bought a system from bowtieverdrives:

http://www.bowtieoverdrives.com/cata...AT&CATID=WA3A1

heres a pic- its hard to see sorry can take closer pics if you need them. I was worried to burn the trans and didnt know the condition of the trans at the time, so I bought the kit. Cost me about $200 for all of it.

 

It isnt just the kick down cable you need to make sure is hooked up right. The thing that will burn a trans faster than anything else is not having TCC (torque converter clutch) lockup at highway speeds, since fluid doesn't exit the torque converter to get cycled though the rest of the trans and more importantly through the cooler. If there isn't a switch put in the 4th gear test port to activate TCC lockup, you need one. I got my kit from Ecklers Corvette. Works like a charm.

 

just went on that site and looked up torque converter clutch and nothing came up...

 

found it... would i have to drop the transmission to install this or can i do it while vehicle is on a lift? How long did it take you to install yours??

 

Took maybe a half hour. Doesn't involve dropping the trans. The port is on the passenger side right next to the 4th gear actuator. Which from the outside of the trans is a big circle with a snap ring holding it in. I will look for it on ecklers and post a link.

 

Good Point- My car had the trans rebuilt about 15K miles before I got it and the previous owner installed the internal kit so I dont need an external switch.

The bowtie overdrives kit requires you to open the pan on the trans to change a few things so this can be installed at the same time.
http://www.700r4.com/tech/tcc/intern...ll/700r4.shtml

 

Keachers, I just sent you the email regarding the hillborn scoop.

 

I don't get it, you drove around the parking lot?

 

Let me explain.
1. I cranked the car up.
2. I drove it around the parking lot.
3. I filmed it so you would be amused.

 

I think what Ch@os is trying to say is, If you can do a LT swap, you can do an LS swap. In todays after maket world, there is a whole department devoted to LS swaps to the point of making it a "Plug, and PLay" drop in. The video was was to show you his beautiful baby, and how nice she runs.

The point of it being, you will have a better running, more reliable, higher hp, better gas milage, hot rod, that wont give you any problems, and has a killer resale. Or just another carbed hot rod small block corvette, worth about $2500 to anyone but you. Hell you'll have more than that in the engine itself.

You can get a LQ9, out of Chevy pickup for $1900. http://www.ebay.com/itm/04-05-06-Cadillac-Escalade-Silverado-SS-Sierra-Denali-6-0-LQ9-Engine-74K-Clean-/111132658161?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item19e005c9f1&vxp=mtr And you'll have an iron block 6.0 LS. The difference is about 50lbs.

Youve heard both sides of the coin in this thread, now you just need to ask yourself which direction you want to go. h

 

A voice of reason.

 

Sorry I was expecting you to light em up and show the difference in power between a crossfire/TPI/carb and a LS engine. Did you do any before and after numbers?

 

Keachers has already stated that he is going to be keeping his car carbureted and some of you still press on. I can deal with people doing whatever they want to their Corvettes, why can't the rest of you? No one can argue that a stock CFI engine with a carb slapped on it would even come close to the performance of an LS engine. However as you go farther and farther into the extreme ends of engine builds, it becomes cheaper to build a carbureted engine. Plus, nothing beats the smell or sound of a built carbureted engine, in my opinion anyways.

Ch@0s, you do have a nice Corvette, and I respect the work you have put into it. I would love to line mine up next to yours if we ever end up at the same race track and run them just for fun. I think you may be surprised at what mine can do.

Edit: Also Keachers, regarding the issue with your car stalling. Being a car that is nearly 30 years old, if the exhaust has never been replaced, a clogged catalytic converter could easily cause a stalling issue. An easy, but not perfect way to test to see if the cat is plugged is to remove the oxygen sensor from the exhaust. If it doesn't stall, you know it is a catalytic converter issue. When I bought my '84 just last summer it still had all factory exhaust. Not only was the catalytic converter on its way to being completely plugged, but the baffles inside the mufflers were so rotten that once I removed them they sounded like a maraka when shook.

 

Thanks for the compliment. I think we are just chatting not for the OPs benefit anymore.

I don't have anything against carbs. I just like FI better for fuel economy and overall street ability. I'm not sure what kind of numbers I'm going to get out of this think but it should be around 400 to the wheels. What kind of times are you running?

 

Or better yet, If he "Is" making 400hp at the wheels with a carb. What's his milage at 65mph? I bet its nowhere near 25mpg. And thats virtually What a stock LS makes. Us old guys know what it takes to make a 350 produce 400hp at the wheels, ($ wise) and you''ll be lucky to get 8mpg.

Now lets say your SBC makes 400hp at the rear wheels. How much did you spend to get it there? (1900)(Thats about 465 at the crank) How much more can you make? (without spending large amounts (10k) of money) The LS platform starts around 400hp, and only goes up from there.

This is starting to feel like Im trying to talk to my kids. I keep waiting for someone to say "I know". Im not forcing anyone in any direction, just trying to tell others the mistakes Ive made, so they dont do the same. h

 

Really, who builds a hotrod for fuel economy? I don't care what my mileage is. Currently I'm getting 13mpg combined highway/city and not being nice to it at all, but when my next project is complete I would assume I will get around 10mpg. I haven't gotten my car on a dyno yet, I've been throwing the idea back and forth about a blower. I might still do a dyno pull before installing the blower just to show what a carb swapped '84 can do with the correct build. The one time that I do have is my 0-60 time, at 4.6 seconds average.

I think you're assuming that the L83 is just some huge pile of junk that has zero potential. The lower rotating assembly is actually pretty solid. The choke points (and there are many) of the L83 starts at the camshaft and just goes up from there. The cast iron large chambered heads are just bad all over and the intake and CFI is just frosting on that cake. So carb swapping with new heads, a mild cam and a decent intake manifold makes a fairly strong street build.

Also, you are assuming that you can just spend 1900 on an engine meant to fit in a truck (the LQ9 linked earlier) and it will just slide right into a C4, an '84 at that, and it will just magically start. There are a lot of things that would need to be purchased or changed (ecm, engine harness, oil pan and fuel system just to name a few). I did find an LS1 out of a c5 with the ecm on ebay for 3k, but the engine has 92k on it and even then there would be things on the car to change to be able to accept the LS1.

 

I understand the benefits of fuel injection, but too me, a hot rod should be carbureted. My Dad and i always wanted to build a car up and take it to car shows and just have fun. The one thing i remember my Dad saying is that it had to be carbureted. So in memory of my father me and some friends are building this corvette to honor him. with that being said it stays carbureted. I appreciate all the input. As we speak the car is no longer stalling. I have to take it to the garage i work at, put it on a lift and see about this torque converter clutch thing. Other than that she runs good. Im lacking alot in the sense of 0-60 but the rumble and smell of a carb'd v8 makes up for it.