stuart

i know this has been beat to death on here but i need some serious help. im tired of constantly tuning on my setup so im switching from tuned port...( see sig ).. to carb. its a 89 formula 350. ive already bought from jegs a 670 cfm street avenger carb, edel vortec rpm air gap intake, mallory hei distributor, mallory return style fpr, tpi to carb brackets for throttle and kickdown, 700r4 lockup kit so i can still use my overdrive. what wires from the harness do i use for my new distributor and my 6-a box? anyone ever installed the 700r4 lockup kit? is installing the return style fpr self explanatory? does anyone have a simular setup? will i be dissapointed from doing this swap? can anyone tell me if i need anything else?.......thanks guys

br()bert

Lockup and overdrive are two different things.


If you have the mallory afpr i have (4309) it explains everything in the directions. Did you read them?

The motor i just bought was a tpi motor, i sold the tpi stuff and bought all the stuff to convert it to carb. Its not hard to do really.

stuart

i just ordered this stuff. its not here yet, thats why i was asking the questions to get a good idea to where i want to start and get advice before hand. brobert, yes it is the 4309. do you have pics of yours?where did you mount it?. the convertor lock up kit is 890-376600 from jegs. is it what i need? is 4#s good enough fuel pressure to start the car? and what about the distributor wires, ant idea on them?........thanks:hail:

Trans_AM_88

5 psi is usually a good starting point

br()bert

Im not sure about the lockup kit. I didnt bother with mine yet. Its not hard though, only like 3 wires.

I just got my v8 in today , about an hour ago , Basically the motor and trand are all in .

I still have to bolt in the mallory in, run vaccum lines. Put on the carb etc.

But Im going to mount the afpr on the inner wheel well. up halfway towards the strut.

Hardest part was the DAMN motor mounts!!!!!! What the hell was gm smoking?

stuart

i see your in the middle of doing this to. i just hope what i give up on the bottom end with the tpi i can make up for on the top end with the carb. i still dont know about the ignition wires and the distributor wires. their are some threads on here about how to wire up a non-comp controled distributor but i dont know if it applies to mine. im hoping someone will chime in here with the info i need, did you get a afpr mount or are you going to buy one?. that sounds like a good place for mine too.........thanks for replying

br()bert

The mallory comes with one. If your going carb you will need a non computer controlled dist. Like an old hie with vaccum advance. Then its like a two wire job to get it working.

Heres a pic of the mallory

br()bert

You'll have a vaccum nipple on towards the top of it. Put a vaccum blocker thingy over it. Its mainly for turbo engines.

The TPi stuff comes off pretty easy. Also it sells pretty good too.

Heres how far i am so far. yeah my cam sucks

TA5LiterHO

The only wires you won't use for the non computer distributor are the weatherpack connectors that hook to the back of your old distributor housing.

I am usuming you have HEI with external coil? You should be able to use the same connections for the coil I believe.

With the MSD, I don't know. Was there an instruction booklet that came with it? If not maybe you could contact MSD or go to their site and get instructions on the wiring.

You shouldn't be dissapointed in performance with the carb.

stuart

brobert, thanks for the pic, ta5literho, yes ive got the external coil, so your saying i wont use any of the wires coming from the 2 plug ins from the original distributor harness? any idea on what wires i do need? the mallory i have coming is part#8548201c. is this the right one i need? im glad to hear i wont be losing much on the bottom end, with my gearing i think ill be ok......thanks guys for the help.......

Stekman

In addition to br()berts picture, heres the same regulator:

You can see the vacuum nipple that requires capping.

The distributor you have coming is the exact same as this (the one i have at the moment):

All it needs is the coil wire (think pinkish wire, + connector) and the tach (white, - connector, IIRC)
When you get it, follow the instructios closely. Dont be like me and forget to put the ground strap in it. The vacuum goes to the ported vacuum on the carburetor.

br()bert

:hail: stekman:hail: for some pics you can actually see something in, my cam sucks i need a new one.

stuart

thanks stekman for the info and the pics, ive got to check my distibutor gear to make sure its compatably with my cam gear. can i use the gear off my ext coil distributor i have now and switch out the one on the mallory with it?......are they the same diameter? so pink wire to + on the new distributor, and white wire to the tach? the vacuum goes to a ported vacuum on the carb? its not constant vacuum, correct? one more question, the electric choke on the carb, what wire do i need to run or is their one i can hook up thats allready there?.......thanks

Stekman

the electric choke gets pwered by 12v acc wire, not a constant hot source.

The Mallory distributor comes with a distributor gear. It is compatable with most small block chevy setups. You should be able to use it unless you are using a steel billet camshaft with a billet gear, rather than the pressed iron that im assuming you have.

Yep, the pink wire goes to the "+" side (coil), should be the one on the right. White wire goes to the "-" side (tach), which is the left of the two.

Correct, distributor goes to ported vacuum (the small vacuum nipple on the carbs body that is ABOVE the base plate level, its like a 3/16" diameter or something around that)

One thing about the distributor, and i dont know if it will differ any on a firebird, but i couldnt install the distributor with the coil on. I had to install the coil after the distributor was in place. Attaching the coil wires was kind of interesting. just have some patience, be ready to bend some prongs, it happened to me. Also, it helps to put on the wires before the coil. not 100% needed, but it just reduces the amount of time needed to fiddle with the coil setup.

Another assembly tip, once you have the power system hooked back up, wait to hook the power up to the distributor (the pink wire). remove the #1 spark plug and either have a friend bump the starter over or get a starter interrupt switch. Turn the engine over until you start to feel pressure build behind your finger, its quite obvious as it will really pressurize. Once you do, you know you are on the compression stroke. Now go in with a crankshaft socket like this one, offered by miloden:

Use that and bring the engine around to TDC. Now you are ready for #1 firing. Or, if you assembled the engine with the timing gears aligned dot to dot, simply place the distributor rotor to the #6 cylinder.

