Hey Folks ,

Steve here in Missouri . First off ,hello.

A bit about me . I'm a "Dinosaur" when it comes to EFI .

I've been considering a TBI Engine/tranny combo for my 64' Buick Skylark Sport Coupe (Grand father to the 65' + GS) .

Anyway , getting back to my conversion . My budget is tight and I've found a TBI engine / Tranny in the paper . Is this style of injection upgradeable / desireable ?

How about performance Upgrades ? Are there budget upgrades for these engines .

If this is a desireable system ,I'm needing some input fast so I can jump on it before it's gone .

Thanks ,

Steve B

I have a 350 TBI and a 700-R4 in my 1990 Cadillac Brougham. It's a fine combination and very reliable, but the stock TBI heads do not lend themselves well to upgrades. If you just need a stock bottom end if you're planning on upgrading heads and cam and so on, this engine would do just as well as any other first gen small block.

Brian

Hey Brian , thanks . I did alot of reading up and I came to the conclusion that maybe I should stick out my "Old School" ways . I liked the idea of going to an EFI set-up but someone at CHP said that the TBI is pretty much becoming obsolete . And there are too many variables to navigate before getting a chip flashed . I sure can't afford $2000+ for an LS1 or LT1 etc. At least not for some time to come . Just don't have that kind of money on a VA Pension .I went up on eBay last night and found , then bought a 71' Buick B-body with 455-4/400 , a 12 bolt rear end in a running/driving car for $450.00 , and hopefully some salvageable parts. Enough to make back some money . I'm going to cut the axle tubes down and get some mosers to put in and hopefully find me a posi-carrier and some 3.73's .Eventually I'll round up a 200 4r for it . Hey it's a labor of love . These classics are never done ,if they were I'd get bored and buy another !

Steve

The problem you first have is going to a computer controlled engine in a non-computer car. To get such a set up to work whether it's an older TBI or TPI, or if it's a more contemporary engine with sequential injection, the electrical/electronic problems of mating it all together are large.

Beside the engine with its injection, you'll also need the computer, all sensors, wire harnesses, injection pump which is usually in the fuel tank, which includes the pressure and return lines, the tank venting system, etc. The exhaust system will require an oxygen sensor, new systems use 2 or three plus their wire harness.

It takes a lot of study before jumping into this there are several good books on the subject I can recommend from Jags That Run (JTR) at <<< http://www.jagsthatrun.com/ >>>. Their books "Chevrolet TPI & TBI Engine Swapping" and "Chevrolet S10 Truck V8 Conversion Manual" go into a lot of the techncial details you need to know to pull a computer swap into a non computer or older computer vehicle.

This type swap is expensive in time and or money, you really need to know wnat's needed going in so you can negotiate a deal from a wrecking yard to take all you need form a doner car. To piece one of these swaps together from unrelated vehicles or off E-bay can be done, but you've really got to know what you're fishing for.

Late model roller cammed engines can be backdated to accept carburators and distributors, which can make this easier to do where passing a SMOG test isn't required.

TBI or TPI systems can be hopped up, there's reprogrammed chips, pre-programmers and post processors, larger throttle bodies, greater capacity injectors, all kinds of hot stuff, but it all takes electronic systems integration to pull it off. Edlebrock, Holley and others sell conversion systems and mods that change TBI systems to TPI systems, carbs to TBI or TPI. Moroso sells injector bosses that can be welded or epoxied into conventional carb manifolds so they can be converted to work with TPI style systems, others make throttle bodies for TPI that replace a carb on a modified manifold. Painless makes many wiring harnesses for these swaps which makes the electrical a lot simpler.

So there are many ways to bring injection to an engine, but you've got to study up before hand or find a specialist in your area that does these swaps. But there is no cheap way to do this, it either costs a fair amount of money to have an "expert" build it for you, or it takes a chunk of change for parts and a lot of time for you to learn how to do it. One way or another it's a big investment.

Let me know how serious you are, if you really want to have a go at it, I can provide quite a recommended reading list for you.

Bogie