I was woundering if it is possible to covert the tpi setup of 86 z28 to a mid 70's 350? What mods would be needed?

 

What induction is on this 70's 350 now? Why the swap to TPI? You would need absolutly everything from the TPI engine electrical wise. That includes the sensor-wise as well as the ECM. It really helps if you have the TPI engine already.

Do a search for "carb to TPI swap" which will give you a good indication of what would be needed.

 

Possible? Definitely. The '86 TPI will bolt right up to earlier heads with zero problems. The distributor, sensors, and everything else should bolt right up. As long as the heads have all the accessory holes, the '70s 350 will slide right into the cradle and under a TPI.

However, you might want to check the heads, cam grind, and piston dish on the '70s engine, since the later TPI heads are likely superior, and pistons in the mid-'70s were often dished, and cam grinds were rather mild.

You might also need larger injectors and/or a custom fuel calibration for your 350, since all ThirdGen TPIs in 1986 were for 305s. A Corvette TPI may have been set up to feed a 350, in which case you might get by with the stock PROM from the TPI.

 

Hey Vader, since you seem to know a lot about parts interchangability for TPI's...I was wondering if I could buy any new short block (most likely a 350) and new heads (compatable with pistons) and just bolt on the old TPI manifold that is on my current engine (305). I would assume that I would need a corvette computer but, what if I went with a 383 or something bigger; how would I get everthing to work and still pass california emissions.

I realize that I just high-jacked your thread rusty but I thought that this was along the same lines as the question you asked so maybe we can get both our questions answered.

 

TPI manifold compatibility is in relation to the heads used on the motor. Search here or in the tech articles I believe someone has posted pics of the differences before.

 

You wouldn't need an ECM from a Y-car, but in changing from a 305 to a 350 or larger displacement, you would need a different fuel calibration. You could use the L98 injectors and L98 PROM, or burn a custom PROM for whatever injectors you install and the displacement you build.