Well, I just put on an Edelbrock strut tower brace (part # 5226) and am also looking to upgrade my stock TPI intake. I'm not looking for insane power, I'm actually trying to get better gas mileage, but I'd also like to be able to rev above 4500 rpm if necessary and get some more performance out of it. The only mods right now is hooker headers, catless y-pipe, magnaflow catback, cold air intake, and the strut tower brace. I was wondering what intake would be best and would fit under the brace. I'm also probably going to wind up putting new heads and a mild cam in as well. And of course other bolt ons to match, throttle body, underdrive pulleys and stuff like that. Any help would be great. Oh yeah, it's going on a 1990 LB9 powered Trans Am.

 

LB9 is the 305 tpi makes 190hp and 295ftlbs new... the TPI intake was designed for the 305 and isnt all that restrictive for the 305 but on a 350 with 45 more cubes it chokes the hell out it. you really dont want to put a highflow intake on it untill heads and a cam are done. or u will actually lose power and driveability not to mention gas mileage. i would port what you got. the plenum behind the TB, etc, the base u can port too. dont mess with the stock runners cuz they are way too thin. dont change the TB the 48mm on a 305 is good for 400hp. upgrading it to a 52mm will caust u power.

its your heads and cam that are killin u. the strutbrace wont allow much of anything over the TPI. so u cant get a HSR etc (but thats way too much for ur 305) i would save up for a head/cam/intake swap. doing the intake before the heads and cam is pointless as i said before. but since u will be taking it all off to do the cam/heads i would do the intake as well. theres nothing more u can really do to your motor to get more power without major upgrades. take it for wat it is and save up and do it all at once and right.

SR torqer heads
nice compu cam from CRANe or comp cams... call and ask they will hook u up
ported plenum, highflow SLP/edelbrock runners/ported base
and 22lb-24lb injectors and a good tune
id expect 300hp at the motor and 260whp

 

i really appreciate the help. this is my first tpi engine so i don't know my way around it as easily. i figured the stock 48mm throttle body would do fine for what i want to do. i'm only wanting to see maybe 350 to 375 to the wheels when this is done. also what have you heard about the new bbk intake? i've found a picture of it but can't find the release date. i think i'll just wait for that to come out and add some nice heads and a mild cam to see where that puts me. i'm also getting ready to add bbk aluminum underdrive pulleys, and an inland empire aluminum driveshaft to see if i can't get back a couple of lost ponies. thanks again for the advice.
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i really appreciate the help. this is my first tpi engine so i don't know my way around it as easily. i figured the stock 48mm throttle body would do fine for what i want to do. i'm only wanting to see maybe 350 to 375 to the wheels when this is done. also what have you heard about the new bbk intake? i've found a picture of it but can't find the release date. i think i'll just wait for that to come out and add some nice heads and a mild cam to see where that puts me. i'm also getting ready to add bbk aluminum underdrive pulleys, and an inland empire aluminum driveshaft to see if i can't get back a couple of lost ponies. thanks again for the advice.

 

how about the edelbrock intake and some vortech heads? would that matched with a good cam possibly get me near my power goal?

 

u want 350-375hp at the wheels!?! ha lol u better go with a 350 then at least. your 305 will be lucky to get 300-350hp at the motor max. esp with a TPI. i would put u at 300-320hp with good heads and a good cam and a ported TPI intake barely. to get 350hp at the wheels u figure 24% powertrain loss with a auto and 16% with a manual. that would mean u would need over 400hp at the motor. a 400 crank hp motor will put 336hp at the wheels roughly with a manual, and 304hp with an auto. if u want over 300hp at the wheels u better be looking into forced induction 305 or a built 350/383 with 450hp. there is alot of talk about the BBK intake but i have yet to hear anything about when its coming out or even a pic. i cant seem to find any.

u might get 3-8hp at the wheels with the underdrive pullieys/driveshaft. the driveshaft will just help with rotating mass. and less vibrations. i would be carefull of the power accessories with the pullies, i have probs with mine when im at idle with the lights on etc, ive fried 2 batts in 3 yrs.

vortec heads have been made for 305 but they suck big time. u can mill a 350 vortec head to a 58cc combustion chamber to fit the 305 but it has to be the newer castings made after 96 on trucks and vans. but u will have probs, they need a 350 head gasket and the chamber isnt made for the 305 so it will be larger than the piston, this affects flow, not to mention the heads flow more than u want for a 305.

the edelbrock intake is good. as i stated above the world products SR torquer heads flow good for the $$ and with a good cam u can make sum good hp numbers with a 305 since they are designed for the smaller bore unlike the vortec heads. a good 305 with heads and a cam will prob need a better intake than a stocker now u can do this a couple ways....
TPIS makes the bigmouth intake. its slightly larger than the eldebrock/accel(which is edelbrock now) and scoggin dickey. course its alil more $$ i think...
u can get the edlebrock base which is good but u can port if u want which is nice and match them to a set of good aftermarket runners, edelbrock/SLP/TPIS/ etc and port the plenum to match and match all the gaskets etc and u got a good flowing TPI intake.
another route is to extrude hone the stock base which is the same thing as an aftermarket and costs about the same as the aftermarket. extrude honing dramatically increases flow and by porting with special materials that are pushed throught the intake. course its $$ tho.

a good set of 305 aftermarket heads.
good matched cam for highflow TPI intake system
aftermarket TPI, base,runners, ported plenum
custom tune, TB air foil.
nice set of roller rockers etc
and u should be in the 300-350hp range. i wouldnt expect much more than 350hp outa a 305 without a really large cam/heads and reving that B@astard to the moon... then it wont be street drivin.