ir0cz

Someone wants me to convert their car over from TBI to MAF TPI....they have all the parts needed except for the fuel pump (do they absolutely need one?) How much should I charge them? He's somewhat of a friend, so I'm not looking to make huge $$$...thanks

John Millican

iTrader: (1)

Yes, he needs a fuel pump.

SMasterson

Well, this may not be the answer you want but . . . If you have to ask the fuel pump question maybe you should just help him out for nothing.

What you'll learn in experience will be plenty of payment! I've helped with two. Made both of them guys do the hard part of the tasks and then just helped with the wiring a a few other things.

If they aren't capable of helping then you're just getting into something that could be a real pain. If you take money, then you'll feel liable to make it right, (FROM NOW ON) and if you don't you get the "feed the puppy syndrom". You know, where you feed it once and it's back on your porch every morning?

I've got a job, (and could always use extra money) but knowing the nature of working on cars for a living I'd just soon help out where I can, share what I've learned, and help them work it out.

I get asked OFTEN to do work on third gens, (and many others), for money. Most of the time I don't do it at all, the rest of the time I do it on my terms and for free. When guys hear what's under the hood of my truck they think I can do anything. They have no idea I've spent hours/years getting it where it's at.

Short example, one guy, buddy of a buddy, put a TBI in his Camaro. It won't run optimum because he made too many mods he didn't understand, will not have a chip programmed for it and needs a heated O2 sensor before I could even scan it to give him an idea where he's at now. He's driving it but not very satisfied with it. (He's moving on to a motocycle project now.) Glad I didn't help him with that Camaro project!

Back to your question, it's seems simple but when you're dealing with someone else's money and emotions, it's not!

ir0cz

I'm a technician for jeep-chrysler....so i think i can handle it. I knew he needed a fuel pump, I was just asking if there was any kind of tricks you guys knew so that I wouldn't have to put one in there. It was worth asking....wouldn't have if i'd have known it was gonna make me look like I didn't know what I was doing. By the way, what's under the hood of your truck??

SMasterson

Sorry, didn't mean to offend you. There's just more to it than bolting the TPI on and wiring up the ECM. Making it run correctly can be a time consuming task.

My truck, third gen engine, transmission, SD 730 ECM. About 7k since last April.

http://members.sigecom.net/smaster/89gmc.htm

ir0cz

Don't worry about it man, I know u didn't mean anything by it....and trust me, I know the TPI is not just a simple manifold swap. A lot of the pics of ur truck didn't come up....i didn't get to see a pic of the actual truck....but the engine looked damn nice. Tell me, were the Accel manifold and SLP runners worth the cost? A friend of mine's got an S10 (dunno what year...a box style though) that's got a 383 in it....dunno what heads of cam he's got.....it's carbed right now, but he's wanting to go TPI. Well thanks...later

SMasterson

Hummm, pics should come up. Maybe right click and choose Show Picture?

If I knew what I know now I'd do several things different. I'm burning my own PROMs because it was necessary. I've got maybe $450 tied up in that including my $50 laptop.

I went from MAF to a SD ECM a couple of months ago. So easy I can't believe I didn't do it sooner.

I would have bought a mini-ram/fuel rail setup instead of the $700 I laid out for the Accel intake and SLP runners.

I would have waited two weeks for the AFR heads. I broke a valve spring in the TFS heads at about 1000 miles and never had it over 5k yet. That could have been VERY expensive.

That's the big things I'd do different but you only asked about the intake and runners. I tend to ramble on sometimes.