Mailbox Hunter

I followed the 305 - 350 guide in the tech articles, got the knock sensor, 93 caprice injectors and chip (350TBI setup) and the block is coming in the mail in a few days (3 weeks of waiting!)

http://www.fivestarengines.com/crate-engines.html

Went with a 350 TBI intake setup. The block is coming complete (not turn key) but an edelbrock performer tbi intake manifold.

I was told that the transmission servo might need to be changed along with I should drop the TBI injection all togther because tuning it will be a drag. Also I was told that a dyno tune would be an advantage.

I dont need advice on how to swap the engine and such, I'm wondering if theres anything other than a direct TBI block swap that I just dont know.

(If the servo thing is true, is it a good idea to go with a vette servo?)

camaronewbie

I'm no expert, but a few things come to mind ...

1) as far as I know, that tranny servo would be a choice, not a requirement. usually they just make the 1-2 shifts harder/stronger.

2) there might be cam issues unless you spcified a TBI-friendly cam from the engine builder. I think there are cams better suited for TBI rather than a carbed application where you can easily tune a carb for whatever cam you have - but definitely get better input than mine here.

3) same with heads and intake - some are more "TBI friendly" than others. You already have a TBI intake, so that shouldn't be an issue.

It all boils down to how much (if any) custom chip tuning you need. The right combo of parts would suggest no custom tuning at all, but other combos would require more chip tuning. The 305's have little "room" in the standard chip for changing things - adding better heads, intake, cam on a 305 TBI means more air flow that the chip can recognize, but doesn't know how to handle (except to just dump gobs of fuel on top of it). I assume it's the same with a 350 TBI chip - it will 'learn' to a degree, but once the 'magic line' is crossed, it'll require custom chip tuning to run efficiently.