Okay, so fot the past 4 weeks or so, this Elco's been tune port injected... new everything (injectors, regulator, fuel pump, relays, the works...). First time I checked my gas mileage was reading 19 mpg... Not bad I thought... The second time I checked it was around 20ish... Getting better??? Okay, so heres what I figured, if my old vent line is now my supply, it probably had some scale build up causing restriction and was clogging injectors... ran a bottle of fuel system cleaner through system, and filled up with 91 Octane 6 days ago with a starting mileage of 109724... Time passed and I drive 12 miles to work and errands after... so around 30ish miles per day... This is driving in the city of tucson in 10am traffic usually, stop n gos all morning... But a fairly long straight for some of the drive doing about 45... About 3 miles... I drove 264 miles in that time fram making my end mileage 109988. Went to fill up at same pump as last time I filled up and it took 11.8 gallons. For you math wizards, that calculates out to 22.37 mpg!!! I thought I was losing my mind so on my way to work today I recorded how many miles my odometer said it was to my work (12 miles) and bumped that against google and yahoo maps (11.9)... so my readings ARE CORRECT! I am not here to brag, but to moreso encourage this kind of swap... I'm now getting better gas mileage than my wife's 2010 Mitsubishi Galant with a 4 cyl!!! And making more power! For anyone interested, its the factory 305, 700r4, factory rearend, and tpi... obviously... I'm impressed by this system and will encourage this for anyone who wants more power, WAY BETTER fuel economy, and reliability!!! Questions comments?

The long runner design makes for optimum torque at low speeds. My city #'s were a little less with my tpi/5 speed combo I once had, but spun a tire around most every cornor [cause I could].:lildevil:

I'm pampering this motor so that probably helps... but I can say that the power is there... especially about 3 nights ago when Ricer Jr. in his "JDM TYPE R GT SS ECLIPSE" pulled up with his gf and i smoked 'em... lol

So is this TPI set-up a direct bolt on to any small block? And how much work did you put into it to hook it up and make it work?

sigh........ I wish i could get 9mpg city, as it is now i get around 7, not near so good on the freeway. gets there quick tho.

Just for clarification, and not to dispute your mileage, but what rear gears are you running, and have the trans gears been matched to the rear and the tire size? I had this issue with mine when I first installed the OD trans, with the Speedo being off. If the speedo is off, so is the miles driven. I was getting great 0-60 times, until I found out I really wasn't going 60 :smileyb:

Best I can do is about 21 Hwy, 17 city, with 3.73 gears. Lower ratio would dramatically improve that mileage.

Is fuel injection "that" great..? I get 13-ish in city, 15 if I use additives or blend my gas with some different octanes and additives(secret mix). Anyhow. I figure my 350 and high-rise carb are robbing me of 1 or 2 mpg.
Could you post exactly what's parts you have installed from the spec sheet? Like, I know there's a big difference perhaps in tune for my 350 compared to your 305. But I've considered installing fuel injection and would like to know all what it takes. Like you were running a Holly 6 or 650 carb right before the conversion? Well I figure the intake manifold was replaced, a computer installed? Etc..?
I doubt I'm the only person considering a swap to TPI from carb(s). I doubt I could afford it for a while but I could start piecing something together with a few salvaged parts and save up to take it to someone who knows how to hook it all up!

Darbysan, yes all the gears are matching... I had my wife drive next to me in her car and tell me her MPH in conjunction with mine... it was spot on. I'm still running the factory 2.73 gears (or whatever it is) with the NEW (not rebuilt) 700r4. I'm sure my wheel size might also be helping (18's) with 255/40zr18 tires (which is actually the same O.D. as the 16's I had on before when the gears and speedo were cal-ed) and knowing how to control the mass of the wheel in conjunction with rotating that mass helps, I also nurture this motor and milk it as much as i can. I also tend to TRY to make all the green lights which is a bonus factor too...lol.

