I WANT TO PUT lTI HEADS ON MY 86 TPI 350, I'VE READ EVERY THING I CAN FIND, I KNOW IT CAN BE DONE just need all the info i can get, plus pic's

 

What intake do you plan to run?
What you have read should have told you how much welding and machine work is needed to convert LT1 heads for use on a SBC.
If not you have been reading the wrong articles

 

the tpi ,i have both bottom intake plate for both bolt patterns,not looking to race the intake is polished out , all is going in a 36 chevy coupe to drive on the street.can i get a copie of this if i call them. no printer

 

well im new at this so please be patiencet , im useing the tpi , i have both bottom plates one old bolt pattern one new bolt pattern , all this is going in a 36 chevy coupe. not for raceing

 

And neither off them match the LT1 head intake bolt pattern so you will be re drilling either intake or heads
Put a LT1 intake gasket on the TPI base and you will see what I mean

 

i tride to call this cal nickelson onthe phone and he is not there anymore, do you know how to get aholed of hem and does he do theses mod's for a price

 

i have not seen this article thanks

 

Just redrill the holes for the intake gasket.

Why are you going to all the trouble to do this, curious?

 

 

I agree, again...WTF is this world coming too? Seems to be a lot of work for little return.

 

FWIW, accel used to make the superram for LT1's. There exists a TPI base for LT1 heads but finding one is gonna be very difficult to do I think.

Just purchase a set of Vette aluminum L98's and clean them up...basically the same thing as LT1's but dont need converted.

 

I'd go to the junk yard and find a set of late 90's 5.7 liter Vortec heads, and buy the TPI vortec base (lower) intake... and SLP (or Edelbrock or ACCEL) runners. ...then you will be outrunning LT1 powered F-bodies (if you have decent headers, exhaust and intake to match the potential of the Vortec heads.

But that is just my opinion... if you really want LT1 heads, that would be a decent conversation starter I suppose.

 

i got then LT1 invery good shape cheep if i can mod them cheeper than buying new all heads why not

 

thanks i'll look into that

 

i want to run the 96 tpi runner for slow i aready polished them out looks to good not to use

 

sorry 86 tpi runners, finger slipped

 

That being the essential point; if YOU can.
If you have to pay someone to do the work ( which has to be done right ) then cheaper to sell them and buy correct heads for a bolt on swap

You have to modify the LT1 heads to suit a reg block , then modify them again to fit the reg TPI intake

 

Its alot of time and work... which is why I think it would better to bolt on junkyard Vortec heads. Then you just need the Vortec TPI base (which you can buy from Summit or Jegs) and you'll make as much power as the LT1 heads would put out, and keep the TPI setup (your Runners and upper plenum) but if you are going to do that, it would be more beneficial to buy and bolt-on aftermarket runners. If you bought the Edelbrock lower Vortec "base" intake, you might as well buy the larger flowing CFM runners from Edelbrock that match up to their lower intake.

Also, there is a fella on eBay that ports (and sells already ported) upper intake plenums (I think his username is Corvette Plenums, or something like that) and also buy a 58mm Throttle Body... toss in an LT4 Hot Cam, and fab up a custom Cold Air Kit and you'll have a TPI F-Body that will gain mad respect on the streets and the track!

 

If you look in the fabrication section, a guy by the name of FueledSoul I believe is doing this same thing. A lot of work and time and money. Unless your dead set on going this route I would look into other avenues.

 

Another myth.
58mm TB total waste of $$$ unless you have serious big rev 350 or a 383

 

The 58mm TB is useless if the factory (before TB) intake ducting is used... of if its a MAF car, because they will only allow certain amount of CFM's of airflow... But if a custom "Cold-Air type" intake on a speed density system is what you have, a 58mm works well. Not noticed down low, and might lose torque (which the TPI has plenty of) but will add some HP up top.

Hell, even the old 5.0 liter 240hp Cobra used a 65mm TB, and stock 225hp Mustang GT used a 60mm TB....

I have experience with a 58mm TB, ported plenum, SLP Runners with a custom Cold-Air Kit that allows at least 1,000 CFM on a speed density system... and it sacrifices low end torque for high end HP, which low end torque can be helped with a nasty set of gears.... and as a build goes on, and more mods add up, I don't want to replace a 52mm TB with a 58mm... its already there. Everyone has their own personal formulas and tricks that work. I personally like the 58mm TB on a strong 5.7 liter L98, as well as a set of 1-3/4 headers... whereas some fellas feel that the 1-5/8 primary headers are fine enough.

But I like the 'ole "Bigger is Better" concept...LOL!!!!

 

Guys, I found some questionable info in these post. No harm meant, just listen for minute.

The LT1 uses the same block as the 86 and newer 1pc rear-main-seal L98, LB9, etc. The distributor hole is still cut into the block even. The reason why it is so hard to mate LT1 heads into an older car (read pre'93 car) is that you need to cross pollinate EVERYTHING from the donor LT1 car. The ECM (OBD2), the wiring harness, the Optispark, water pump, intake, etc.

Now if you choose to use the heads and not all the other LT1 stuff, then follow the article above and may the Lord be with you.

You should do what I am doing. Dump the TPI intake for an LT1 intake/stealth ram/miniram/etc. and find you some Vortecs (substitude any good head here) like suggested above. Just be aware that you can't run EGR or AIR on the car if you use the LT1 intake. The darn distributor is in the way.

The TPI intake system is the limiting factor here. If you doubt me, just look up some side by side flow charts of the LT1 vs L98 heads, not too different. So why does the LT1 make over 300hp when the L98 doesn't? Torque at higher revolutions per minute is why.

I am currently modding the LT1 intake to fit some TFS heads I bought. I have to do things like run an external thermostat, make custom fuel lines and redrill the intake bolt pattern (very hard if you care how it seals and looks), cut a distributor hole into the intake, insert a distributor spacer (even harder w/out a lathe cut the spacer at the correct angle), and tap two coolant lines into the intake. I am doing all of this cutting and welding to avoid the $1200 miniram (mostly for fun too). If I could find a miniram on ebay for a good price, trust me I'd be starting my engine already with the miniram.

Oh, my stock 91 Z-28 just topped out at 154mph on the autobahn.

 

Seems like a lot of work for little gain. Why tie up your resources?

Get a set of heads that will fit with no mods and move on to other things.

Sometimes the simplest solution is best.

 

Just like I found in yours

Totally wrong
Yes it uses the same internal components as a 1pce RMS engine but the LT1 block is unique on account of the reverse cooling.That is why it is so much work to mod the LT1 heads to suit reg blocks , the coolant holes have to be plugged and redrilled to suit reg SBC pattern
Even the front of the LT1 block is different to fit the LT1 water pump that has coolant going in and out whereas the reg SBC only has coolant going in







Wrong again.
ECM has no idea what heads are on the engine
GMPP even make a carb intake to run a LT1 with out using the Opti
If you use a intake with a dist then you can use any of the early control systems and wiring
And OBD2 didn't come out until '96 LT1

 

 

Stock TB is fine, dont worry about what other motors use their needs are different than yours. Sure a 4 valve V8 will wind up higher and use a larger one, GM did their homework on yours too, its plenty.