TBI vs Carb

[meeklay812]

I have an 89 with an LO3 and im gettin a 350 very soon. Would u go a 350 TBI or a 350 Carb?

[Jeff_in_Atl]

Not much of a question to me. TBI

[Benm109]

I completely agree. TBI is SO easy to work with. I was disappointed when I first got my car, I wanted TPI, but now I so happy I ended up with TBI. Also, it won't take a lot of work to swap your 305 to a 350. A lot of people have done this.

You have got to check out www.thirdgen.org . They have tons of information on the TBI board. Instead of just swapping in the 350, you can do the ultimate TBI mods (which I highly recommend since you are going to a 350), put in an LT1 cam, chip burning, and all kinds of other stuff if you want. Just go there and use the "search" button and read posts and the stickies in the TBI board.

If you have any questions, just post here or PM me. I know so much stuff about TBI now I can probably help you or point you towards someone who can help you if you have any problems or questions.

[meeklay812]

The one im looking at

This is the engine i am thinking of getting. Really nice guy who is helping me out alot! He said it has around 285 ponies. What do you think of this???

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...category=33615

[Benm109]

Looks good from what I can tell. Make sure they tell you where the engine came from originally (sounds like a 87-95 truck). Also, just so you know, some of the stuff from your 305 will not work/fit on the 350. You are going to need a 350 knock sensor, ESC module, TBI injectors, and chip (or PROM), and, uh, maybe a couple of other things I can't remember right now. But, some stuff will, like your ECM (I know, wierd). You can get most of this stuff at a junkyard. You are also going to need to modify some things like the stock TBI unit (if you plan on reusing it with the 350) so it will flow better. Like I said, make sure you check out www.thirdgen.org .

And don't forget about chip burning! That is the key to getting performance out of TBI's. Just swapping in a 350 won't mean you will really need chip burning, but if you add headers, roller rockers, or cam, you definetely will. A lot of people overlook this when they begin to add mods to TBIs. Some people will burn chips (or PROMs, as they are sometimes called) for you (TBIChips.com, for example) for a fee, but it is best if you can do it yourself. You have to have the right equipment too, though (laptop, WinALDL, WinALDL cable, and tuner programs). I would be chip burning myself, but I have no $ for a laptop . But trust me, DIY chip burning will be well worth it in the long run.

Good luck!!

[meeklay812]

Is this an easy swap overall?

Overall, will this swap be pretty easy for someone who knows what their doing? Or is it cheaper to swap in a carb so i dont have to do all this TBI unit/injectors modifying? Thanks for the help

[Benm109]

It would be much cheaper to just keep it TBI. Most of the stuff you need to swap in the 350 are things that you can find at a junkyard for pretty cheap (as long as they work, of course). I can almost guarantee it would cost twice as much to switch to a carb. Just go to your local junkyard and find what you need off of an 87-95 Chevy/GMC 1500 350 TBI truck or 350 TBI Caprice . It shouldn't be too hard to find one, either.