'86 Kid, my ultimate answer... yes, it is "THAT GREAT"... I had my eddy highrise and a holley 4bbl 650cfm carb on it before and I was lucky to pull 16 city with the same driving habits and distances. Along the lines of what you NEED for a swap like this, its quite a list, I actually got almost all my info from Darbysan on a thread here title "HELP!!! 305 Carb to 305 TPI". I was relatively clueless before his help and I've learned quite a bit through both him and my own research.
Along the lines of your "blend gas"... probably not helping you out too much, too high an octane with additives is good for preventing spark knock and sure it can clean out your combustion chambers, but in the end your realistically better off just using 87 OCT or maybe a lil higher because of the sulfer content of high grade petroleum. Just sayin... If you are running a 350 though on your elco, make sure it is indeed a 350 by checking your castings, alot of people buy elcos with the previous owner almost always saying its a 350 just to make a sale. If you have a 350 though, you could pull a TPI unit off an 80's model vette which would run a 22lb injector, vs if you have a 305 which would run a 19lb injector. There is alot of math that goes into a swap like this, but since Darbysan, myself, and a few others have done this already, we can pretty much just put together a list and where to buy your parts and just bolt 'em all in... I will say this much, if you plan on doing wiring yourself, brace yourself... I measured it out when I used my old harness and it was over 3 1/2 miles of wire I had scoured to ensure continuity. Along the lines of what you need "for now", I'd just start looking for TPI setups on craigslist, ebay, junkyards, etc... I got lucky and traded my old eddy and holley straight across for the TPI because the guy didn't want to do the wiring... lol. Painless does make a wiring setup but its around $350, money I didn't have... You should be able to find a full setup (plenums, runners, rails, injectors, computer, harness, and t/b) for around $150-200, anything beyond that better be rebuild/refurbished or really nice... I did my ENTIRE swap for around $1,300... it was $800, then I ran into a few small details which ended up costing me the other $500... But research in this swap does pay off... Thanks to this swap though, I will be keeping this Elco for AWHILE!!! It is beyond worth the headache and the power is INCREDIBLE!!! Good luck and hope this all helps!:nanawrench:

ElCaminoMan, it is almost a direct bolt on if you use the '86 TPI unit, 1987 and up you have to file out the holes on the 4 center intake bolt holes as I did... but its the same thing... I took 4 days off work to do this swap and got it done in that time frame... again, research pays off in this department... Along the lines of how much work i put into it... LOTS!!! I spent 3 months refurbishing all my old parts and cleaning out all the 24 years of carbon inside the plenum, runners, etc... and pieced it all back together with medical precision... I also bought newer parts (or rebuilt) which helps alot... I will say this much, if you do this, REPLACE YOUR INJECTORS AND REGULATOR!!! Go through FIC (Fuel Injection Connection) and they'll send you a set of flow-tested injectors with a warrantee for about $120... and its worth it! Wiring sucks, the bolt on stuff is easy, so is vacuum stuff... my problem was putting serp on the same time as the TPI which made it a lil more difficult to trouble shoot wiring problems from the new 3-pin alternator... if you got time, go to thread listed above and it should be of some good help...

Thanks for the info on that thread, I'll go check it out. honestly I have no idea what half those parts are.... :dontknow: I mean I've seen a picture of a complete one and I'll see how much it'll cost at a junkyard for one of a V8, I was there and saw a guy buy one for a V4 for 40 bucks. So hopefully a V8 with twice as many pistons is twice the cost? lol. 200 bucks for the whole thing would be nice. I've got a mechanic who specializes in wiring, he did the wiring for my Buddies twin turbo'd Camaro for 150 bucks using OEM wire he salvaged from junkyards! Man this guy is a genius and his work is top notch.
Will the TPI off of a dual overhead cam'd enigne work? I don't see why not but there are these two town cars side by side in the salvage yard and they both have their tpi's for SBC's? That way I'd have identical parts to find easy??? Thanks again for your help.
P.S. truth be told my special gas shoots me up to 15 or 16, and I'll share with you a few ingredients. I use 50/50 gas usually 2.5 gallons of each. 87 pump gas and 89 marina grade. that way half my gas has no ethanol. and there fore the 87's ethanol is kinda halved. So my gas is basically an 88-89 octane and 4-6 percent ethanol fuel. Plus I add an once of a few things, like one once of fuel injector cleaner, one of gas mixer, the rest is a secret.
(I'm a chem major so dont worry).
I actually used to blend up the gas by the barrel and sell it for spare cash between jobs. Race gas is usually 10 to 15 bucks per gallon right? well street gas can't take the abuse of high combustion ratios, and TEL doesn't blend that well so it clogs your engine a bit every-time. I sold my gas for about 5 to 6 bucks. It cost 4 per gallon to make, and it was almost as good a race gas. Sadly the strip was closed and now no one buys race gas in bulk like that. I mix up a tank for a buddy or two about every month and make 10 bucks. Sigh...

86'kID,
the tpi off a DOHC motor will not work... These TPI units were strictly available on F-Bodies between 1985 and 1992 (1992 i think)... anyways, you can run this set up on either pre-87 or 87+ heads, provided the year you get the set up off of will dictate what modifications you have to do... Along the lines of the basics you could use for now if you decide to go this route of TPI (NOT TBI...big difference), having centerbolt heads will dictate the parts you'll be getting. If they are centerbolt heads, you can get a TPI unit off an 87-92 (Having Vortec or non-Vortec heads makes a difference too...), if your motor has pre-1987 heads (non-centerbolt), then you can grab a setup off a 85-86 and it'll bolt right on... 86 is the most desirable for people with pre-87 heads because it is indeed a DIRECT BOLT ON! 1987+ heads simply require a little machining to make the bolt holes line up between the intake and heads... If I were in your shoes, research more about your current set-up (i.e. run casting #'s too find out block model, compression ratio, cam size, head design, and overall engine size.) if you have a 350 you'll want the corvette setup, 305 you'll want an F-Body setup like off a Firebird or Camaro... Another detail that can be missed is your current tranny... If you have a 700r4 as i did, it'll be no problem, however a TH350 or anything else besides a 4l60/e will require modification to the PROM on the ECM to allow it no longer be monitored/controlled. I GOT LUCKY... alot of my parts on my elco before the swap were just like a camaro, but if you're doing this swap expecting to just plug-n-play, do some research... On Darbysan's signature he has a few EXTREMELY useful links for people beginning this kind of project, one in particular is the TPI HANDBOOK... its like the bible for this swap... and its easy to work with... hope this helps some and good luck!

