo down big fella..way too many questions at once

400 block,fine,will be a direct bolt in for the most part but do you have the right balancer and flexplate? if you have a 305/350 you cant use them on a 400. 400 were externally balanced.

canister,leave it on........it doesnt add any real weight,it doesnt slow the car down one bit and you need it to properly vent the fuel tank.(no you cant buy the "infamous" vented gas cap. they dont exsist.

your linkage issue has nothing to do with the 400. you need to call edelbrock tech and get all the part #s for the proper brackets and studs. its a universal carb which means you need to make it fit. tell them what you have and ask what you need. they know it all.theyre very helpful. dont forget to tell them you have an auto and cruise if you have it.i am thinking though thewm cables since it was a tbi(havent seen a set though) might not be the right length or have the correct end son them for a carb. you might need at least a carb throttle cable.

also if youre going to a carb from efi youll need to read the stickies on the swap. what are you going to do about the high pressure fuel pump you have already? its wayyyyyyyy to high for a carb. i assume if youre going to a carb the ecm goes poof? if so wheres your new distributor?

 

Sorry, forgot to add, it is a manual. I originally had a T-5 in it and I switched over to a T-56. I did get the proper flywheel as I did see it is externally balanced. I will call up Edelbrock and let them know what's up and see if I can get the right bracket. I'm tossing the smog pump, but I'll leave the canister if it really helps vent the fuel tank. I'm trying to discern what's no longer needed since it's no longer controlled under the EFI system.

I did have a question though speaking of computer control. Since the car no longer will have computer controls on the fuel or engine management, what can I take out wiring wise? I have a feeling I'll still need the CPU since I've got a PASS key.... Will I need to reconfigure the computer at all? My only concern here is for the security system and that the car will still start without the engine management controls. Should I run into any problems?

I'm not the most experienced guy out there but dammit I'm trying! By the way, thank you everyone who's responded so far!

 

i did this exact same swap this winter. very fun let me tell you, but i just blew mine up going to third gen fest this year burned 10 quarts of oil in the trip..anyways on the computer controlled stuff im still messing with all that but you do still need it. you have the vats system on your car and that is ran thru your computer. vats tells comp to send pulse to injectors and power to the starter, lucky for you your carbed so if you ever have a problem with that you can just ground the wire from the starter enable relay to the vats system located behind drivers kick panel. but yes you still need the computer for other small things.

Annnnnddd youll need to do one of two things since you have a t-5 with a 400. the flywheel for a 400 is a 168 tooth set up. it is like 2 or 3 inches bigger in diameter than the 153 flywheel you originally had. so basically your bellhousing of your transmission wont fit right now. so either (1) buy a new bellhousing thall except the 168 tooth flywheel (2) cut the bottom half of the bellhousing to clear the bottom part of flywheel like i did or (3) i guess try and finds a 153 tooth flywheel for a 400 but idk if they make them.

 

get the adaptor from edelbrock. for mine which was a holley i went with the jegs throttle bracket with the tv cable adaptor as well. looks good and is easy to install. there is a post on here somewhere about the vacuum switch i used which worked perfect. and remove the bulb behind the cel light in the dash.

 

I see that on a couple posts you had mentioned that you cut the bottom half of your bellhousing on your t5. I have recently purchased a iroc with a cut bellhousing and 168 toot flywheel.

I am concerned of the strength of this setup and wondering if i should purchase an aftermarket housing.

So i was just seeing if you had any issues running it like that and what type of HP and Rear were you using at the time?