As for the AFRP, it has 5 ports. 4 around the body, and 1 on the bottom. bottom is the return line. You only need 2 of the 4 on the body, inlet and outlet. Any of the other ports are a great place to attach a fuel pressure gauge. Go to your local hardware store or auto parts store and buy a 2 plugs. 1 will be a 3/8" standard plug. the other is a 3/8" to 1/8" adapter (it can also be seen in the picture that i posted above). It allows the use of a standard pressure gauge (which is usually 1/8" NPT) to get plugged into the AFRP. i actually have 2 gauges in off the main body. I have a guage for under the hood, so i can see the fuel pressure as i adjust. And i have a pressure sending unit thta goes to the pressure gauge in the cabin so i know what its at as i drive.

stuart

thanks stekman for the much needed info. the cam i have is based on the zz-9 cam from t.p.i.s. i had it custom ground from bullett cams. i need to call them and make sure of what it is, im thinking it is a billet cam, or go to my engine builder for the info. my parts should be here tomorrow so im gonna tear into it then. i think you all have provided me with enough info to get deep into this project......ill let you know the progress.....thanks for the help

redbird_400

did you catch the link in the sticky? Good stuff in there.

http://5finger.8m.com/tpi2carb/tpi2carb.html

stuart

thanks redbird for the link. ive seen it before but i was wanting to know specifically about my application. i didnt know if there was a difference in the color coded ignition wires from camaros to firebirds. some of my parts just arrived this morning. im still waiting on the carb and distributor.....should be here in a couple of days. sdpc always takes 5-6 days to get to me for some reason.....thanks

88IROC350TPI

Its really easy once you start tearing it apart you should be able to realize whats what.

Another good thing for this swap is Earl's makes metric-to-AN adaptors for the stock fuel lines. That way you can neatly and safely hook up braided hose to the factory fuel rail. They are Summit part number EAR-991954 and EAR-991955. https://www.thirdgen.org/techbb2/sho...+fuel+fittings

Now buy 2 6AN hose ends (EAR-300106) and 3 6AN-to-3/8NPT adapters (EAR-820166). Then get like 6ft of 6AN braided line and you'll be set. Of course, if you wanted to REALLY get fancy you could buy angled fittings rather than straight to make the install look even more cleaner but those puppies get expensive.

Heres a shot of my old L98 shortly after I converted it to carb. You can see the pressure regulator. Line coming in from the front is the supply, bottom is return, and the one going to the carb is obviously the feed

88IROC350TPI

OOPSS... I just realized the pictures in that thread I showed you are slightly incorrect. The pictures shown as being EAR-991954 and EAR-991955 are ACTUALLY EAR-9894DBH and EAR-9894DBJ

those the fittings you'd need to hook up braided line to the hard lines is EAR-9894DBH and EAR-9894DBJ. If you get the EAR-991954 and EAR-991955 fittings you can use them to hook up to the RUBBER lines that are attached to the hard lines on the stock fuel rail. So, pick one or the other.

stuart

thanks 88iroc, that was gonna be my next question, about the fule lines. i only need one of each of the ear-001954 and 1-ear-991955 to hook up the rubber lines? and then around 6ft of braided hose? which fitting hooks up to the carb fuel line? and do the 2 hose ends (300106) and the 3 6an-to-3/8npt adaptors go to and from the afpr?.....thanks for all the help.....by the way, your setup looks good....

stuart

i forgot to mention im running a 3 port regulator with a return line..does your prior replys include this?.......something else, your running a very simular setup to what mine will be. do you have any regrets?...does it run good?.......once again,thanks

Stekman

The first of the 2 pictures i posted is a 3 port regulator (return style).

br()bert

ditto

88IROC350TPI

Here is exactly how my fuel system is layed out.


Stock supply hard line --> stock rubber hose coming off it --> EAR-991955 fitting --> 6AN hose end (EAR-300106) --> 6AN braided hose --> 6AN hose end to 3/8 NPT fitting (EAR-820166) --> into Mallory #4309 Regulator.

Stock return hard line --> stock rubber hose coming off it --> EAR-991954 fitting --> 6AN hose end (EAR-300106) --> 6AN braided hose --> 6AN hose end to 3/8 NPT fitting (EAR-820166) --> into bottom of Mallory #4309 Regulator.

Then to go to the carb I have another 6AN end-to-3/8th NPT fitting coming off the regulator (EAR-820166) --> 3 feet or so of 6AN braided hose, then ANOTHER EAR-820166 into my Summit dual-feed chrome carb inlet (SUM-G3120).


If I was going to do it over again I'd buy the EAR-9894DBH and EAR-9894DBJ fittings so I could complately eliminate the stock rubber hose. It'd look much cleaner. All else would remain the same.

I have gone over this so many times I know all the part numbers right off the top of my head, they SHOULD all be correct

stuart

thanks guys for all the help.....i ordered the fittings from sdpc and jegs, with explanations like these it should be easy.

anesthes

iTrader: (12)

What kind of "tuning" were you doing? And what problems were you having?

-- Joe

stuart

hey guys, shes up and running, thanks for all the help converting this thing over. she fired right up and no leaks :hail: .....i havent took it out yet but i will in the next few days. thanks everybody.............

NastyL98_T/A

Post resurrection!

How does the return line work with the mallory regulator? Is there another port that another 820166 will go into with braided hose running to the factory return line?

88IROC350TPI

Yes at the bottom of the Mallory regulator is another 3/8NPT port.