Hello, I bought a 87 gta a while back with a 350 5 speed manual. The car was originally a 305 and I knew that when I bought it. After I got it running I started looking at what I actually had and it’s a 880n block which I gathered was a vortec block , swirl port heads and a tpi intake . I don’t know a big lot about these era engines what do I have going on here ? From the info I dug up it sounds like a Frankenstein job

 

I think the 880 blocks are used as performance blocks from the mid 90s-early/mid 2000s. I'm pretty sure that was the zz4 block. It may or may not have vortec heads. You should look at casting numbers on your heads. You may have pm rods and hyper pistons also. It may be as simple as a 350 swap 15-20 yrs ago and GM performance parts were used. It could also be just a reman block. So it may not be a Frankenstein setup. It they are vortec heads then your tpi base is not original as well. Not a bad thing, just a thing.

 

interesting . I don’t have the head casting numbers handy but I did look the numbers up and it said they were swirl port. A set of f body headers bolted on no problem. Thanks for the advice

 

Are the heads aluminum?

 

Look to be cast iron

 

I don't a lot about the cast iron heads. Look at the lower intake and see it it's a GM part or not. I'm pretty sure GM never made a tpi for vortec heads. People are usually pretty happy vortec iron heads.

 

Car is out for a paint job currently but when I was looking at it it looked like a stock Tpi lower.

 

880 was the block casting used in the TBI and Vortec 350s from around 92 or 93 onwards. The ZZ series replacement motors used it too, starting at the same time more or less. Still do I think. They're up to the ZZ6 now.

Most common TBI swirlie head casting was 193. There are a couple of others but that one is in by far the majority of L05s, both in the trucks and Caprices.

Sounds like you most likely have essentially a L05 (350 TBI) long block with the TPI bolted to it. No telling what pistons or what cam are in it. Probably nothing "performance" oriented butt it could be, only way to know would be to tear it down. Could even still be the stock L05 stuff, if they just took a good motor out of a junked vehicle and swapped the TPI over to it and installed it in your car.

 

out of curiosity what's a paint job going for now ?

 

8k ish . You can pay more or less obviously depending on what you want and the condition of your car .

 

thanks!

 

that sounds realistic. Thanks for the input