I have a 1984 corvette with the 350 crossfire v8. Can u just take the intake off and replace it with a crab intake and carb? If i did that and it worked would i have to replace the distributor and what else?

 

Yes.

Carb and intake, HEI distributor, fuel pressure regulator to bring FP down to around 5 psi, vacuum switch to lock converter if auto, drop down air cleaner for hood clearance, asst linkages, TV cable adapter if auto.

Mind if I ask why you want to go carb? Crossfire not running correctly, or under the assumption that you'll get more power?

 

I read that it is only pushing 205 hp and i want more but i dont want to spend the money and put a ls1 or up in it. So i figured it might be cheaper just intake carb and distributor untill i build a wicked 355 supercharged. Just asking questions and looking for any suggestions. And also the crossfire isnt running right it bogs down in low rpms.

 

Bolting on a carb and intake will get you very little, if any, power increase. It will also cost you fuel mileage, driveability, emissions, engine longevity, and the ability to adjust to different elevations automatically.

If it's just an issue of it bogging, why not just troubleshoot it and repair the Crossfire until you're ready to do your build? Bolting on a carb and intake isn't brain surgery, but it will be a hell of a lot cheaper, easier, and quicker to just fix the crossfire.

Tuning and repairing a Crossfire is quite simple, and we'd be glad to help you out. Or if you really want to go carb, we can help you with that too.

 

The man speaks the truth.

 

Awesome well I just bought the car and its my first vette so idk much about them first off but i do know chevy. And also i have another question i have the digital gauges and they dont light up. What would that be just a bad connection?

 

The digital cluster has bulbs that illuminate it. I don't recall how many....been a while since I've replaced mine, but it's a simple fix. Pull the cluster bezel off and you'll see them.

 

the gauges not lighting up could be the bulbs burnt out. can you see the readouts, just very dimly?

 

They dont even light up enough to see even at night with no lights on

 

when the cluster goes dark, chances are that you have a faulty ground in the cluster itself or poor solder joints on one of the boards.

the crossfire is an extremely reliable setup. its anemic compared to other years but it still feels great to drive. a carb is not the answer and us crossfire guys really frown on going to a carb. when you troubleshoot we are here to help. you're not alone in this my friend.

 

1984 Corvettes are fun cruisers. There's physically nothing wrong with the crossfire setup. All you have to do is just keep up on the maintanence and the tune-ups as well as some minor upgrading and you have an awesome cruiser.

 

Check out this site, it has a very good DIY cluster troubleshoot/repair section

http://www.batee.com/corvette/index.shtml

Welcome to our little corner or the Corvette Forum

 

Here's the deal....really want to make it run like new?

Before you do any troubleshooting at all, do a tune up. Plugs, wires, cap and rotor, air and fuel filters, and set base timing to 6 degress BTDC. Then synchronize the TBI's (out of balance TBI's WILL cause a low end bog and a funky idle). Attach a vacuum gauge and note the reading at idle, and if the needle is steady. Replace ALL vacuum lines and ensure no vacuum leaks. Finally, check fuel pressure (see my profile albums on the mod to make this easy on a Crossfire) and ensure fuel pressure is at least 10-13 psi throughout the operating range of RPM and load. Then if there's still an issue, we troubleshoot.

And if this engine has over 100K on it, I HIGHLY recommend changing the timing chain and gears, and then resetting ignition timing. I changed the timing set on my Crossfire at 130k and it ran like an entirely different car. Smoother idle, better low end torque, much better vacuum signal, just a much happier engine. Yes, this is a big job, but the difference will be amazing and it can be done for well under $100 in parts. A sloppy timing chain can cost several degrees of timing advance, and the resulting poor vacuum signal can cause the ECM to get erroneous signals from the MAP sensor....causing a multitude of driveability issues.

That should get you started

And if it still has issues after all of the above MAINTENANCE has been done, we troubleshoot. It sounds like a lot, but take it a weekend at a time, and by summer, she'll run like new. My CFI just turned 150K and runs like a top.

 

i have a 84 4+3 with 46k on the clock. it runs like a champ. i have never had to do anything to the crossfire itself. but i have only put 3000 miles on it in 15 years, so cannot really say good or bad on its reliability.

 

OP, First and foremost take this ^^ advice

then

Zactly......and

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

Don't get impatient, the Crab change over would take much more work that what is described here.....

Don't let the unknown paralyze you, take a moment and go into the unknown and learn what is in there...you'll see that the deep dark Room that scares you has a nifty light switch...once you flip that light switch you see a nice comfy couch and an X-box and Big screen, Cheetos along with a Foxy looking vixen that loves to flaunt her Cleavage and loves foreplay even more.

 

Excellent suggestion. I got a smokin' deal when I bought my '84 because the previous owner didn't do this. Except that he learned this the hard way because the valves and pistons clashed! Not good noises!! That gave me the opportunity to build the engine the way I wanted it. I've now got 240,000 miles on the original CFI injectors, and the car runs great! Don't knock the CFI system!

Thank a veteran!

 

I agree, changing over to carb has more headaches than it's worth, don't let the 205 hp fool you either, it is a light car and that 205 will launch you better than you think. It is easy to gain some hp with the crossfire with just some easy exhaust mods. I have an 84 with 43k on it and it runs great.

 

best thing you did after getting that '84 was coming to this forum!

any problem on these cars has a cause. all that's left is identifying that cause by testing air,fuel and ignition. the faulty elements are FIXABLE!
Friz and others here are a terrific resource to guide you to a successful fix. crossfires are a great system and deserve a fix when sick, not an amputation.

137k on mine!