So i was thinking about converting my 350 to FI but things are really expensive! so i was thinking if we can use the LT1 manifold for the FI with our old block. would it work? kinda want to spend less that 500 on the set up because in a few months this engines gonna be dropped in 85 monte carlo ss and want to have the FI set up all ready done.

 

You can probably get a complete TPI set up for around $500.00, they look cool and are good up to 300hp without too much tweaking.
anything else is going to be at least $1500.00.
Remember you also may have to run a fuel return line to the tank.
If you are tech savvy, you can actually use your carb as a throttle plate, drill your intake for injectors, mount your O2 sensors in your current exhaust, rig a throttle sensor on your exhisting linkage, install all your other sensors and wiring etc.
Here is a Car craft article for some idea of what it takes.
http://www.carcraft.com/techarticles...ion/index.html

 

You do NOT have to alter your stock fuel lines one bit, unless you are pushing over 500 hp, which is the often quoted limit....

I have been running stock fuel lines for some 15 years now, ....<400 hp....

You can get a LT1 intake and rails, maybe with injectors for about 150 bux off ebay, same as I did about 3 years ago...then drill and face off the holes for the older SBC pattern, and TIG weld up the rest, the normal junkyard computer running speed density can get it going easy...

whole project done for some 5-600 bux these days.....TPI is even cheaper, they don't go for much now, but you need learn a lot about WTF you are doing, it's kinda techy....

 

what do u mean "drill and face off the holes for the older SBC pattern"?
like the bolt holes dont match up? and that id have to drill the manifold or block?

 

Well, the heads, actually, but NO, the manifold is the thing modded....

it's not easy....I spent a couple weeks on the project back then....but it turned out fine, I left it on the car, unpretty, as it was intended as a test fit, but the thing worked so well, I left it on there....

I used a stock set of FelPro gaskets lined up on the end holes and the induction ports, to position the rest of the holes, drilled them, and then went to Harbor freight and modified one of their Forstner bits into a reverse/pulling bit I could pull down on from cyl head side of the flanges, and cut the aluminum so it was flat for the bolts/washers to set on right, I never touched the cyl heads....

I also cut out the EGR crap and filled the passages with Plaster of Paris, and cut TIGGed in a dizzy mounting for the HEI....

I did have a TPI style induction before that, so the electronics was all set up, but the LT setup is SO much simpler and easier to mess with, it's amazing...the TPI may have it a bit in the looks dept, but I got tired of it over some 12 years....so the change came about....

 

im a little confused.
would it be easyer to purchase lt1 heads (if they bolt up) and bolt on the manifold?
(probably not that simple or everyone would have it done)

 

I dont have alot of exp with the LT1, but I think the issue is that they use a crank trigger instead of a distrubuter, and they use the center bolt style heads, so the intake manifolds won't bolt up without modification. Basically drilling angled holes where the straight holes are in the center. Thats why for cost and ease, I think TPI is easiest.

 

Yea im thinking so too.... How much can a tpi set up handle? I was planing on doing a stroker kit 383 for my engine, guy on summit said it should hit low 400. would the tpi be good? do i need vortec heads or standard is ok?

 

Make sure you get a TPI off of a 350 not a 305 it will have the larger injectors. Also some are set up for EGR, and you can decide with your smog laws if that is necessary. You can put it on completely stock at first, then upgrade the runners, throttle body, injectors, computer, etc as you can afford them.
It should be able to handle up to 400hp with some upgrades, but there would be no hurry to do that. Again once you start to get over 300 hp you may start to affect the streetabilty, and need to really decide what you are going to do with it.

http://www.corvettefever.com/techart...des/index.html

 

Megaquirt isn't too tough to install, just have to do everything yourself. I'm surprised there aren;t more people running it with TPI manifold

 

Almost 4 years ago by now, I was assembling the MS computer and I tried to get it to run the TPI I had on there for a long time, almost 2 months, and never could get the damn thing to .comm with any laptop I could find....problem is that the antiquated serial D connector would not work with any USB adapter I could find...so it was outta there, and I went back to the stock 1227730 GM computer...

now in the last 4 years IF they have updated the MS with a serial D connector, that's fine, if not....look for a really old antiquated lap top, and then you dealing with floppy discs....when is the last time you saw a A drive??

any upgrade to a TPI to push 400 hp would be a 'big mouth' or Edel intake mani, or sister the stock runners in the manifold, port the thing, and then redo the runners into larger sizes.....WAS very expensive...

that stuff is rare today, the numbers/ease of finding is on the stock system side of the mechanicals.....along with cost....

