usetaboost

iTrader: (1)

I've been out of the tpi loop for longer than I'd like to admit. I'm trying to help a guy out with an 87 tpi build. It's a stock 350 car and has 2 spun bearings. He wants to do a budget build and we can't figure out what would be the better value. He was thinking about just getting a used vortec truck engine and putting a bigger cam in. If I remember right the heads need to be modified for the cam. Then there's the added 500 dollar expense of the intake for the vortecs.

Is there a stock head that would be worthwhile to put on the 350 besides the vortecs? I did suggest a stock rebuild with a turbo but he didn't seem to grasp that well for some reason. Thanks for the help.

Damon

How about the Vortec truck engine with the heads, cam and intake from your original TPI engine on top? Quickest route to victory.

The Vortec truck engine short block is just about identical to the L98 TPI engine. Literally everything swaps over.

Using the Vortec heads would definitely be a performance upgrade but you know about the expensive lower intake needed to make it work. PLUS you have to turn the EGR system off in the chip programming to prevent throwing an EGR code.

A set of entry level performance aluminum heads would be a nice upgrade from stock as well. Like a set of Eldelbrock E-street heads for $900 assembled from Summit. Then you don't need a Vortec intake, but you do have to shell out 900 clams.

In the world of factory standard-port heads the -083 350 TPI L98 heads are actually about as good as it gets. Everything else comes with complications (Vortecs) or a price tag (aftermarket standard port heads).

usetaboost

iTrader: (1)

But then there's still the expense of rebuilding the bottom end also. hmm...still thinking the stock rebuild and clean up the stock heads would be the way to go. What about getting a set of aluminum corvette heads or would they make to much compression? I'm also curious as to what cam you guys run since the tpi intake is limited to rpm. I don't know if the 87 engine is a roller cam engine but if it was flat tappet I was thinking the comp 256H cam.

theNMBR27

I feel your pain. Just popped my motor and I have 200 miles on the new one. I went and bought a comp cams 268 xfi hr 13. 218/224 and .570/.565 with 1.6 rockers. Makes great power and it's streetable.

Slowridr

iTrader: (1)

I am in the same boat usetaboost. Car been sitting for a few months now. Crank it and drive around the block to keep rest of car fresh but I have the same delima you have (rings gone). Cant spend lots of $$$ but would like to get biggest bang for buck. Wish there was a nice chart somewhere that addressed this delima that had engine specs, cost, and performance. Ive gotta do something cause I want car going this spring. I have been all over the place with ideas but in the end I want simplicity and low $$$. I just dont know enough about combos to make a good decision. Been asking Orr89RocZ for some advice. He is probably going to be tired of me asking questions before this deal is over.

Will be watching this thread.

usetaboost

iTrader: (1)

From what I've gathered the vortec base doesn't flow any better than the stock one. I guess for a budget build I would just do some cleanup on heads and intake and go with some 1 1/2 inch headers with a small split duration cam. Of course if the money was there for aluminums that would be the way to go. Beings it's a sbc, the choices for a good used set of heads should be plentiful. DOing the research made me realize everything I did on my tpi back in 04 was just way to big, all wrong. You can't build these motors for big n/a power unless you want to spend money. If you got the money to blow on it you just as well go another route. THe guy that has the car and I both agree it won't be a dragstrip terror and most tpi's aren't. But they are fun on the street. Best thing with tpi is the kiss method.

Damon

Rebuilding the stock bottom end with spun bearings is going to cost more than a junkyard Vortec motor. Buy the Vortec motor, yank the Vortec heads (and sell them) and put your existing TPI heads, cam and intake onto it. No rebuild necessary if the motor was in decent shape when they plucked it out of the junkyard truck. Many are in excellent shape, even with significant mileage on them.

The only real difference is the Vortec motor uses a crappy plastic timing chain cover (with built-in cam position sensor). So you install the timing chain cover from the original TPI motor at the same time you swap the TPI cam in.