Ok so I'm not familiar at all with the TPI setups, so forgive me if I sound clueless, just don't downplay my intelligence about this. I want to fit a TPI intake to my Pontiac motor. I would take the dimensions and have spacers made to fit the intake to the heads and get everthing sealed. Now my questions are:
1. Would that extra space for the fuel injector spray be too much? Because the 400 is going to be bigger than a SBC.
2. The coolant passages that run through the TPI intake, is there any special difference about them, or are they pretty straight forward and traditional?

What I would ideally like to do is use a stock TPI ECM with bigger injectors and let the fuel trim compensate for the displacement difference. I'd find a way to make a TPI style dizzy work by mixing parts to fit. All the sensor inputs I'd find a way to make work. I have a full factory service manual so I know the wiring and all that good stuff. My main question is intake fitment. Anything I'm overlooking and suggestions or insights? My goal here is just getting it to function, not for max power.

 

I'd suggest one of two routes...

Using an AL intake (for the Pontiac), adding injector bungs..then adapting a TB to it.

Or build an intake from scratch. Do a search for "sheetmetal intake" for an idea.

 

Im going for an authentic look with the TPI, I refuse to do TBI, but the intake port pattern is too different between the BOP and SBC I just found out from comparing intakes. The BOP is grouped in 2 pairs on each bank, being the 1-3, 5-7,2-4 and 6-8 cylinders. The SBC is paired only on the 3-5 and 2-4 cylinders. I may still look into that sheet metal route for the lower intake, but I still want to use an OE plenum and runners.

 

I never mentioned TBI...I was speaking to adapt a Throttle Body to it.

But, have to ask, what's authentic looking on a Poncho?

 

Youll need one hel of a welder to make it all work if it even could
Bungs should be before the head so now youre cutting it up. Remember you got EGR and water passages to deal with too. Youll have to make your own runners or hack up a plenum
IF you could do all that youll have a 400 with a very very expensive and undersized intake system on the planet. Youre dreaming up a nightmare here.

Skip this one and go back to sleep

 

I'd look at doing an "Old School" looking tri-powered Pontiac EFI set up - can't get more authentic than that. Much more cool than a costly Frankenstein TPI that would be tough and costly to get looking "right" and running "decent".

 

you will never get enough air flow out of tpi to run a Pontiac 400

 

F.F.I!

thread/

 

I don't have any feedback on the EFI setup but I saw you mention the distributor. You should be able to use a 301 turbo distributor from 80 or 81 which had computer controlled timing. Those are the only years a Pontiac engine used electronic timing. 301 shares the same distributor body as any other Pontiac V8 so it would slip right into a 400.

 

Yeah I knida have to agree with all of you on this lol. And honestly the idea died with the intake port pattern being too different. Ill find a different route.