ALL the bolts on the LT induction are different except the one in front and back, so that is 6 bolts per side that need to be respotted and refaced, the ones on the end need refacing and reangled....

the LT has the entire dizzy down lo, the opti spark, and in a vette being as engine is much lower, they are way prone to water problems, later ones are supposed to have a cure, but it's not all that effective....

problems is the LT engines had reverse cooling also....water circulation hit the heads first then the block, so problem is in plumbing the things to the earlier SBC blocks...that's a bunch of TIG welding and plumbing with a remote T-stat housing....

PLaying with TPI and especially LT induction on a early SBC engine is not for the faint of heart.....between the wiring/soldering/programming/then the mechanicals/pumps/regulators....you are in for a learning curve...know that going in....

 

not worth the money saved imo. sometimes paying for convenience is worth it

 

I want to add another vote to 'megasquirt sucks'.

I have seen less than a 50% success rate on MS installs.

My volvo ended in an under-hood fire, the FSAE team at my college wrecked a motor trying to tune, my buddy with a camero who is an electrical engineer gave up and put on a carburator. etc.

I have seen some cars run on public roads on MS, but it seems 50% luck and 50% too much time on their hands.

Most of the time the cars end up sort of rotting somewhere with the owner saying lines like 'i need to tune more' and 'once i have the tune set up XYZ.'

I prefer my cars to run and drive.

 

for an ordinary v8, a holley 4165 is like a tinker toy compared to efi. not a single wire to deal with!
18-19 mpg cruising right out of the box, no OD needed. $399 brand new complete! no laptop needed ever. Bolt it on and go! That's it! Don't confuse it with any other carb. It is 1970 legal. One of a kind. U can follow my tips to improve it, but u don't have to. http://community-2.webtv.net/MATTGRU/carb/page2.html

 

I ran two different cars with MS, I agree it's not for the faint of heart, but I did learn a ton about FI while I was working on it.
The first car I did was a 1988 16v VW golf, needed to add fuel rail and injectors (VWs FI in 88 was the always on type).
This setup was fuel only.
My wife drove this car daily to and from work for about a year, including through an Ottawa winter.
The biggest challenge was getting the cold starts right, since the tuning window was so small.
My next install was MSnS in a supercharger 16vG60 VW Corrado. This this wasn't a factory setup and I was running a smaller pulley, the stock computer couldn't handle the fuel needs.
I had #42 Bosch injectors and the MS did a great job of handling the fuel and spark duties.

I enjoyed installing and tuning MS, but it is time consuming, which I guess is the trade off for $$

Has anyone taken the FI manifolds and added Megasquirt?

Unless you enjoy a challenge, I'd say something like EZ-EFI wins

 

I looked at the Ez-efi and for 1600 i might as well just buy an engine with FI like and Lt1 or LSx.
they need to make those kits cheaper, its rediculous.
i might give the tpi setup a shot. guy is selling the whole kit from his camaro for 200 on CL so who knows.

Anyone have a idea how a Tpi would handle a turbo set up?
(this is just out of curiosoty, i was on ebay and saw a turbo kit for a SBC.....got me thinking.....maybe i dont have to stroke it out do a simple rebuild and toss one on there)

 

You can Turbo charge or boost just about any engine, but to get the most out of it you need to set up the carb properly, unless you do a roots type blower, or under carb base turbo, even then you still need to tweak it. I havent had any real exp putting boost on an EFI set up, but here is a interesting article about doing just that on a TPI.

http://www.vetteweb.com/tech/vemp_06...all/index.html

 

Vortec heads have raised intake ports. the LT1 manifold ports dont cover them and wont bolt up. the LT4 will. or you need the aftermarket TPI vortec base manifold.

 

so your saying is to run a tpi id need to use lt4 heads

 

NO a TPI fits all SBC heads from the carb daze, LT4 is very similar to LT1 and will have to be modded greatly to fit your early engine....

the possible modifications to some TPI units involve only the two bolt holes in the exhaust crossover area on each side...total 4 bolts....

that's easy....