Ok I've read and researched and feel like I'm going in circles. I know some of these things have been posted a hundred time, but every time I search and read I find more and different info. Anyways, my dad bought my first car about 25 yrs ago, it's an 89 Camaro RS w/ 2.8L and I've always wanted a v8 to keep up with my friends fox body just never happened. So now that my son is 15 we've decided to by an 89 5.7L TPI from a TA that ran w/ 95k miles, but we're going to rebuild it just to be sure. We will tear it down and have the block check to make sure it's good. I don't plain on boring it or really replacing the bottom end. What we're looking at is replacing the stock iron heads and cam, but keeping the stock TPI setup...for now, but we may do some work to them sooner rather than later. It will be driven, but we also want HP/TQ and my son says it needs that old muscle car lopey sound and I'd like it to run on regular pump gas and not have to run premium. Here's what Summit gave me as recommendations for heads: Flotek 102-505FT or Edelbrock 60859 (big price difference). Here's what they gave for Cam: COMP Cams CL12-256-4 or COMP Cams CL12-262-4. I want a nice set of heads and the biggest lopey cam that can still be driven. If I could stay under 1500 for head and cam. I don't have a 700r4 v8 tranny yet, so I'd need a recommended torq conv as well. We'll be going with long tube headers as well 1 5/8 or 1 3/4, any recommendations on exhaust? I know there's a million options there based on sound preferences too. Thank you for any info. We're going to be starting the tear down and rebuild and hope to video and document it. Thank you, Carl

 

TPI won't benefit from the heads much, and it won't like the lopey cam. Do a compression and leakdown test, evaluate whether the engine needs to be torn down. Assuming it's good, give it a tuneup and run it stock. Or, ditch the TPI and get a nice dual plane / carb setup to match the heads and cam.

 

If you are going to try to keep the engine mostly stock (FI, TPI, ECM,etc.), what Komet said. If not, you need to decide if this is staying FI or carb'd at least. There is a big difference on how you would want to set that engine up. Ask yourself too, How am I going to tune this with "upgrades"? Can you do it, do you need an engine management system that you can for sure get worked on in your area? Do you feel more comfortable with carbs? Do you need to modify for a carb setup and all what it could entail? Have a plan first based on your realistic wants and needs and build from there. Things like long tubes are nice, but does it really need them and are you prepared to modify to get there, when you could just slap on some Dyno Don's and have all you need? IMO, if you have a good TPI engine to put in that, go with that in stock form and a good header exhaust combo. Getting "chips" burned from someone else is not as easy as it sounds, and definitely not perfect even at best scenarios. Did you get the wiring harness and ECM/stock chip with the engine? That can be another deciding factor on how to proceed also. I ran into this scenario too when I first decided to "swap" mine, which led to many changes along the way (engine/fueling/intake/cooling/wiring/accessories/engine management/etc) because I wasn't as prepared and planned out as I thought I was in the beginning. There really is alot to consider if you want to do it right. Hope this helps to get you in the right direction.

 

Looks like you aren't far from me. What happened to the 89 T/A? It' will have a lot of good factory parts already on it if it was a original 350 car.
Have you decided on engine management yet? Staying with factory ecm setup? you'll need all the wiring from a tpi camaro to make it easiest. Aftermarket ecm setup?
You may want to look at cams that will enhance the tpi's powerband unless you are changing intakes. May not give the sound you want but will run better.

 

That's a lot of mileage on a 30-year-old engine to expect to leave the short-block as-is, but you won't really know what you're dealing with until you pull the heads and oil pan. I'm assuming you also have the ECM and engine harness from the donor car.

As above, the TPI ECM won't like a "lopey" camshaft, and long-tube headers on a 3rd gen will require more modifications than you might be prepared for. Not sure what your total budget might be, but a conservative figure would probably be about double what you think it will cost; details add up quickly with such projects on old cars.

Whatever you decide, GL.

 

I have the wiring harness, ECM, and all the accessories, so it'll stay EFI. I know I'll need new front springs on the car, radiator, move the motor mounts, etc, etc. I'm thinking since it's been 30 yrs in the making, what could I do or should I do to the engine while it's out and tore apart without throwing 10k into it. I'd like to tell myself (or the wife) that I'd have 2k for entire engine, but I know I'll end up 3k plus. I was just wanting opinions from someone who's done it and what they do different engine wise. I know buy a v8 car and be done. I mean I could throw a 383 kit in it which is what I'd really like to do, but then I wouldn't have enough to do the top end, so my thoughts were just to work the top end a bit. Thanks for your ideas.

 

You can only do as much as your budget allows. If I only had $2K to put into it, I'd drop the donor engine in as-is and hope for the best; that alone is going to pretty much eat up the $2K. As I've already said, $$$ disappears real quick when you take on such a project with a 30-year-old car; a lot of that $$$ will go to stuff you don't yet even know you need.

Engines---or the individual components and the associated machine work to build one yourself--- aren't cheap; there just is no way around that. Get the car running with what you already have and then start saving for that 383.

 

Keep in mind that the transmission and axle will need to be addressed.

 

There are numerous 90-91 Corvette l98 tpi engines for sale if you look. Even at 100k they aren't anything to be afraid of provided they are stock. In stock form they don't have enough power to hurt themselves and rarely rev over 4500 rpm. Odds are gaskets, rings, and bearings as a preventative measure would make them go another 50,000 miles without trouble. Expect to pay 750-1500 for a good clean tpi engine out of a 90-91 c4 (these had a true 10.2 to 1 compression ratio, and we're the highest factory power the tpi ever had., And respond well to very basic port work and a cam swap, already had aluminum heads too) if a basically stock engine is the goal that's what I'd look for. Shameless plug, I have one and in south bend Indiana area, if a serious buyer was interested I'd gladly put it on my run stand and fire it up allow said buyer to check it out. Out of a 91 corvette, put a built 383 in it within the last 12 months. Ran great when removed and as I said have a run stand, as well as compression testing equipment so you'd know exactly what you are buying. Pm if interested and serious, if you're looking for a 500 dollar engine don't waste your time. This one is stock, all original, and has good balanced compression on all 8, with matching ecu to go with it. Nothing special, but is complete and original.