Also, if interested what a full TPI setup looks like, heres a few pics of mine as of right now... not completely buttoned up, but it does run with no check engine light and makes awesome power and is RELIABLE! Enjoy...

http://www.elcaminocentral.com/album.php?albumid=214

I'm still running the factory 2.73 gears (or whatever it is) with the NEW (not rebuilt) 700r4.

Yep, that should do it. Your 2.73 vs my 3.73 would make a big difference in mileage- roughly 20-25% more than I get. You've got to be running some pretty low RPM's at hwy speeds.

Good Job!

That's just it, I do have pre 87 heads as they aren't center-bolt. But my motor is a crate 350. I'm pissed at Jasper Motors. I called and asked and they could barely tell me anything. The spec sheet literaly Says, S="STOCK" this, and STOCK that..

I asked him about pistons? guess what...

"they're stock 350 pistons"

I asked well what does that mean?

"they're numerous styled pistons that came stock in 350 of pre 1990's engines and you have something probably between 85 and 88"

I was still perfectly calm and kept asking questions. I was apologizing but I wanted to know more about my motor and I had to ask a few more questions. waht styl of psitons? Flat Top? Dome?

"Well I don't know, all i know is they are teflon coated"

The only thing he tell me was I probably get 260 to 290 HP, and my valve sizes! He told me nothing about the duration of my cam but I did get lifts somewhere written down. I asked what shape my exhuast ports are...he didn't even know that! All he could tell me was i didn't have D-ports!! I want new exhuast and dunno if I have circle or oval. I think oval..i managed to get part of my manifold off but could barely make out the shape of the one port I could just see the tippy top of... I'm pissed and I'll never again buy a single thing from Jasper's till they make things right be. They give SBC's a bad name and shouldn't be allowed near one with a wrench for a rebuild. I know nothing about my motor. I'm about ready to start cussing up a storm and force one of the site monitors to edit my post!!!!:let_it_all_out::let_it_all_out::let_it_al l_out::let_it_all_out::let_it_all_out::let_it_all_ out:
Thanks for the pick, I'll look around but I'm about ready to just deal with crap gas mileage...I'm too broke to afford even takeing my car to a mechanic to check it over. I asked for a tune-up so they could check my exhuast and adjust my carb more lean or rich which ever is better for mpg's...they said 300 bukcs! I have a mechanic who helps me out but he deals with Hollies. For the same price he offered my more HP and Torque with garunteed the same mileage. I'd rather take him up on his offer. At least he'd be able to tell me everything about what part's he instals with Hollies...that's a good mechanic, a guy who will always have my business when he can help. his field is really narrow. but man he is a paint and body guru if I ever saw one. Helped touch up my paint job i did a few years a go for free!!!

Hey 86'kid

Jasper does so many engines & trannys They only keep that info for a few years ! They do not put the same internal parts in every 350 they rebuild, Each motor is different & the same thing on other size motors !!
That's what they told me when I was checking for the info on my Jasper rebuilt motor !! & the motor was just past the 3 year warrenty !!

That's just it, the three year warranty. I just passed the year two mark is my big factor in losing my temper about it. I still have 10 months before I'm past the warranty. And I called asking for this infor maybe 18 months into the warrenty. I didn't think I'd need that stuff because until I learn enough about cars to work on my own, that a mechanic would know all he needs to. But alas, Some of them would need to tear my engine down and apart just to see what I got to know what would be best for me. Man I have a hard time affording the mods that would be good for my 86 lol, it's a paradox. If I buy the mechanic's knowledge and learn what i need to, I cant afford what I want. I buy what i want and I have no idea if it's good for me?? lol:smileyb:

okay, so your block is a 350, and your heads are the cast "factory" size 350 heads, thats the info I was looking for.. Almost all GM 350s can be at least CLOSE to the tolerances to allow TPI to run on their motor. Now for what you need would be a TPI unit off of one of three cars: 1. IROC-Z Camaro (ensure it is 350, ppl like putting IROC stickers on stuff...lol). 2. Formula Firebird *again verify it to be a 350, and 3. Corvette... The 305 stuff can work, but would probably become less of a "match" and more than likely a few intricacies I'm unaware of... lol. ANywho, hope this helps some and good luck!