I found a 350 motor that I can get for free. At this time all I know about it is that it came out of a 1973 Camaro and it should be rebuilt. My plan is to rebuild it with a 383 kit and hopefully convert it to be a roller motor. Now for the questions...

Would I be correct in assuming it is a 2 piece rear main seal? From what I've been reading, it seems like the TPI manifold from a 85 or 86 camaro or Firebird would be required if I use the older heads. If I use the heads from my car or a newer car in general, I can use my entire TPI setup. Would all the sensors and connectors in my TPI harness have a place to plug into or would I have to leave some stuff unconnected or make places for the stuff to plug into? Since I've been reading that speed density is better then MAF, what would it take to swap over to speed density? If I use newer heads such as the 113 vette heads and a roller cam, what would it take to finish teh conversion to a roller motor... special lifters? Is there anything else I should know?

I plan on keeping the stock TPI intake on top for now and some cheap headers and catback just to get it running. Maybe next summer when I hopefully have more money I'll upgrade the intake. The reason I want to keep the TPI is because I simply love the way it looks and the massive amount of torque it provides. My hopes are that with a 383 TPI and 700r4, I will be able to have a lot of fun spinning the tires in first and second but I can still get away with a 3.23 gear ratio to help the 700r4's overdrive keep highway mileage up.

This will be a winter build, but I would like to start collecting info now.

Thanks,
Mike

 

Being in a 73, it is obviously not original. So they could have swapped the whole engine, so its a 1-piece rear main. Or one of the early TPIs, that were on 2-piece rear main blocks.

Does it have center bolt valve cover, or center bolt valve covers?

 

Sorry for the confusion... the motor is an original 73 motor. I want to take the TPI off my 87 motor and put it on the 73 motor. I also want to convert the 73 motor to be a roller motor instead of flat tappet.

 

you can use the tpi you have on older blocks 1pc main seal if you oblong and grind down a notch for the center intake bolts.thats all i had to do with my 79 block.doesnt take much time to do.everything else should be ok sensor wise..the heads might not have coolant temp sensor holes on each side depending on how old it is.other than that get her running

 

It is very expensive to convert a non-roller block to accept a hyd. roller cam setup. The lifters alone will cost you almost $500 bucks and the cam at least another $300, plus the timing chain and cam button. It would be cheaper to just stick with a 87 and up 350 block setup. You can reuse your lifters, timing chain, and intake, and just about everything else under the sun. With the old block you are going to run into a lot of small issues that will nickle and dime you.

http://www.jegs.com/p/JEGS/JEGS-Retr...06383/10002/-1

 

Would it be worth the money to convert it to a roller motor since I'm getting the motor for free?

Should I convert the motor to speed density while I'm at it? If I do, can I use my MAF wiring harness and just get a different ECU and intake setup? What would I all need to do this?

Thanks,
Mike

 

I know through experience that you can change to MAP but you will need to change both the ECM, sensors, and the harness. Check out this link it provides some good information:

http://www.hotrodlane.cc/Video/TPI%20VIDEO%20PAGE.html

 

Its not worth it to convert it to a roller EVEN if you got the block for free. Sell that block and get you a nice 880 casting from a 1996-2002 L31 Vortec 350 application. Its the same block that GM builds the ZZ4, Fastburn 385, HT383, and ZZ383 from. It is probably the BEST GM block out there as far as the casting and metalurgy goes. Has the much less leak prone 1 piece rear seal, factory roller provisions, etc.

 

I would actually go a little different way to convert to Speed Density. You could keep the current harness after re-pinning the ECM Connectors. You would have to Swap a MAP for the MAF, eliminate the MAF Relays and EGR Diagnostic sensor and a few more things.

http://www.dynamicefi.com/

 

No, its not worth the money to convert it to a roller motor, you can get a good 87 and up 350 block from any wrecking yard or engine builder for about $100 to $200 bucks or probably even free if you ask around for a block.

Or just drop in this crate motor and you will be ready to rock. The year one 400hp motor for $2989 part # CT350PC1. Ported Vortec's, LT4 roller hot cam, and dyno proven. This a great motor for the money and you get roller parts.

http://24vsaw.com/serverfiles/fbshop...26DK73488&trk=

 

The problem with that motor is that it is way more then I want to spend. I'm hoping to do the whole thing for ~$1000 or less if I can somehow man that happen. Because of my optimistic budget, I don't think a 383 will be possible.

My dad is friends with an engine builder so machine work shouldn't be too bad. Maybe I'll just get a block from him so I know it is good and ready to go. I might be seeing him on Saturday so I'll try and get some more info then.

The next time I'll get a chance to talk with the current owner of the free engine will be Sunday at an autocross event. Is there any major downsides to using the 73 motor as a flat tappet motor with the TPI on top?

 

You could do it as a flat tappet. The 85 and 86 TPI motors were flat tappet but only 305's but it would still be cheaper to start with an 87 and up block because you can reuse so many more parts off your current 305.

 

All TPI engines were flat tappet HYDRAULIC lifters, not the older style mechanical lifters. None were roller lifters from the factory.

 

Really..? I'll have to look into that more...

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If I can get the aluminum 113 heads from a corvette, should I? I found a seller, but he hasn't said how much he wants. If I remember right, those heads have a small chamber size... would they still work on the old 73 block or would I need special pistons to bring the compression ratio back in check? Would I still be able to use these heads if I keep the older mechanical flat tappet cam and lifters?

 

TOTALLY WRONG!!! In 1987 all TPI motors received Hyd. roller cams and Hyd Roller lifters. See below article. Second paragraph about 3/4 the way down in the text.
https://www.thirdgen.org/1987-chevy-camaro
"Roller lifters and new valve cover/head design on V8 Camaros. Valve covers featured new sealing and mounting through center of cover"

This is common knowledge and you should be ashamed for misinforming a fellow member of third gen org. I have rebuilt a couple of TPI 87 and up motors and they all have roller lifters in them.

 

Now back on topic. If you really want to use the 73 block you could use this hyd flat tappet cam from Summit designed for TPI on older blocks it is cheap at 139.00 and then use L98 or Vette Heads on the motor. This is the cheapest way I can think of doing it with the older block.

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/CCA-12-314-4/

It will work with no tuning and a stock tpi intake setup.

 

sorry stephen but yea, all SBC engines 1987 and up in camaros are hydraulic roller blocks

 

While the TPI center bolt engine lifters are a roller type & use the spider hold-down to prevent them from rotating, they are not the type that use the connecting bar between lifters. More commonly the bar type are used for retrofit engines but.....

 

It's just a different hold down style then the old school roller setups and I actually prefer the newer roller hold down style then the older bar type. But regardless of the hold down style 87 and up TPI is roller cam and lifters.

Sorry stephen did not mean to be so hard on you in my eariler post.

 

The bar ones are actually a newer design, designed to retrofit into the older blocks, since there was no provision for the stamped hold-down "spider".

 

it wasn't me

 

Actually the bar/link 'retrofit' roller lifters have been around a lot longer than the factory nonsense that was copied right from Ford's roller lifter setup.

 

Isn't it true that you can run any engine, heads, or cam you want, you just have to set the parameters of the chip to match your engines particulars?