firebirdjosh

iTrader: (1)

I'm looking at getting an older TA but it's carb, which basically means it has very little power. Is there anyway to get some more power? I don't know anything about engines but is there anyway to put something more like a TPI setup on there to get more power? It'll probably be expensive but worth a shot to ask. Thanks.

92heritageRS

Sure you can convert to what ever you want. I don't see why you would spend the time to convert to TPI and gain a few HP when you could do a performer RPM and a demon and smoke most TPI cars for a few $100 and a saturday. TPI conversion=Issues for months. If its what you want sure go for it. EFI has allot of advantages like gas milage, coolness factor and all that. If you want EFI atleast get a Holley stealth ram. Do a search please !!!!!!! Its up to you what you want. I say new carb, intake, and cam.

RB83L69

Sticking a TPI on some LG4 isn't going to give your car more power. The same things that prevent it from making power with a carb, will still be preventing it from making power with TPI; except that now it'll have this additional obstacle (TPI) to overcome, in order to be fast. Those other things that are the obstacles to the car being fast are the exhaust, the cam, the exhaust, the torque converter, the exhaust, the rear end gears, the exhaust, weight, exhaust, the clutch fan, .... and did I mention the exhaust? In case I didn't, the LG4 cars got the world's worst exhaust system; EVERY PIECE, from the heads to the street needs to be replaced. The carb isn't what's making it slow.

Don't let the car's current state of LG4 gutlessness scare you off. It's not hard to get ALOT more out of it than it's giving now, and for a whole lot less money and trouble than fooling around with TPI, Na most likely making it even more gutless in the process. People take TPI off and put carbs on to get more power, not the other way around.

firebirdjosh

iTrader: (1)

Thanks guys. Carbs jsut scare me for some reason. Atleast I can put a huge chrome air filter on top of the engine and show it off when I pop my hood.

firebirdjosh

iTrader: (1)

I just realized the numbers, the carb is only 165hp, and the TPI is 190hp. Wouldn't I be better off starting with a good TPI engine if I want a quick car?

RB83L69

The same motor with a carb (i.e. the same 305, with the same cam and the same exhaust, aka the L69) also was "rated" at 190 HP. However, the L69 cars also came with 3.73 gears; compared to the TPI 305's 2.73s and such. Which means they were SUBSTANTIALLY faster than most TPI cars, at least around town.

If you want to buy a car that's faster to start out with, then you DON'T wasnt a LG4 (base model carb) or L03 (TBI) car. You don't really want a 305 TPI auto car either. The ones to get are the L69 carb ones, or the 305 5-speed TPI, or 350 auto ones.

But none of them are anything like remotely fast, as they come. A 2003 Z28 put out about 375 HP, compared to the most powerful TPI 350 that made 240. You'll find that trying to pick one of these cars is a balancing act. TPI cars are the top-of-the-line, but have their drawbacks; and the better carbed ones (L69) aren't any faster than those, and they're all 20 years old now. But it's a helluvalot cheaper to make a carbed car faster, and you won't run into the TPI "brick wall" from its long runners, that the ONLY solution for is to take it off and put something else in its place. Again, $$$$$$$$$.

But if you want FI rather than a carb, IMO the best way to go is to get a 305 5-speed car, and put a bigger motor in it with some other form of FI on it. That's probably the least $$$$ and the least work to get yourself to a FI car that will compete with modern ones.

Grim Reaper

Who says that TPI makes more power than a carb? There are a LOT of advantages of fuel injection, but all out power is not one of them. In fact, the BEST many EFI guys can hope for is that we can make as much HP on the top end as a carb (and that is totally dependent on the type of intake system you are using).

EFI does give great driveability, better fuel economy, less emissions and possibly better TQ at low/mid range. But EFI does not necessarily produce more power at the top-end.

And, with EFI you MUST get the eprom properly tuned to match the intake. Unless the eprom is tuned "hands-on" by someone who really knows what they are doing, you usually get a "compromise".

Don't get me wrong and think I am BASHING EFI. Far from it as I am probably one of the biggest proponents of EFI. But, I also think that a lot of people are mistaken on what EFI can (and cannot do). But, you need to know what you truly expect from your engine and that will determine whether EFI or a carb is the better choice.

But, if you do chose to go EFI, remember one thing...NOTHING is cheap (or easy) when you are dealing with EFI. GM didn't put EFI on modern day cars to make power; they put EFI to meet emissions and mandated corporate fuel economy standards. GM could make a lot more money if they could install a carb instead of EFI. But GM wouldn't meet emission or fuel economy standards.

Streetiron85

What everyone else said, plus...
Don't let carbs scare you.
The more searching you do on that topic, the more youll find carbs referred to as being "simple, for simple minded people" by the EFI fundamentalists. Which is only half true.
A 4 bbl that's working correctly, on top of a properly tuned engine is the simplest route to respectable performance.

firebirdjosh

iTrader: (1)

I'm just reading numbers from here:

https://www.thirdgen.org/newdesign/tech/techdb.shtml


In the long run, I'm looking for a daily driver and would like to sink up to $1000 on making it fast. I may take it to a track once or twice but I'm not really looking for huge power.

Grim Reaper

Remember, the L98 never came with a carb. But, TPIS did do a comparison using an L98 long-block with various modified intakes including a carb. Guess which setup made the LEAST HP? (Hint: it wasn't the carb).

TPI is not known for high HP, it's reputation is for big TQ at the low/mid-range. A lot of truck guys convert to the TPI intake because that's what they want (lots of TQ down low). Since they seldom rev their engines beyond 5,000 rpm, they don't care about TPI's lack of top end.

If this is what you want, go for it. Nothing wrong with TQ. It's highly desireable if that's what your application needs. But, if you want top-end HP, TPI is not the answer. It can be modified to improve the top-end power, but it costs money.

As EFI goes, the intake that is growing in popularity is the Holley Stealth Ram. It can produce the top-end HP almost as good as the Miniram (the HP King of EFI intakes for the SBC but a lot cheaper) yet still maintain very good low-end TQ.

firebirdjosh

iTrader: (1)

Thanks! I don't plan on ever breaking 90mph after my last ticket so top end is the least of my worries.

Grim Reaper

Top end doesn't just mean "high mph", it means the top-end of your rpm range. Your engine will still see the top-end in 1st, 2nd and possibly 3rd before you hit 90 mph (depending on your tranny and rear-axle ratio).

Don't get me wrong, TPI definitely has it's place and it's fans. I know one guy who put TPI on a ZZ4 engine with a lumpy cam in a 60 Vette. The cam was a total mis-match to the TPI. But he was an older guy who didn't want to rev his engine beyond 5,000 rpm so TPI was just fine.

When I mentioned that his cam was a mis-match for the TPI intake and that there were other cams that would make more power in the power band of the TPI, he didn't care. He wanted the "lumpy sound" of the big cam and could careless that the cam would only really start making power right where the TPI was starting to choke.

If you truly want the TPI system go for it. Just be aware of TPI's strengths and weaknesses, as well as the expense of the modifying for EFI. This way, you are at least making decision knowning all the facts and won't have any surprises. As the old saying goes "It's your money, you have the right to spend it as you wish".

firebirdjosh

iTrader: (1)

Once again, thanks. Much MUCH appreciated. I'll report back when I pick up a car, should be this weekend if things go right.