so i cant deal with this car anymore burning oil/antifreeze. ive decided instead of fixing this old beat up motor i want a new or rebult one. i want to keep it tpi. i looked on ebay and they have alot of motors but i dont know what to get or who to trust. give me all your sugestions on what you think. i was looking at this he said hell sell me the long block for 1800 everything there minus carb and manifold http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...TQ:MOTORS:1123
i really need help guys i want something decently faster then my 350tpi iroc but reliable like i can cruise around all night if i want to

 

A block's generally just a block. You can slap the TPI on pretty much any one. The heads and cam make the power. There are lots of build suggestions on the site.

You could probably get a better deal on a short or even longblock from your local machinist. 350's are a dime-a-dozen.

 

listen i dont know ,much i need something yesterday. meaning i want help picking and finding something i can use everyday without problem and i dont want some choppy cam at this moment

 

really depends what your budget is
to continue useing your current tpi setup you need an 87 and later engine
or at lest centerbolt heads on a early block

alot of reman engines are all Tbi engines you rarely find the correct tpi heads

you could always just look for a used low mileage engine from your local craigslist
or you could get a zz4 or a new "tbi engine from gm" and just put your l98s cam in

 

well, get your block rebuilt if you can, but if its your driver, then find another engine in the paper and take it to the shop. try to find some heads in the paper too, maybe use ebay.

i'm looking to do a 350 rebuild of a vortec tbi into a tpi engine, pretty much on the cheap, here goes:

vortec 96-99 block (hopefully find one with vortec heads already, so you can sell them for aftermarket ones that take a pre-86 intake, or keep them and get the $400 vortec intake)
aftermarket vortec cast iron heads (with provision for 86-earlier intake so you don't have to buy a $400 intake manifold for vortec heads, but ify ou have $$$, go for it) - ~$600
tpi base intake from a 85-86 model car if you don't go the vortec intake route - ~$50-75 (then siamese port it)
port your plenum - ~$25 in bits and stuff
ram jet camshaft - ~$75 on ebay (or get a lt1 stock camshaft, a zz4 one if you can find it, used is fine, but have a machinist look at it)
don't skimp too much on bearings etc, but get some 9.5:1 pistons (maybe up to 10.5:1 if you run 93 octane and burning a custom chip), remember vortec heads are 64cc
slp runners if you can afford them - $300-400 (try to find used on ebay & port match them to the siamesed stock base plate)
get a adjustable fuel pressure regulator and set to 50# or so - $75

make sure you have 21# injectors, maybe get some off ebay that are flow matched, but really you want new accel injectors 1st, flow matched ford blue tops 2nd, flow matched gm 3rd

i'm going the obd2 route, so many other vortec parts are needed, but that combo is good to make the most out of the stock setup and is the best balance of power, efficiency, and cost that my research has turned up. and you really don't need the vortec heads, a good set of pre-86 heads with 2.02/1.60 valves and less than 72cc chambers would be plenty overkill. with the slp runners, decent heads, and a 52mm (don't go 58mm unless you use a bigger cam) throttle body, i'd say somewhere in the neighborhood of 285 hp, but the ram jet cam says it's about a 300hp cam, so i might be a little conservative on the 285hp number. even with the stock 48mm TB, you'd probably be fine with the ram jet cam. if you use the zz4 cam, maybe try a 58mm throttle body, but definitely get at least a 52mm, some 24# injectors, and definitely get the vortec heads for maybe 320hp on a good day.

i'm doing this in a pickup truck and want great power, reasonable fuel efficiency, good torque, and a stocker that will surprise a few people, but not get me in too much trouble. i'm also looking for a LT1 T56 to put behind it in place of my NV3500, along with a rear gear change from 3.08 to 3.73 to compensate for the higher gears in the T56.

hoping i don't spend more than about $3000 or so. but, i really want to stroke the 350 to 383. have also been looking at LQ4s and LS1s, but scared of high maintenance costs later down the road.

someone please correct me if i'm going in the wrong direction, cause this is mainly research that i guessed at, which seemed the logical thing to do. will need a tune once complete, but that's fine with me. i think it's the best way to go considering the amount of plentiful pre86 heads and vortec heads out there, whether you want the vortec intake or the stock intake with some cheaper pre86 vette heads (or comparable) with 2.02/1.60 valves.

 

tpi intakes will not bolt to vortec heads the intake ports are to large
you need the aftermarket tpi base so selling the heads is useless

mine aswell go with lt1 injectors

my plan for a 350 is pretty much the same
vortec 350 with 4bolt mains lt1 cam with my roller rockers mod the vortec heads to work with cam
lt1 throttle body to use the correct connectors for obd2 conversions

in the end have a obd2 sfi tpi system on top of a good engine

or plan 2 is find a 4bolt main tbi engine get some 113 vette heads get them done up
with lt1 cam

vortec engines tend to still be pricy 500-1000 used + vortec tpi base 500
tbi engines 150-600 no need for new base much cheaper to do with only a little less output

my new 305 is running pretty strong right now so i have some time to wait