I've been gone for more than a minute on here since I sold my '90 350 Formula...livin' la vida loca over in LSX world with my GTO and TBSS, but I've always missed the raw GRUNT off the line that comes with TPI torque. Yeah it's sweet to be able to keep pulling to well over 120, but in the day to day traffic, I miss the TQ. I've thought about picking me up a cheap TPI 'bird again, but wanted to address that mid-to-top end performance issues.

With that said, I made a few specialty plastic parts on that side and it hit me, instead of just raw performance parts what about some lightweight performance parts to bring the TPI up to date. So I'm curious, would there be any interest in plastic upper intake plenum and SLP-like runners? In addition to a weight savings, they would all come with a ported/polished/gasket matched finish, and opened runner areas. Lastly, the high temp plastic material (HTPM) will rid us of the dreaded heatsoak issue. I'm even thinking of HTPM throttle body with a large single oval blade.

Is it of interest to anyone?

 

I may be interested but you would have to show this forum a sample and also you would need to beat the prices of other performance parts of the same nature. The reason I said beat the prices is because no one would know what to expect from your products because they are new but people know what to expect with a Stealth Ram when they stick it on their mild cammed 383! See what you can do and hit me up when you got some prototypes.

 

I'd like to see a plenum box/runner combo with large enough ports that they would no longer become a bottleneck.

 

For now we're exercising "keep it simple." It's not intended to be a high performance-high buck system, but rather a total performance upgrade value for the stock or near stock TPI.

Most people know what to expect from a ported Plenum box and SLP runners. However it's time consuming to port and after it's all done, you still have a tremendous heat soak issue. Not the ideal road racing set up or even drag racing without a lot of ice. Obviously, we would have a baseline and mod dyno test to provide people with real figures.

I would like to see a 20-25hp gain for the box/plenum, and again the ability to do so consistently without heat soak. A few more ponies maybe squeezed out with a bigger TB as the front opening will be completely for stock or oversized TB.

Among some design minor changes we can benefit from and are considering in doing it in plastic are:

1) Slightly enlarged and "oval" walled/shaped plenum
2) which will allow a smoother and more tapered flow of air into the runners
3) Swirl inducing runners
4) Runners with extra material to at lower intake end to allow for boring out and gasket matching larger intake openings

 

im sure there are plenty of ppl interested in a composite intake for their third gens, but cost effectiveness is key...

 

Now that would be something to see a whole TPI stystem made from the same material as the LS1 intake me i would be happy if someone came out with a head and cam package for the TPI

 

Would it be safe to assume most TPI guys would like to get more top end out the motors?

 

Actually the potential performance parts are already being made. What they need is improvement. Specifically the Edelbrock TPI base and the runners. It would be easy for Edelbrock to make the changes necessary. IMHO the factory plenum is fine with a little grinding.

 

Can you be a bit more specific?

 

Plastic plenum and Slp like runners but with no divider at all.

Or the holy grail, LSX type intake for the GEN 1 SBC.

 

Sure. They need to make some minor changes to the runners in the intake manifold. At the head end the runner needs to arc into the head. Not go at an angle. In doing so they would need to add material to the top of the runner at the injector. They also need to make the entrance to the runner bigger. The middle is big enough.

With the runner itself they need to have the area on the outside between the runners flat and not concave. I would at that point siamese the runners in maybe half way if not most of the way.

 

With equal flow and equal or similar price I would choose composite to save weight. But the price for a new composite tpi would undoubtedly be pricely. If TPI's were as hot as LSX intakes I'm sure something competetive would be in development right now. But realistically, I doubt someone would pay for the R & D to pay for it on a car that wasn't generating as much profit on aftermarket parts. It sounds like a pipe dream to me. I would love to have it, but I would not be able to pay for it for a couple years. And if a ported plenum, SLP runners, and decent intake manifold that is already available would be able to make similar hp for a cheaper price...I would go with the more traditional stuff to save cash. Good idea... but how realistic is it?

 

i dont understand why any aftermarket company hasnt come out with a composite intake for SBC reguardless if its TPI or not

there are some benefits to a lightweight composite intake like above mentioned, and it would be a "cool" thing that i think people would buy

but yes, the biggest thing is the base... factory style TPI and the TPI aftermarket molds that are currently made leave much to be desired. The FIRST intake is a good example of a step in the right direction. make everything bigger for flow...now all they need is a siamesed runner to make hp in the upper rpms like 1989GTATransAm has done with his.. They make that setup and its game over for TPI aftermarket. That be the hottest combination ever made. effectively turns TPI into miniram/stealth ram but smog legal!!

 

Actually what I was thinking of is siamesing the runners like the SAP, slicing them in half, then widening the plenum box, sloping it upside down V. So the plenum essentially pushes the airflow downward and the runners feed from under the box, rather than the sides. 90 degree bends then long 180 arcs do not make for good top end. lol

 

that be smart...sorta like a super ram? runners under the plenum but they are just shorter runners in the superram setup

SLP style runners that are siamesed 1/4 to halfway would be ideal if they fed from under neath the plenum... that woudl make for near 6000 rpm 'tpi' style intake

 

Well limited production parts is our specialty. I would like a target price of $650 for the runners and plenum, but we have to price/weigh the amount of high temp material needed for the parts. With this pricing I could produce between 50-100 sets. Of course if we have to do R&D for a new design as previously mentioned, well that has to of course, be reabsorbed.



I would love to introduce a new lower intake as that's the biggest heat soak problem. Need something to isolate the crossover coolant and the intake air. But trying to deal with the ERG and what not will prove to be frustrating.

 

I would like to see a plastic version of the superram.

 

I would like to see a plastice version of the HSR but have one blade TB like the LS1 Now that would sell.

 

Looks like we might have a new intake to obsess about now that the Turtle Ram is almost finished.

 

Well we can't make exact copies of existing designs, but we can use their design elements that are not patented. What is the Turtle Ram?

 

That is the new intake system by BBK that suupposed came out last year.