[Gmecm] Chevy 350 Carburated to TBI / TPI?

[Jay Vessels]

Hi there!

No need to swap heads.  There are several options for the TBI-specific 
intake:

1)  Grab an adapter to bolt the TBI to an existing 4bbl. intake. 
Holley, etc. make them, or make your own -- there is a drawing on the 
GMECM website's incoming directory somewhere.

2)  Grab a stock TBI intake from a mid-80s fullsize truck.  These are 
likely to be hard to find, since by '87 GM went to centerbolt valve 
cover heads which have a different angle on the four center intake bolts.

3)  Grab an intake from a newer ('87-, but not Vortec) car/truck (i.e. F 
or B body, or fullsize truck) and redrill the center boltholes.  I've 
done this but do not like it at all.  Getting the bolts drilled right 
isn't fun, and I made special washers to sit under the bolt heads to 
make sure there was enough surface for clamping.  Personally, I would 
not do this again.

4)  Buy an aftermarket intake for a TBI and older heads.  Holley 300-49 
is a choice.

If I was on a tight budget or if I had a really nice intake, I'd do #1. 
   I might do #2 if I got really lucky in the salvage yards. 
Otherwise, I'd do #4.

For TPI, it's a similar issue.  1985-1986 baseplates will bolt to the 
heads you have, but after that they're designed for centerbolt heads. 
These may be easier to modify, or mix-and-match 
runners/plenum/baseplates based on what you dig up.

Jay Vessels
1982 Chevrolet S-10 Sport, 2.8V6 TBI
1984 Chevrolet S-10 Blazer Sport, 2.8V6 (TBI pending)

Aphelion79 wrote:
> Is this possible?  I have a 79' Chevy C20 sitting in my back yard with a 
> carburetor that sucks.  About 300 bucks for a new one... so I was 
> wondering can I take the head off of a newer model truck with a 350 and 
> TBI (or off a car with TPI) from the Junkyard and if it will bolt on 
> directly without any problems?
> 
> 
> *I realize I also need the wiring harness and computer (I've done a few 
> FI swaps on vehicles already, but this one seems to be the easiest 
> looking like everything will bolt right on...)