Topic question for all the TPI guru's here. What is the biggest block a TPI has been installed on...and, was it "enough" for the engine.

Lets take all the aftermarket parts into account here...TPIS,ACCEL/LIGENFELTER,SLP...whatever.

Lets not go with the "TPI style" however.....leave the superram, miniram, stealthram, and LT1's out of the picture. Instead concentrate on a stock appearance(or close to stock).

 

If I remember right there's a guy on sethirdgen.org he's got a video, and has a tpi set up with a supercharger, it looks stock, but it might be aftermarket, like bigger runner's or a base plate. Anyway I think he was running 10's

 

Actually...

"TPI wasn't originally designed for the 305, because there were never plans of a 305 Corvette. A long standing old wives tale that makes sense at first glance (and I believe it's even a quote attributable to Lingenfelter, who i respect enormously) but just not true." - Quote from Somebody

 

I agree there was never a 305 corvette It was designed for use and was installed *first* in the 1985 305 IROC Camaro. Not till 1986 a year after it was introduced did the TPI show up in corvettes...but it was designed for a 305 block.

 

You can smack your head all you want but in 1985 Corvettes had tuned port. Maybe you were smacking your head because you knew you were posting a incorrect fact?

http://www.netvettes.com/1985.html

 

Exactly

 

OK...my bad, vettes had them in 85 also....so what??? This has nothing to do with the topic question. Can you answer that one? You seem to be a plethera of information about the TPI system....well?

 

I am not a "plethera of information" on the TPI system. I just saw what I thought to be an incorrectly stated fact in your post..

And you tried to be a smartass.

Stock TPI is good till 4500 RPMS on a 350, I would guess keeping stock components the larger in displacement the lower the RPM it was good till. Add a high flow base, runners and plenum and up the RPM capability, AS long as the heads flow as well or better than the TPI and the CAM is matched to that for whatever powerband your wanting.


ONCE again, let me state that I am not a "plethera of information" on the TPI system, the above is just BASIC what I think stuff.

 

I only went on information that I had. John Baechtal is the one with the information about the TPI first being introduced on a 305 TPI. Its in one of his books. I tended to believe him seeing that he was not only the editor for Hot Rod magazine but also Car Craft. He holds a land speed record of 221MPH in a firebird. These kinds of qualifications tend to lead people to believe what he says. I quote -"Chevrolet's unique tuned port injection system (TPI) was first offered on the 1985 215HP 305-cubic-inch IROC Camaro."- John Beachtel.

I took that sentance to mean that it was only offered on the 305 of that year....I stand corrected.
However, the sentance does lead one to believe that it was in fact designed for the 305.

Oh...about the smartass thing.....realx man, I didnt mean to offend anyone...just posting what I thought was correct info....my bad.

 

What book is that in? Could be that he meant Tuned Port was first offered in the Camaro on the 305 Because it wasnt Until 87(not positive on the year) that you could get the 350 TPI in the camaro.

And I took offense to the hand hitting the forehead smiely. No biggie. Can I have your GTA PLEASE

 

lol you wouldnt want my GTA at the moment...its going through alot right now

The book is called "Chevy TPI fuel injection swappers guide" Its actually a real good book. I think its much better than TPIS insider hints. No...it doesnt go on to tell about the '87 350. But..oh well. You learn somthing new every day.

BTW this is the sorry state my GTA is at the moment.....

 

Also in the middle of some intake work.....

 

The TPI was designed for a 305. They were going to stick a 305 in the Corvettes, rather than a 350 but people caught wind of this stupid idea and a 350 went in with the TPI on top. I've seen this in a few books and read about it elsewhere.

And also FYI, there were 305 Corvettes, just not in 1985.

As for what a TPI can 'handle', your best bet is forced induction. Since you are in Cali, I'd suggest a supercharger and some carefullly chosen mods and you could remain totally smog legal and have a very fast ride, even with a 350.

 

Thanks for the suggestion....dont plan on being in cali much longer though...

When I started this thread I was more looking for stock TPI setups(aftermarket included) not forced induction or anything like that....

To clarify: If I bought the best runners, base, and ported everything......what size block could fit under this without becoming asthmatic.

 

Depends on other things like heads and cam too, but should work with a 383 just fine. Might even work on a 400 ok, depending on what sorta RPM you plan on running with it. More than that and I have little question its going to be sapping a fair amount of power, more than you'd want to lose.

 

Just what I was looking for...thanks.

 

If that TPI book is red in color and has a cutaway view of a TPI engine on the front cover, its full of misinformation, lots of made up stuff, and flat out lies. Its a horrible book to learn anything about TPI.

The only 305 Corvettes I know about are the 1980 California models.

And yes, because of the ever stricter smog laws of the 80's, GM's engine of choice was going to be the 305. Thankfully, they found a way to keep the 350 and make it pass. But they kept the crappy intake because it was too late to design anything else.

