Ok, my car is an 88 iroc with 350tpi. Its realitivly stock with the exception of a few bolt ons and 3.73 rear gears. I like the torque of it a lot, but as with all stock tpi's it falls flat on its face at about 4500rpms. I'm looking for a car that is a fun weekend warrior, something fun to drive and streetable, but also impressive at the track (aren't we all?). I like the tpi, and if I keep it it will have a stock-ish look, but that doesn't matter too much to me. The car is currently my DD but after the new year I will be buying another car so I can park this and work on it.

I've seen online where some magazine company (I think superchevy) supposedly took a 350 fbody tpi motor and rebuilt it to put out 409hp for a little over 1k (if you want to find it type 400hp tpi motor and it will be a result). Building a tpi to make that power would cost considerably more. The budget build, dubbed chump change I believe had 409hp and around 410 lbs tq. I did say it cost them 1k, but I should note that IS including the engine, which cost them 250.

So first, do you believe that? Seems like if it was true a lot more people would have 400hp! But I certainly would like to think its true, I might ecen do it. I'm not a novice to carbs, to be honest I prefer carb over F.I. but the TPI is growing on me for sure.

I have not made a definite decision on this either, but I may be switching from auto to manual.

I would appreciate all opinions/comments on the matter, I think the 1k build is interesting but I'm wondering how true it all is.

Thanks again, Adam

 

You are in NC so you are not smog. I would go with heads, cam, and Stealth Ram.

 

Your right about no smog. But you think I can get all that for less than or equal to $1000?

And it'll be roughly 400hp?

 

No. Spend more. Stealth ram and rails with lines to stock hardlines will run 650 new. Injectors another 300. Cam 250-300. Lifters 130. Heads 900-1400 aftermarket aluminum. 360-500 for aftermarket vortecs. Rockers 170-350. Gaskets, seals, misc will add up.

Cheapest way to 400 hp crank is vortecs from scoggin dickey and vortec hsr. Mild cam and you are set. Used lt4 hotcam for 150 will work.

Tpi will do it maybe. Port stock base with big tube runners which will be 300-500 depending where you get them. Siamesed slp's ported may work. Looking at 320-330 whp For 400 hp crank and both setups should do it but doubt it will be near 1000$

 

Ok, I see. Thanks. I was thinking it was bs that they ould get 400hp from that combo, AND it was under 1k. I wonder what that would really push out?

I'm thinking this car will be a track car, and ill probably build a 2nd gen for the strip. So I'm thinking for what ill be racing tpi will be good, so I'm probably going to keep tpi for this car and have the 2nd gen be the carbed ~400hp drag car.

I know 300hp to the wheels is possible on tpi, what is the best/cheapest way to achieve this? I've been thinking lt4hotcam, aluminum vette heads rebuilt, bump compression slightly, port match entire intake and afpr. With all bolt ons and dual 2 1/2in exhaust with x pipe and custom tune, what would this push out? If not 300 to wheels, what else would be needed?

I should note that I'm also running a custom ram air system that goes from the y intake down to where the foglights go (removed mine). This made a big difference!

 

Could get there with that combo. I beleive a guy made 318 whp with tpi bolt ons plus vette 113 heads and lt4 hotcam

 

The problem with making 400hp for $1000 is heads. No factory SBC head is going to support 400hp without work. Even with porting, the factory L98 head won't push much past 350hp. The 113 that Orr mentioned will get closer to 400 with some port work and a cam that compliments them. But with the work involved, I wouldn't waste my time with anything less than the Vortecs. Of course with Vortecs, you're stuck with a Vortec intake. Better yet, save up a little more cash and go with AFR 195s. They'll work great at the 400hp level with an HSR. Then later on with a bigger cam, you can push those heads and intake closer to 500 flywheel HP. With port work on the heads and intake, you can go past 500hp.

Face it. No matter what you build now, you will want more later. May as well invest in parts that allow for growth.

 

I personally wouldnt go with TPI to get 400hp. If you are ever wanting to run a nice sized cam or any major changes like that it is hard to find someone who knows what they are doing as far as programming for the ecm. The mass air cars are a little easier to tune than the speed density, but there we are again with possible programming nightmares. Tuned port is nice. But 400hp?? Thats a far fetch, no matter how much port work you do the plenum/intake setup its only going to flow so much. I took mine off and built me a nice carbed motor still used the same block, nice cam and heads! Had it dynoed and it pushes 420hp. JMO