im looking into changing the engine in my 79 z28 from an old 350 to a more modern and reliable engine with fuel injection. what engine would you recommend? i also wanted to convert it to stick so i was thinking maybe an lt1 with a t56 6 speed as my running gear? or does GM offer crate engines that have a warranty and stuff? or is there maybe a cheap(ish) fuel injection kit for my 350? thx

 

Well you can find fuel injections kits anywhere and it would be cheaper. But if you were looking for a engine out of the box with high horsepower I would get a 383 for a small block and for a big block a 555 or a 427/LS motor would work great.

 

are you talking about the GM crate 383's that come with a warranty and stuff?

 

Well the newer EFI engines are more modern but more reliable is debatable.
A well built 350 with an HEI ignition and a new carb is a pretty damn reliable platform and easy to work on.

 

yea i wouldnt trust the newer engines either lol. i think a 350 with some kind of efi would be sufficient. but were do i get a good efi kit? ive seen some on places like summit but there like 2000!

 

you can always get the fuel injection system off of a wrecked car from the manifold to the computer and wire it up as a stand alone system. or contact painless wiring and get one of their harnesses and do that route for fuel injection. dont forget the fuel pump tho

 

First off, what is your budget?
A GM big block crate motor with fuel injection can run into a lot of cash. Small block engines are more reasonably priced and just as reliable. Engines are only as good as the parts used to build them. All things being equal between big block & small block (parts quality), the deciding factor as to how long will the motor survive is you. The harder you push an engine the more likely it is to fail, i.e. drag race engines are torn down every 1/4 mile.

My vote goes to a 383, they will give you excellent horsepower to weight ratio for an F body. Also, a standard GM tune port injection system can be tuned for it or you can go for an aftermarket system which would offer better tunability for street/track operation.

 

just for simplicity, a tpi system off an iroc or vette or something would probably be the easiest route. but id like to see what aftermarket systems i can get

 

Is reliable the right word for what you are looking for? Because as a general rule all SBC are pretty reliable. I would expect a well rebuilt 70's 350 to last as long as a brand new crate engine.

If you are looking for better "drivablity" I always though it would be fun a pretty easy to install one of these
http://www.jegs.com/i/GM+Performance...99120/10002/-1

Nice part is since it is a complete all GM turnkey system everything is under warranty. If I read it right its 2 year 24K miles

 

yea thats pretty cool lol. id like to have all the things that EFI offers like better throttle response, better cold weather performance, mileage, ect.