I've had an LS1 and an LT1 before but my friend just got her mint 86 TA 305 TPI out of storage. only 68k on the clock. I'm going to help her baseline it with all new fluids and tune up. What are the best performance mods for this engine? What are some easy cheap ones to do? Are there any free ones??

 

This question gets asked time and time again!

But to do a quick summary, EXHAUST!.. very restrictive in stock form.
Headers go a long way and it only complements future mods to the car.
also, CAI or cold air intake is a simple mod, and could cost less than $20.

The restrictions these cars have in stock form are mind boggling, both
intake and exhaust. Most people think TPI just exaggerates the problem
but I feel torque has to come from somewhere.

Few things can really be done on a dime with these cars, so the best
thing to do is make sure what you got is already performing at its peak.

I dont reccomend throwing bolt-ons on a car that has no future plans
for tuning, It just makes things more complicated in the long run. Id spend some time searching, become familar with TPI as it is not too much different than a LT1 car!

search CAI, fuel/air delivery mods and ignition upgrades.

also, these cars were designed to run TOO HOT, anything to get that
temp down below 200 at operating temperature helps a ton.

Coolant sub forum has great information, temp is overlooked too
often.. the comparison is night/day between a cold TPI car and a
hot one.

 

Most of the suggestions depend on how it's driven. If it's rarely taken over 3K RPM then intake/exhaust mods won't buy her much. Exhaust mods can also cause problems with the O2 sensor and EGR from the lower back pressure.