Ok, looking at an 89 firebird formula that's had the original 5.7 TPI removed and a new performance block fitted then all the standard tpi fitted back on top. Here's the engine spec from the place he bought it from.

CHEVY 350 5.7 V8 SMALL BLOCK SBC PERFORMANCE ENGINE

SPEC: STANDARD BORE, ALUMINIUM EDELBROCK PERFORMER 64CC CYLINDER HEADS, 3702 EDELBROCK PERFORMER CAMSHAFT, COMP CAM ULTRA GOLD ALUMINIUM ROCKER ARMS, ARP HEAD BOLTS, COMP CAM PUSH RODS, ALUMINIUM SINGLE PLANE INLET MANIFOLD, NEW PISTONS, NEW RINGS, NEW BEARINGS, NEW OIL PUMP, NEW CAM FOLLOWERS, NEW GASKETS, NEW SEALS, BRASS CORE PLUGS, STD CRANK

The car doesn't run at the minute ( possibly VATS) but he is adamant the car ran great.

I just wasn't sure if you could drop the stock tpi set up onto a new motor like this and it would run great ? I thought it might need a new prom or something.

I kind of want the car but I'm also a bit worried saying as I can't hear it run. And it's also 3 hours away. Hmmmm

 

Does your cars prom have vats enabled ?
Can you swap in your prom to see if it fires up ?

 

ALUMINIUM SINGLE PLANE INLET MANIFOLD
ALUMINIUM EDELBROCK PERFORMER 64CC CYLINDER HEADS
3702 EDELBROCK PERFORMER CAMSHAFT

If those aren't nearly exact clones of stock parts, the stock fuel map will probably not work for you because flow will be different. You should hope the stock fuel map is insufficient, that's a good thing. It means your performance parts actually work.

 

Of course he is.

Does it not seem odd to you that the seller would put that much work and $$$ in a car but then not work a bit more to get it running so potential buyers could test-drive it?

Unless you can buy this car dirt-cheap AND are an experienced mechanic with programming knowledge OR you have money to burn at your local auto repair shop to pay someone else to get this thing sorted out, do yourself a huge favor and............


walk away.

 

Does it turn over? If not it could be vats.

Do you have the oil pressure sensor plugged in? If not it wouldn't send power to the fuel pump relay