Alright.... I got the 88 iroc.. blah blah... i am certain it is all in the sig... anyways.... i have some headers and more free flowing exhaust on the way... what is the next step... do i really need to change the intake... or would new ignition and all the electronics be more profitable? i am not too knowledgeable... so any advice would help

 

err. Why?

TPI can certainly get in that range and be a lot easier to drive everyday than carb.

Are you making a drag strip only car? If so, switch, if not, keep the TPI!

 

ir is going to be a street car, but i was under the impression that you could change the intake manifold and still keep the TPI

 

I made an assumption, my bad. Sorry. You know what they say about assumptions?

 

What intake are you talking about? Tha manifold which mounts on the top of the engine to the heads, or the air intake with the air filters. aka CAI/cold air induction a little confused!

 

Personally I am not embarrased with my times. I am running 14.30 with 174,000 miles on an untouched engine with 2:77 gears so mid-high 13s shouldnt be a hard at all. Personally I think with the addition of the headers and the exhaust you should be close to high 13s. I know if I had headers and gutted my converter I would be damn close to 13.99s.. At least I would hope so anyway?

 

isn't the intake manifold a popular mod done to street cars? because i do not think i need a cold air induction system....

 

It's not that simple... you'd need runners, plenum, and "manifold" all as a package to do any good. Meanwhile, the car as a whole can easily be improved. There's more to making one of these go fast than just the engine.

Get a set of gears, 3.45 would be perfect; you already have a little bit of a torque converter, that is a huge area for improvement; work on chassis rigidity (subframe connectors) and launch traction (rear lower control arms and lowering brackets for them); you'd be astounded how much difference those things make.

Cold ait induction is a step forward. Ignition is a waste of money.

 

RB is right as usual. I have an addition though. Ignition is a big waste of money *until you're running a bigger cam or a power adder!

Not trying to be a smart ***, it's just been my experience that stock ignition (even freshened up) with a cam makes the car run like crap.

 

TPI is the intake manifold type.

 

I'd go with gears too.

 

you can port your current intake manifold, or you can buy an aftermarket. i beleive edlebrock makes one and tpis makes a big mouth manifold.

 

wouldn't 3.45 gears make my gas milage horrible??? I am not looking to do that just yet.... perhaps when i get a daily driver next year.... and i do not think the car is fast enough to need any SFC just yet.... so a coil, and ingnition, distributor, and so on and on, the small things in the engine compartment, make no help? also how do you chose a cam?

 

The 3.4x series of gears are about the dividing line between good performance and mileage vs. better performance and a gas guzzler. If you have a 700r4 tranny you won't notice much mileage difference around town because of the overdrive.

And you'll still only be pulling 2000 rpm at 60 mph on the highway. 2500 rpm at 70 mph. That is liveable, IMHO.

But you will REALLY notice a nice pick up in acceleration. It'll knock a good 4/10 of a second off your ET--and that is equivelent to 40 hp

 

Gears make a night and day SOTP difference. I went from 3.08 open to 3.73 posi in my 305 TBI and it was amazing(it felt like 40 hp). I get about 23+ mph on the highway in that car @ 75-80 mph @~2700 rpm. 15.4 @88 mph.

Personally if I was you and had a full exhaust(headers/cat/cat-back) coming, I would spend the money on a quatlity chip. I picked up about .3 sec and 3mph for $70 SLP chip on my TPI car. I don't know what your car runs now, but with a 350, an air filter, full exhaust, chip, and gears and you don't run 13's on street tires(2.2x 60')in a 350 TPI I'd be PISSED.

 

beast... look at you.... sure you havea 305, but you have a 5 speed, so that should help, and you have all this stuff that i do not have

ghetto stuff, duct tape, 214/220 cam, saimesed, 1.6 RR, pullies, 3.42 gears

I still have 2.77 gears.... and you only run 14.3 i doubt when i get my full exhaust i will run anything faster that 14.6 I need to get someone to help me with the CHEAP/FREE horsepower..... I am basically lost....


and About hte cam again..... how do you know which is good for your car???

 

When I went from 2:73s to 3:73s I lost no mpg on highway, a little in the city though.

 

There's more to making a car fast than HP. You have a TPI, so ANYTHING that will increase HP is going to not be free or cheap.

Concentrate on gearing and traction. You'd be amazed how much difference it will make.

My carbed 305 gets 20 mpg on the highway (165 miles on 8.5 gallons this past Fri with my wife driving it, for example) with 3.73 gears, and a XR264HR cam, headers, ported double-hump heads, etc. Surely you'd find that acceptable. And I feel fairly certain it would dust your car severely in the 1320.

Approach this as modiing the car for best results, not narrowly confining yourself to modding the engine. Put your effort and money where it will do the most good.

 

okay so gears it is..... Gears are next.... where do i go to get these gears.... say 3.73 would be okay.... unless that is too much?

 

from what i understand 3:73 is to much gear, the tpi doesnt have enough top end for them. you would be better with something in the 3:4's

 

I've heard the same, stock TPI doesn't flow well past 4500 rpms. A 3:45 gear would be good for your setup.

 

well.... i know i can get a 3.42 posi rearend here in oklahoma city.... but should i go with a complete rearend swap, or just new gears, and if it is just new gears, how does that work?

 

Well, new gears are about $200 for Richmond's, and then you'll need the $100 install kit. So pick which ever is more cost effective, just make sure the different rear is working ok.

 

Whats your car run now?? At least 14s im sure that isnt bad. Id go with a mew cam, gears, sub frame connectors, suspension.

To bad TPI runs out of breath at 4500rpm...even with my lame l98 cam my carb will pull 5500rpm (havent ventured higher yet)

Im getting ignition next myself but only because I want a rev limiter...I want to be sure i dont accidently drop it into one lower gear than i should and send her to 7k

 

to answer one question, i have no clue what my car runs... i am sure it is in the 15's.... the stock ones run like 15.6 or something like that.... and i have nothing done to it yet, except the tranny, stall, and filter, the chip is still in the box, and the exhaust and headers are on the way...

and now for you mark,,, even if i buy the gears and the install kit... isn;t it pretty hard to do... i am no mechanic over here

 

First off, a stock 350 TPI should be able to hit 14.6 or so in tune.. You have a 350 right? according to your sig.

Also, yeah, gears are tricky, I knew a guy that installed mine for $150.

 

well if a stock 350tpi hits 14.6 that makes me feel way better.... anyways.... i thought i saw on a website it was like 15.5 or something from the factory

 

have you checked which gears you have now?
do u have the bw 3.27?

 

305 TPIs/autos were good for mid 15s.

 

I know that i have bw 2.77 gears ...... it is so nice on the high way.... going like almost 80 at 2000 rpm in 4th...... going 125 in 3rd