cutnsick

I was wondering if anyone has a known combination for hotting up the 350 TPI.
I have a 1988 GTA with 72000 miles auto and 3.27 rear. it has headers, 3" single ss exhaust with high flow cat and magna flow muffler, the chip has also been done before i bought the car. I also deleted the smog pump and the maf screens.

I am aiming at high 12s low 13 1/4. but want the car to remain streetable. most of my driving involves long cruises 100miles at 70mph so some economy is also needed. I doesnt need to be Smog.

I was thinking, Cold air intake KN filter, clean up the penulum etc, cnc my heads (i think there the aluminium ones) or buy trickflow alluminium 195cc, new cam comp xr 269hr-12 or Tpis ZZ-9, 1.5 roller rockers, AFPR and prehaps a 2000 stall and of course a new prom.

Could anyone suggest any other mods?

What power/ times do you think i could get on street tyres in good air?

Which cam would be better for my application, should i consider a GM hot cam?

Later i may swap to HSR or the new BBK manifold

I see trickflow sbc upgrade kits on the summit site but only up to 1987. Whats the difference between this and my motor? Does anyone else sell known combo kits?

is it worth cleaning up the heads i have or just buy newies?

Any other suggestions welcome.
Thanks in advance.

speed88

First of all I would definately go with a higher stall. You will feel no difference with a 2000 stall over the stock converter. Go with at least a 2800. And no it will not effect everyday street driving, despite what everyone will tell you. I have a 3000 stall in mine, and it peforms great on the street. With normal driving you don't even know it is there.

Second, if you want to run nice times at the track and still have a prefectly good street car why not buy yourself a nice Nitrous kit. Perform a really good tune-up on the car, do some of the free mods that are on this site, add a afpr, headers, and exhaust, CAI, and some sticky tires. Throw a 100 shot on top of that and you should run high 12's - low 13's all day. And then turn off the bottle and you have your streetable car.

Just a thought!

Mkos1980

iTrader: (8)

Stock 350 with TF heads and LT4 cam got me 13.4@104 Stock injectors . stock chip, and stock converter as well. + 25 MPG

Mkos1980

iTrader: (8)

BTW I took this car on the power tour too for a nice 3400 miles round trip. 0 problems.

cutnsick

Thanks guys but No nitros allowed here otherwise the cops take your car. What have you done to yours speed 88? let me guess.... its on the bottle.

Does anyone else have simular work with times/dyno? no Nos.

92RS3.1L

"I see trickflow sbc upgrade kits on the summit site but only up to 1987. Whats the difference between this and my motor? "


Serpentine belt

speed88

The cops will take your car if you have nitrous!? That's the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard!!

As for my car. I have replaced my 350 TPI with a Minirammed 383. Those times are from my second time at the track with the new motor. There is alot more in the car, I just need to dive into the tuning, free up my exhaust and a few other odds and ends. I do have a nitrous kit, not yet installed, and that should see me well into the 11's.

305RSlc

You also forgot to mention roller cam and lifters, different intake bolt pattern on the intake to the heads, different bolt pattern for the valve covers, 1 piece rear main seal as opposed to two....and I think that's it.

cutnsick

The cops will take your car if you have nitrous!? That's the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard!!

I Know its like a dictatorship here now! they can do you for excesive noise, spinning the tyres including squeleis on gear changes and any reported 'hooning' first offence is car confiscation for 48 hrs third you have to go to court and could lose your car altogether. I know it IS rediculous.

So the summit kits are no good for the TPI manifold then. The 445hp kit has a roller cam etc but i suppose the heads are the earlier style manifold bolts.

What cam would you suggest for my application?

Floor guy

In the early to mid 90's we put 4 tpi cars together that ran 12.80 on a good day with average et's in the 13.0 range. This was back in the day when we "poked and hoped" On the f-bodies we used gearing that ranged from 3.23- 3.45. More gear did not work for us. These cars were 700-r4 autos and we used a stock 86 vette 2000 stall converter. More stall slowed us down. Engines were 355 with zz-3 cams. Now they are zz-4. One motor had 113 corvette casting w/minor port work. One car had trick fow heads(they were brand new and very cheap then)One car had cast iron heads(chevy bow ties) unported.Last had Edelbrocks. Compression ratios varied from 10.0-10.5 Intakes were stock lowers, ported. slp runner tunes and a stock 48mm throttle body on a fully ported factory plenum. These were maf cars with no tuning. All factory programming. Tuning was voodoo then. 25+ miles per gallon on highway and all combos lasted 50k or more with many hundreds of trips to the track. Short story long, this is easy to do. Let your wallet dictate how far to go.

92RS3.1L

I KNEW I forgot something!

hotrod85z

iTrader: (1)

hey floor guy!!!

about those cars you built,?, what worked better on a stock 350tpi with zz3 cam. I need gears for my 85 iroc,but i dont wanna screw up and make a bad decision! it currently has 3:23 open diff. I have a rear end with posi from an 88 iroc, but i didnt know if i should go 3:42 or 3:73. motor shift around 5500. but on street tires i cant get traction till it gets half way thru second! just want your .002 cents you seem knowledgable on the subjuct!!

cgb

I agree with floorguy. I've put together several ( and recommended to friends building TPI cars ) and for a very docile , everyday driving car, that still has decent performance at the track when needed...the ZZ series cams definitely fit the bill.

Which direction you go depends on what deals you can get.

Pro topline Vortec heads @ $600 ready to go and already good for more lift than GM castings.

SD Vortec TPI intake @ $300

OR

Use the money for these for a new set of heads. I KNOW the Vortec castings work VERY well on a street driven TPI car without tuning... I've never used the TFS heads on a TPI app....

Also, don't overlook the alum L98 Vette heads...they can be found pretty cheap, and since they are alum, with RESEARCH and a STEADY hand you can clean them up very nicely at home and not have to spend hours upon hours like steel heads...( if you don't have the professional tools ).


I used to wrench on a '86 or 87 IROC that a guy had. It was a Auto car w/ 305 TPI. He ran across a bone stock Vette alum head L98 complete for cheap. So he used it. All he did was use a ZZ4 cam, installed shorty headers, an aftermarket cat back, cleaned up the plenum, and worked the factory lower TPI intake a bit.

He had the tranny worked, and installed a 2800 or so converter ( it was free ), and then he capped it off with a 3.42 posi rear he got from another car...

He used the chip from the donor Vette.. ( both MAF systems ).

With airbags in the rear, drag radials, homemade boxed control arms, after dialing in, that car ran DEAD consistent low 13's...


And he drove it everyday rain of shine and it got nice mpg on the highway and around town as well.


HTH

Floor guy

Hotrod85, If 1/4 mile performance is what you are looking for I would go no steeper than the 3.42's. If seat of the pants is most important I would go with the 3.73's. I had the 3.73's in my vette when it ran the 355 combo I described. Car picked up 1.5 tenths in the 60'. By the time I made it to the finish line I lost 2 tenths. Net loss 1/2 tenth overall. Gas mileage dropped 3 mpg. I finally settled on 3.33. This ratio seemed like the best overall for my car. The f-bodies seemed to like the 3.42 and this is what I would use. Others may surely disagree. This range of gear ratios seemed to work well on these cars when they had modded factory tpi intakes and superrams. We have never used a miniram or stealth ram manifold on these cars.Yet!

hotrod85z

iTrader: (1)

THanx floor guy, im glad i found someone that knows what there talking about, i'll definatly go with the 3:42:hail: :hail: :hail: