This is my first post to the board and yes I am asking for your help. I am currently putting a 350 / T5 combo in my 1993 caprice wagon. I think I may have jumped the gun so to speak in doing a 454 TBI set up. Currently the motor I am using is rated at 285hp using a Crane energizer part#100052. When I first stumbled upon this site I got side tracked reading all of the posts touting the benifits of the 454 TBI with the 65lbs injectors. After taking my intake to the machine shop today and finding it closed until the 18th I started wondering and checking more posts. Long story short... Will the 454 help me at all or am I going to be chasing the monkey for the next six months trying to figure out why the thing won't idle right? I have added the cam specs fyi and could use some help


Any information you can provide would be much appreciated

 

test for specs. Files too big never mind.

 

Once more with feeling

 

You made the correct choice. I have a 454 tbi going on my lil 305 here later this week (woo, finally going home for the first time since January!) and I think it'll make a world of a difference. Lets hope for the best

 

You are going to have to tune a lot so you may as well do it with a larger TBI unit on it.

 

cam looks OK. i would consider the 454 with 80 lbs or 90 lbs injectors. 65 lbs will work with higher fuel pressure. i am of opinion the older GM 454 TB used larger injectors than newer 454 TBI. i am aware the 95 GM 1500 truck ran at 26-32 lbs. can your fuel pump maintain 26 lbs? that tells me a smalled inj than older 454 truck had.

 

The TBI I've got is early 90's its got the 80lbs injectors but everything i've read on the board pointed me to the 65lbs. If I could use what I've got currnetly that would be great. I guess if I have to tune it I might as well start from scratch. I'll drop the intake off later this week get it port matched to the tbi. Any recommendations on getting the ECM re-programmed?

 

Your new motor is going to run way rich at Idle with that cam till you get the chip tuned. I would get it started with your original TBI and get the timing dialed in and the rockers set. Your stock chip is going to work alot better with your stock TBI. Add the bigger TBI later after you get the initial bugs worked out.

 

If you don't mind me asking, what kind of heads are you using with that single pattern cam.

Steve

 

The heads are World Castings 350 SBC Stock Replacement (S/R) Torquer Heads. There is reall nothing mystical about the motor. It is after all going in a stationwagon. I learned a long time ago

speed X hard street driving = broken s**T and money.

The car I am building is going to be a family car I do metal fab in my spare time so I've put a 59 impala dash in it and am looking at re-skinning the rear end in 59 sheet metal. I really don't get into the engine building thing or tuning much as its a whole nother monster. I've always felt that I can buy a motor with a warranty for what I can build test fire and destroy one for because I didn't torq something right. Sheet metal is far more forgiving.

Thanks for the heads up on using the old TBI I plan on getting the chip burned before hand. I would love to use the old stuff but the code enforcement guy and my wife said I had 24hrs to get the old motor out of the driveway. I took what I could of the old 305 in the pouring rain and traded the rest for beer. The old tbi tasted delicious and I really did forget about my problems for a couple of hours.

 

the smaller TB will work to get you going. regardless without a datalog and a couple burns you wont be happy with way car runs. i have a similar cam in my car and that with my heads did not run worth a dam day one on mods. i mean barely ran. i parked car and started to study what to do. i would say data log at miniimum, give result to chip burner and let them try to get it improved.

 

Thanks Ronnie, I think I'll probably just start with a stock TBI and get rid of the 454 all together. I figure if I use the 65lb injectors it should be adequate. I not going to run this thing down the 1/4 mile or anthingy and most of it will be for looks. I would love to have the time to learn the in's and out's of this but in all reality the lesson I will take away is stay away from modifications to computure controlled fuel injection. The car is paid for and much too much money spent to chuck it. I have to say I admire the tenacity of the people on this board

 

Is it to late to change cams also? A dual pattern cam would work a lot better than the single thats in there now unless the exsaust ports have been ported to get the flow numbers up to at least 80% of the intake flow.

Steve

 

steve: i am swapping in a cam in about 3 weeks. my heads are 2003 issue which are CNC machined edelbrock. supposedly they are set up right by edelbrock for the application they are designed for. that is a moderate flow numbers/moderate intake exhaust runner size. with headers 1/58 and dual exhaust exhaust flow should be good. is it still suggested to go to dual pattern? i believe my intake flow is fine as well.

 

I think if u port the crap out of those heads, the single pattern cam should be alright. Those S/R's flow real well IF ported, if not, they are mediocre (note name S/R, stock replacement).

 

Ronny, if the flow numbers of the exsaust ports are in the 80% range +or- 5% of the intakes your good to go. I'm no athuority on head flow but a dual pattern cam is made to help get the exsaust out by leaving the valve open longer because of the difference between flow %. The worse the flow the longer the valve needs to be open to a point. You just don't want to leave the valve open too long unless you desire a lumpy idle. Thats kind of a simple answer but we could write books on cam science from now on and still not get it all on paper.

Steve