Hello all, A co-worker of mine recently was hired to repair a '88 firebird. The owner of the car told him it was all original and only wanted for the original 305 to be rebuilt. The thing that confuses me is that it is carbed. As I understood it, fuel injection took over in all models around '85/86. Am I wrong, or is the owner of the car mistaken? I am more curious than anything. Thanks for any thoughts!

 

https://www.thirdgen.org/1988-pontiac-firebird.

 

Sure you aren't looking at a TBI unit?

 

'88 is the first year for throttle body injection. It looks the same as the '82-87 carbureted V8 engines until you remove the air cleaner assembly.

 

I bet it's a TB on there as they do look like a carb till you look inside.

 

I personally haven't seen the car, just going by what my coworker said. I asked him if it was TBI, he swears that its carbed. He's a licenced mechanic so I'm sure he knows what he's looking at. I'm thinking the owner of the car wasn't told it was converted back to carb and is thinking its all original. I was just curious, thanks for the info!

 

Please respond only if you can provide valid information. STOP GUESSING people!! Fuel injection was used as early as the '82 models for the 3rd gens. TPI came in 1985, but we still had the L69 and the LG4 V* engines. 1987 was the last year you could get the LG4 carbed 305. 1988 was the start of TBI and looks like a carbed engine, but isn't.

The car you're asking about is very likely a 305 LG4 carbed engine.

 

How can the car have that engine when it is an '88?

 

Did everybody change this from an '87? I swear I thought this said 87. Sorry for my misreadings. The car has the L03 TBI unit if it's an 88. No question about it.

Again, sorry for not paying better attention.

 

I checked out the car myself the other day, and it is definately carbed and there are signs of it being TBI at one time. (random extra wires) The intake manifold has also been swapped to a edelbrock unit. Turns out this "All original" firebird has been hacked a bit. The owner of the car obviously didn't look very closely at things before buying. Now he wants my coworker to convert it all back to TBI. The current engine has spun a bearing and had been overheating prior to the bearing failure, so it's likely got a blown headgasket, or cracked head. I think if this guy wants to make it original, he's in for some expensive work.

 

...or a missing or broken lower air dam. sounds like the new owner doesnt know much about cars - as is indicative of someone wanting to restore an LO3 back to original.

 

Screw the TBI or carb, buy an LS motor, plop it in... makes a Great conversion.

My 2005 Buick Rainier V8 is faster than the L03 cars I have owned...

John