Purchased a complete TPI set up for $350. Only problem I have is I was promised a TPI with dent and ding free runners, and that's not what I recieved, trying to get it resolved right now!! TPI is off a 91' Camaro 305 speed density. Has intake with all intake mounted sensors, harness, coil, distributor, and computer with chip.

 

You paid about 10 bucks per ft/lb of torque you'll get.

For a complete factory setup you did okay.

Even if you choose to upgrade the base and runners, you have all the basics needed for the job.

 

Not a bad deal if you indeed have everything to make use of it.

How bad are the runners? Use it as an excuse to get cast ones so you can port them. Sell your stock ones off for some rebate.

 

$350 for a speed density TPI system with harness is a steal. Everybody and their grandmothers want that SD harness/ecm combo.

 

I paid $300 for a complete TA with a fairly recently rebuilt 305 and tranny. The body was pretty rusted, but everything was there. The electronics are bad and all, but I'm replacing EVERYTHING electronical for the motor when I do the swap in my Caprice.


but yes, I feel you got a pretty good deal. I would have paid that much if I didn't find my TA. What are your plans for it?

 

plan on swaping out my TBI for this TPI with heads and cam. Or I was told that it would work with the heads and cam I have now on my TBI motor both stock this way I can have it set up with fuel pump in tank and wiring harness ran and wait till I can afford a 350. What do you guys think??

 

anyone

 

Only thing I can see is you're gonna need some new injectors and some computer tuning if you plan on using the same TPI setup on a 350. Looks like a good deal! You could polish and port it a little bit if you wanted since it's all off right now.

 

Right. I just want to get it in now. so that when I do get a 350 the installation will go a lot smoother. I would like to try polishing the intake myself. I'm going to go take it down to get bead blasted hear in a little bit.

 

It will work on your current engine without changing heads/cam, etc.

You will need to upgrade the fuel pump, the TBI pump will not give you enough pressure.

If you plan on doing heads and cam at the same time, think seriously about a new baseplate and runners too...this way you only do it once.

Then again, it's a bigg-ish project, you may want to do the TPI swap first and work out the kinks, then consider your heads and cam at a later date.

 

I don't know if I agree with that. If you already have the intake and everything off it is a perfect time to do the heads. You're not going to want to pull that TPI unit off again to put the heads on. Just my opinion.

 

this is what I would prefer to do. I would rather replace my TBI with the TPI and keep it stock... base, runners, heads, cam, etc.. This way I can get it in work out any problems should there be any then wait till I can afford a 350 built the way I want it and put that in place of the 305, replace the injectors, chip and then I figure I should be all set. I would rather not waste money on heads and a cam for my 305 since I plan on putting in a 350. And since you guys say the TPI will work on my stock 305 TBI I think I'll just swap them. I know there won't be much of a gain in horse power but like I said I just want to get a head start on the 350.

 

that is a very good plan that you have:

1) put in the TPI, get the bugs worked out of that
2) get a 350 built, put that in there, get the bugs worked out of that
3) have a very nice car when complete:hail:

 

will the chip that I have for the TPI which came out of a 305 work with my 305 with TBI heads and cam??

 

got parts cleaned and bead blasted today!!

 

still trying to get compensated for those banged up runners. How anyone could list those as dent and ding free is beyond me!!

 

Those actually aren't too banged up, but it was just plain stupid to say they were ding free. I would have just not commented on their condition unless asked as long as it was clearly visible in the pic. You might want to check into getting them straigntend out. I hear they can run some ***** or something through them to take the dents out.

 

yeah I'm going to look into how much that will cost me.

 

Looks nice!

Like I said earlier you might think about doing a little porting work to it. If you smooth out the taper on for the enterance and exit off the runners and the enterance to the lower intake that opens it up a little bit. The GM design kind of makes a bottle neck taper on each one. Which in my opinion is kind of stupid since the gasket goes out to the edges but that's what you get from mass production items. Doing that mod should go pretty fast. If you wanted to go further you could redo a little bit of both upper and lowers.

 

I wouldn't complain too much about a couple of cosmetic dimples. Those look great compared to most and for $350 bucks. Usually a complete unit with all electronics and harness can be over a $1000. By the way, you better put a high temp coating on that baby quick before it starts to oxidize.

 

cosmetics is a concern of mine since I plan on polishing it. But it's not worth my time to polish a set of beat up runners. What's the point!? And units that usually cost over 1000 bucks are show units that come chromed or polished with all new GM sensors, new wiring harness, new comp, and usually have custom runners. You would be a fool to pay that much for a used TPI. My
point is I was told they would be dent and ding free and that's what I expect. A good deal ceases to be a good deal when you don't get what you pay for. And I believe they were in perfect condition prior to shipping but wound up like they are because of the sellers poor packing job. The bottom of the box was falling out and the TPI was put on the bottom of the box with no padding under it and some shredded paper was thrown over the top. That's just plain lazy. I watched the UPS man almost drop it as he was bringing it up to my door and when he set the box down I could hear a loud thud....that was the sound of the unpadded TPI hiting the ground. Who knows how many other people droped the box along the way!!

 

Was insurance purchased through UPS. If it was I would call up UPS and tell them about it. Course the best ususally do is just find you a replacement.

 

damn im getting a tpi motor and trans for $300. Guy doesnt know what he did with the harness though, hes gonna look for it.
If he cant find it im going carb. The damn harness is too much!

 

damn all that money your saving I think you could put torwards a used harness

 

Those dents don't look too bad. FWIW, guys will sometimes work from inside the runner with a broom handle/wooden dowel with a rounded end. With care, you could "carefully" work it around the dinged area... reducing the dings, if not remove completely. They are very thin.