I used them for a base bin file for my 383 HSR build which used HSR, AFR 195's, 230/245 .603/.613 on a 109 lsa cam, 11 to 1 compression, etc etc. The chip was good enough to start the motor and somewhat drive around in but it was rough. WOT was way off which was expected. Idle surged in drive and wanted to stall at times. Had to tweak those low MAF tables alot to get it in line along with play with the spark table. Eventually got it all checked out. Then once it was driving and reving well, went into WOT and added BUNCH of PE at all rpms. Just wasnt enough. Chip had 40% added after like 3600-4000 rpm... i needed over 85%. Car loved the gas and power showed. Picked up a TON of seat of the pants feel going from 17 air fuel ratio to low 13's, then i dialed it in from there on the dyno.

Overall experience, for 75 bucks wasnt too bad. Knowing what I know now after tuning that motor and my 401 turbo motor, i would start from scratch and do it myself

 

I wish I knew how to do it myself, but I have no clue at all how to burn my own proms. How hard is it really?

 

Read up on the tuning stuff. I'd admit there are alot of confusing threads over the years on here about the different systems but overall, the MAF system isnt all that bad to tune.

Once you get the equipment and start playing with it you should catch on. If you generally understand engines and how they operate, you should beble to get through tuning them. Theres always a problem or two that will show up that you just cant solve at first until you take time to think about the process and then figure out a solution to solve it.

For a mass air system there are only a few things you really need to change. There are a few things with idle that you will need to adjust to get it to idle. There are startup things that need adjusted to allow it to start smoothing whether hot or cold start. There are few part throttle things to get it to run smoothly and then the fun WOT stuff.

ITs like a carb but electronic, your controlling fuel input and also the timing at all points. The tables are simple to adjust for more fuel and changes in timing. You just need to look through the software and whats available to change. General understanding of how everything relates to each other during operation.

But the main thing is what fueling changes are available to be made and then set your timing table. Should be good to go with that. The overall changes from my stock L98 bin file to my 11 second 383 stealth ram motor were surprisingly minimal. Just basic changes to the timing table and Power enrichment for fueling, and bumped the idle desired rpm up. Few more little things but overall wasnt bad. I had a decent tune for racing in a few days and I was fairly new with the tuning then.

 

I am reading up on the diy prom burning. Maybe I will just have someone burn me a chip first to get by and then learn to do it myself if I ever figure out how to do it.

 

Just dive in to the black waters known as prom tuning.
It'll save you a buttload of money in the long run if you plan on constantly modifying your engine.

 

I have been reading up on prom burning on here but not much of it makes sense to me.

 

This pretty much sums it up.
It looks more daunting then it really is.

 

You guys suggested the 224/230 combo cam to me for my build. Is that a flat tappet or roller cam? I would like the car to be a roller cam. I cant find it online for sale anywhere either. Where did you purchase yours Viprklr?

 

roller
www.thunderracing.com

Mine's a custom cam. Give 'em a call.

 

If you wanted an XFI series lobe, comp will grind you those 224/230 lobes for no additional cost.

 

How would I get it from comp cams then, over the internet on their website or would I have to call them? Also Viprklr, was this cam really hard to tune? Or if I took it to be dyno tuned, would they be able to accomplish a good tune?

 

Am I going to have to get a computer from a 350 TPI car? Also, will I have any clearance problems with the stock oil pan?

 

I am now thinking about proper quench for my motor. Should I just have the block zero decked and then run about a .035-.040 gasket to achieve proper quench for my motor? Or is there a better way you would recommend? And any ideas on the oil pan and 350 ecm question?

 

A 383 doesn't have any problems with oilpan clearance. You just clearance the inside of the block above the pan, and the bottom of the bores.

A lot of people zero deck. IMO it's a good way to do it.

The ECMs for 305's and 350's are not different. They just have a different calibration on the PROM. The difference in ECMs is from older to newer - they run different codes (algorithms). The older 165 ECM is for MAF cars and is much simpler - less sophisticated, but more limited.
The newer 730 ECM uses a MAP sensor and runs Speed-Density mode. The code is bigger, and has more potential for tuning and/or patching.
There are more tables and options with the 730 ECM.
The Super-AUJP is a specially patched version of code to run on the 730 ECM. It is very well documented and has extended capability and features.

 

So I can just leave my 165 ecm in the car and send my 305 tpi chip out to be reburned for the 383? About how much should I expect to pay for zero decking?

 

I always do a mock-up first to measure exactly how much I want cut off of each block bank. That makes it simple for the shop to get right the first time. I think it only costs $100 to $150 for decking here at the shop that I use. Any measuring, tapping, or cleaning will probably cost extra.

Yes, the 165 will run your engine. The calibration on the chip just has to be changed. Sending out for a chip is very iffy. Hands-on custom tuning is by far the best way to go.

 

Would I be able to find a place locally to do some hands on tuning for me such as a dyno shop?

 

I wouldn't zero deck unless you have to. If you zero deck and something goes wrong, you no longer have any "material" for correction essentially making your block a boat anchor.
Run a thinner head gasket to achieve the proper quench.

Good luck finding a dyno shop that can do what you need done. Most of 'em seem to be into the newer generations. There are a couple of suggestions throughout the site for chip "shops" that seem to have a relatively decent reputation.
When I dyno-tuned my car, the dyno operators made suggestions and I did the tuning on the spot. Their suggestions were limited to spark advance and AFR.
You're best off learning how to do it yourself. Spend the money once and your good for as long as you want to tune instead of mailing it out at $75 bucks a pop or whatever it is now.

 

Viprklr, is this the cam that you purchased from thunder racing?

63-08-503-8, Comp Cams "Extreme" Hydraulic Roller Camshaft, 224 / 230, .502 / .510 112 LSA, High performance street machines, 2000+ stall, gears, choppy idle

Would there be any difference between this cam and an XFI cam from comp cams? Would one or the other be a better choice?

 

the thing on the xfi lobes are they are agressive as hell, hence why orr reccomended upgrading your valve springs!. if you were to run a comp xe-288-hr10 cam, (which is what i am trading my xfi292 cam in for) like the dyno shows from the few posted links given, when or if you ever add a stealthram or a mini ram, you will be putting out 500hp crank, can you imagine what that would feel like?

my buddie bluegrassz runs the come xe-282-hr12 cam in his camaro and runs 12.01 n/a, with factory suspension! just some food for thought.

 

Nope. Mine's 63-08-000-8.

 

Was your cam ground on the xfi lobes? Or would I have to order it from comp cams to get the xfi lobes? Another question I have is about the valve springs. Orr89RocZ said to upgrade to the AFR 8019 spring. That springs specs are 1.270 diameter with 428 lbs/in pressure. The springs that Comp Cams recommends for those springs are 1.055 diameter and 313 lbs/in pressure. Wouldn't those AFR upgrade springs be too much spring for the motor? And then the heads that I bought from AFR have the 8017 spring that is 1.290 diameter with 360 lbs/in of prerssure. Wouldn't that spring be good enough for the cam?

 

XFI. It came from CompCams through Thunderracing.com.
As far as springs, I experienced valve float ~6000rpm with the stock AFR springs.
After dyno tuning, I found that i'm not making power up there so I stayed with the stockers.

Although I do have the 8019's in a box.

 

....by the way since you have an '85, you don't have the regular 86-89 165 ECM. Your 85 has a different ecm that is reportedly troublesome to tune and work with from what I read, I've not tuned one. I'd suggest swapping to a 165 ECM from a later car, its not hard to do and will pay dividends when tuning. If you're feeling like a bit more wiring you could always switch to the '730 ECM which many people prefer.