New motor for my 87

[Ledzoso]

I need some advise. I recently purchased a new motor for my 1987 Jimmy. It is a 350 out of a 74 vette. I have been doing some research and I am trying to build the motor on paper. I know that the heads from the vette motor will not work with a TBI manifold? But can the bolt patterns be machined to work with TBI manifold? Im not sure which route to go? I have thought about switching to carb but after reading some posts here that seems to be more of a hassle. I have thought about using the stock manifold or an edelbrock TBI manifol but not sure about the heads.
Here in lies the problem...This vehicle is my daily driver...my only daily driver. I know I could just use the exsiting heads for the new motor but I am trying to avoid lengthy down time buy having a complete motor machined and built and swap it out on a vacation week. I am ok with spending a few extra bucks at the machinist to modify the heads but will it work??

Thanks a ton...

 

[dyeager535]

If anything, using the stock intake with a TBI adapter is *probably* your cheapest route. Now how that will affect your TV cable (assuming 700R4 trans here) I'm not certain, that may require a bit more $$ to fix any problems with that when using a carb intake to TBI adapter.

Barring any other issues, that is just going to be the easiest way. Use the old heads and intake.

TBI heads are junk anyways, so you aren't going to be doing any worse with the older heads, as long as you planned on freshening the heads up in the first place. At that point, you could also start looking at aftermarket heads like the Pro-toplines and torquers...much better heads than stock, and maybe a couple hundred $$ more than having stock heads completely rebuilt.

Of course, if you start going crazy with compression and cam and so on and so on, you'll be getting into custom PROM area, which is again more $$.

I'd stay TBI, especially if you are happy with the way it works now. Going from a well running TBI system to a carb is going to be a bad experience no matter how you cut it in a daily driver.

 

[Ledzoso]

Sounds dumb but I didnt know that there was such a thin as a TBI adapter for a carb intake? Can you use one on a fourbarrel intake with a two barrel TBI?

 

[dyeager535]

IIRC they were used stock on the 454 TBI trucks as a for instance.

No idea if the TBI bolt pattern is the same as a two barrel carb or something, but they make intake to carb spacers of all shapes and sizes, I'm sure there is a TBI to carb intake adapter out there.

 

[Thunder]

There are many companies who sell TBI to 4 bbl adapters.

Tyr these guys:cfm-tech.com
*****Before you order the adapter find out what kind of cam Duration, lift, and lobe seperation is in the engine you are using. If it is a Corvette engine as you say the cam is probabally a little too much for the stock chip in the ECM to handle. Find out the specs on the cam and tell cfm-tech. They can burn you a new chip that will work with the cam, heads, ect. That way your engine will run right when you do the swap. Also as said in above post make sure you adjust the TV cable after you do the swap or you may toast your tranny if it is a 700R4.

 

[Ledzoso]

Yet another inexperienced K5 owner question... I do have a 700R4....what is a TV cable....and how do I adjust it?????