I hope my subject made sense lol.

My friend (who knows all about cars because he works at an oil change place) told me how to get a fast car and I quote;
"Get a new Corvette and put a Holley carb on it, that thing would haul!"


I didn't bother with that one... but it got me thinking, would a carb produce more HP on a TPI block than a stock carbbed block?

 

.....this question is hard to answer because you have quite a bit of misunderstanding.

First off, you CAN'T put a carb on a new vette, its simply NOT possible (yet).

Second, there is more to an engine other than the "block" and a carb or TPI.

now as far as thirdgens go, TPI motors got better cylinder heads, and slightly more aggressive cams compared to the L69 or the LG4, so yes a carburator on a TPI based motor would make more power than it would on motor that came with a carb in the 80's.

This is not true in all cases, but it happens to be for 3rd gens.

so if you have a TPI motor, and switch to a carb, you will make more power, no doubt about it.

and your friend....... Doesn't know all about cars

 

if you're asking will a carb on a TPI engine that came in a 3rdgen make more power then a carb on a orignally carbed engine that came in a 3rdgen, then YES. because of whats listed above.



if you mean just the engine block... they are the same basic design as every other 305/350 SBC... nothing special.

 

The L69/LB9 MT/L98 all had the same cam specs.

The LG4/LB9/L69 all shared the 416 heads.

 

BUT if you move the heads and cam or anything else over to the carbed blcok it would make just the same amount of power being that the block doesn't really have that much of an affect on power unless it is alume or something like that


so the reason a carb would make more power on a TPI block again isn't because of the carb
but because of everything else attached to the block


and generally carb vs FI FI would be a better choice

 

Wrong.... go here. Look at the performer rpm carburated LS1 manifold. http://www.edelbrock.com/automotive/...manifolds.html

Ben

 

I know about not being able to put a carb on a new vette... that's why I said I wasn't even going to bother (correcting) him, it wasn't worth my time lol

So the blocks are the same, it's just a head/cam difference?

Are the TBI and TPI heads the same?


Also, if I put a good intake and carb on my TPI block/heads, will the power vs. cost ratio look a little better? Seems like all fuel injected parts are so much more $! I want to make more power than I am now, but I don't want to buy runners, bigger base, larger throttle body, etc.

 

yes blocks are the same

yes head/cam/compression is whats diffrent

yes the power vs cost ratio can be better with a carb. now if you already have TPI, a cheap steathram and a deal on a prom burner will be pretty close to the cost of a new carb and a new intake manifold.
if you dotn have TPI, its def cheaper to go carb.. and if you go used on carb parts, you can cut a GREAT power to cost ratio...