 

Well someone tell me where to look where it straight out says there was going to be a 305 TPI corvette not i heard through the grapevine from so and so's uncles brother

I read on here somewhere about TPI being designed for the 305. Thought it was true. Then Was told no no no and given reasons why that wasnt true. Now I want to know straight up what the deal is and I want proof.

 

yep the 305 in vettes was in california cars only (carbed only)and tpi in 85 and crossfire in 82-84.

PRODUCTION TOTAL- 40,614
CURB WEIGHT lbs- 3206
ENGINE DATA
Displacement- 350 cubic inch V-8, California 305 cubic inches
Compression Ratio- 8.2 to 1
Horsepower- 190 (L-48), 230 (L-82) 180 (California)
Torque lbs-ft- 280 (L48) 275 (L82) 255 (California)
Carburetor- 4 barrel

 

WHO CARES?!?!?!?!?!?

Is knowing this information going to change the way we modify TPI engines? What difference does it make? It was designed the way it was designed, and now we must live with it. GM is not going to go back and change it.

Just from observation though, a TPI equipped 305 actually has a fairly nice, flat torque curve. As opposed to the 350's dramatic dropoff.

 

What can tpi handle?... About 8 beers, then it passes out.

 

Surely your not so dense as to see that I care. Would not have asked if I didn't. It's a pure curiosity thing.

Kind of like American History class right? It's the past, we can't change it, we have to live with it, so why learn about it? Afraid not.

 

I'm not sure if this info can help you, but I'm posting just to be helpful. I found a book on TPI at my library that had the following info about the capabilities of different size ports:

48mm ports can flow 630 CFM and are good up to 325 Hp
52mm ports can flow 750 CFM and are good up to 400 Hp
58mm ports can flow 1000 CFM and are good up to 470 Hp

 

:sillylol: We should work on its tolerance then.

 

For whoever cares, I got this info out of a book called "Camaro" written by Anthony Young ibsn#0-7603-0783-0
"A radically new induction system for the small block V8 started to take shape in the basic engine group under the direction of Frank Langenstein. It all came about with a decision to make the 305-ci V8 the largest displacement V8 Available in the Camaro and Corvette in the future."Davis Recalls the story: "We would get edicts:"You are not going to have engines larger than 305 CI"thats really how the 305 high performance stuff got developed. It was going to be the engine size-including the corvette. The fuel injection system(TPI)was developed for the 305.I tried to develope the fuel injection package for the 350and was told"keep this up and you're going to be fired".It's going to be sized forthe 305 Ci engine.Thats the biggest engine its ever going on.You're not going to get the 350 so don't worry about it."and I said,I don't beleive you guys,because this happens at the 11th hour all the time" Then he goes on to tell about how the corvette guys said they wanted it for the 350 and it was incorperated onto that.Its on page 98 of the book, for what its worth...

 

Thats some really good information. I think that settles that anyway. So the TPI was in fact designed for the 305ci. The question still remains, however. What is the largest displacment engine TPI would function without becomming to much of a restriction?

 

Thats great information, and I Appreciate the IBSN# because Im gonna look that book up. Thanks Zedder for setting me straight.

Rich88GTA: Looks like you were right all along. My apologies.

 

No prob......

 

Sciguyjim, that is the throttle body sizes you are talking about with the cfm flow. I don't know where you got the info, but I think your hp potentials are way off there. A 52mm tb is capable of well over 400hp. Closer to 450 or more actually before it starts to restrict. And the 58mm, which actually flows around 1050cfm, is good for well over 500hp n/a. And there is also 1300cfm monoblade tbs that are good for over 600hp.

 

I've seen TPI on like everything at car shows and cruise nights. Sometimes stock, but mostly not. People like its TQ especially, good HP, and smooth running, and adaptability. They usually don't like the cost much though. Most of them are SD, since if you're going to be doing serious modding its usually the way to go, both that and MAF have their advantages and disadvantages. Stock it flows good enough for a 305 and even pretty good for a stock 350, but when power is added or more ci. is attained you wanna go ahead and do what that designer wanted to and make it work for those things by porting, higher flowing runners, better base, gasket matching, and so on. The 48mm TB is good enough unless you're really making power or have alot of ci., and then I think I'd only go with a 52mm, depending of course. And as always, do some PROM adjustments.

 

So if I decided to make a 454 SBC could any "stock apperaing" TPI flow enough to satisfy it.....given enough porting and hi-flow aftermarket parts?

 

I'd say yes, but you'd be in for some incredible TQ. But with TPi if your looking for lots of HP, its like the only way is to go with other setups. I don't think the stock looking LTR runners would be enough on an engine like that though.

 

I agree....a set of large tubes probably wouldnt cut it on a insanely large small block. How about a set of ported SLP siamesed runners though?

 

Yeah, they are really the only other choice.