Hey fellas, I'm throwing out the stock 305 tpi and putting in a new carburated 350. Its an 89 Iroc, manual tranny. Will the engine below work? I mean were going from fuel injected to carburated. Also, were getting headers, an exhaust, and a new clutch from Jegs. I hear we also need a fuel "modifier" since my old fuel pump was electric and the new one won't be. What do you guys think? Any advice? Thanks in advance!!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/CHEVR...item2a113c1724

 

Ya itll work if going to a mech fuel pump some people have had luck (like me) just pulling threw the electric 1 no mods others not so lucky but u can drop gas tank and put a carb pickup tube in it or use the electric 1 and get a return style regulator my advice is while the engines out clean that engine bay and get rid of all the non used wireing

 

Converting from EFI to carb requires a good bit of work.

That ad doesnt specify what cam or what heads it's using. It's probably whatever 70s awful junkyard heads they can find that aren't cracked yet.

If you get it, it will likely be a freshened up engine with fresh bearings and clearances, but it will not be fast. Your 305-TPI will very likely be faster. Since your current engine has a 1 pc RMS, and this one has a 2pc RMS, you may need a new flywheel also.

If you really wanna drop 3 grand on an engine, ask them what the cylinder head casting numbers are, and then ask them what the cam specs are, or ask fora grind number. If they get evasive I suggest you look elsewhere. If they actually answer you, let us know what they tell you.

Go search the carb board and see what all you need to do fora carb swap. The biggest problem for you will be setting up the fuel pump relay without the ECM to turn it on, and dealing with the fuel pump. If you use the electric pump, you need to use an adjustable fuel pressure regulator to dial it down to the 5-7 range. DO NOT CHEAP OUT ON A FUEL PRESSURE REGULATOR. Mallory 4309 is the usual recommendation. You cheap out on a regulator and you're asking for a fire hazard. you dont have to worry about a torque converter lockup, since you're manual.

HOWEVER.... if you decide to put a little extra work into it and get yourself a nice 350, you've got good odds taht you'll blow up the T5 within a year.

 

Lol would luv to see a 200 hp motor be faster then a 300 hp. That motor only needs 3 wires to run its a straight foward pretty easy swap and he also said fuel pump was not elec which makes it even easier plus the fact that its a manual even better now converting an exsisting engine from efi to carb yes i agree is time comsuming but not this swap plus it states it comes with a flexplate and sence its not a backwoods shop pretty sure if he talks to them theyll swap it for a flywheel drop it in bolt it up hook up your 3 wires turn key vrooom that easy

 

Just to correct myself if he wanted his gages to work plus sense its an hei its more like 6 wires To be fully functional

 

I woudlnt be surprised if they pull that 325hp number out of their rear ends. Thats the "correct" number to give people to get them to buy your engines.

Even if it is a real number that's flywheel hp without any accessories, with headers, with a much better intake/carb setup than what they're giving you. Given the lack of detail they provide in the auction, I'd be surprised if theres any "standard" cylinder head for these engines. I'd bet money they just use whatever junkyard heads they can get paint up to look pretty.

Cylinder heads are THE most important part of the power recipe. Most of the common pre 85 cylinder heads for 350s come from 70s 350s. You know like the ones that came in the 78 Z28 that had 185hp. Or maybe it came out of a 76 C/10, and it makes 160hp. Or Maybe an 81 C10, and it makes 160hp.

Everything just screams "whatever we can find to paint it up and look pretty" in that ad. They use name brand bearings, a polished intake, a polished carb, shiny valve covers, etc, And then they dont tell you what the cam specs are, and most telling, they dont disclose cylinder head casting numbers. Cylinder heads are by far the most common place to cut corners for performance.

Also, if he wants to use the mechanical pump he needs to install a proper carb pickup in the tank. The pull through method is just half assing it.


Will this thing work? Yeah, it'll work. Is it going to be worth the trouble to replace his 305? I dont think so. If it's not worth the personal time and labor to install it, you know it's not worth the money it costs.

 

Oh, Five Star Engines...

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/sout...ar-engine.html

 

What do you guys recommend that I purchase? It must be a motor thats already assembled. So where should I be looking? I don't want a used one with miles, and it has to be a carburated 350. Thanks!!

 

Whats your budget? GM crate motors are nice but a little pricey. But they come with a warranty. Blueprint engines are really nicely priced but have mixed reviews I believe. How much horsepower are you wanting?

 

well heres our plan:

$3000 for a turn key engine, hopefully a 350 with 290hp?
$300 for some decent headers
$300 for a new exhaust
$300 for a new clutch

I have a Summit catalog and my brother and I might order stuff from there. The main thing is the engine and I was gonna get it from 5 Star Engines but I'm not too sure. Summit has some turn keys as well so were gonna check those out. So thats sort of my budget bro........

 

L31 crate motor: (1829)
http://www.jegs.com/i/GM%20Performan...0002/-1?CT=999

Vortec intake: (115)
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/NEW-A...Q5fAccessories

HEI: (45)
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/BBC-S...Q5fAccessories

 

$3000 for a turnkey engine will be hard to do. Summit has a 290hp long block for $1999. You're probably looking at least $4000 for a turnkey, probably more. The rest of the budget is doable though.