right now i have a tpi 305 with manual trans in my 88 iroc. i plan on swapping in a 350 but im having some trouble deciding what i should do. im not looking for any crazy hp but a nice increase from stock would be nice. also am kinda on a budget. I was thinking bout getting a used 350 and rebuild myself. Have been reading that vortec heads would be good and i would like to buy the high flow edelbrock intake and runners. that with a cam would be nice for starters. just wondering if those mods are a good way to go..also consdiderd swaping in a complete lt1 i see that they are pretty cheap..any advice or other suggestions are greatly appreciated

 

I'd stick with the gen 1 350 and Vortech heads,lots less headaches involved in the swap than an LT1 and gen 1 parts are a lot cheaper.

 

Yes i agree thats what i would like to do. Also if i were to get a gen 1 350 short block and buy vortec heads (062 im reading will fit and are good) would i be able to swap over all the accessories from the 305 tpi?

 

I'm not sure about everything,think you'll need a different intake set up for the vortec heads.

 

Whatever you decide, just do a lot of reseach & planing with everything in place before you turn the first wrench. The first mistake people make is starting a project with no end game in sight. Second mistake, is trying too much without the money to complete the project.

Been there and done it, and the swap was completed in less then 30 days.

 

yea they make an edelbrock high flow intake that fits the votec heads i would like to get

 

I would Like to get this and this ....etc etc. What a plan.

 

yea well i would like to have a plan b4 i do anything and thats why im asking

 

concept I'm exactly where you are at right now. I have a 91 z28 with a 305 tpi and t-5 tranny. From what I understand, because I have been doing a lot of looking around and talking to people about swapping over a 350, the general concesus is to go for it. All of the accessories will switch over, just plan on getting the 22# injectors, at least a 52 mm throttle body, and a chip that works with a 350 with your mods. I have found a guy on ebay that will costume make you a chip to the exact specs of your motor and ship it to your door for 150. One thing you might want to look into instead for the intake is the weiand stealth ram intake. It's a lot cheaper and from what I hear it is better then the edelbrock because the original runner length is too long and loses power at 4500 rpm. The only thing is you have to buy the weiand fuel rails, and it is still cheaper. But one thing I don't know is if it would be better to run the edelbrock intake/runners with vortec heads. They also sell the vortec stealth ram, but it is designed for high rpm usage, which vortec is meant for low end torque. So if you know which one, please, let me know

 

oh wow your right the stealth ram intake is alot cheaper. iv seen a bunch of kits that were priced over 2k thats why i thought staying with the tpi setup would be cheaper.. also im looking for that low end torque but for that much cheaper ill be happy with a stealth ram kit.. still trying to figure out what would be best bang for the buck so none of my plans are set in stone except that i want to swap in a 350 lol. it does sound like we are int he same boat tho so if you can keep me updated with what you end up doing... as for matching the vortec heads with the edelbrock intake and runners im not sure either if it would be better then the stealth ram but i would like to know as well