engine swap 78 chevy 350 into a 89 chevy c1500 looking to convert to fuel injection??

[jake wells]

well my frame broke on my 78 chevy big 10 i found a truck on the other side of town with a bad engine but it is a 89 C1500 chevy with a 350 tbi and 4l60 trans.
im wondering if i can put my 78 350 v8 engine in the truck and use the intake with the tbi off the blown 350 from the other truck im pretty sure the engine will fit in it but not sure about the intake manifold.

any one have an idea? not sure how to go at this if i inquire the truck i know if i use my stock components from my 78 on there i would have to put a heavy duty fuel pressure regulator to turn down the pressure for the carb and put a block off plate were the mechanical one goes just shoot me something.

oh and the going rate for a used TBI engine here is 450+ used or rebuilt 1259$ plus tax

 

[jake wells]

well i remembered this the engine in the 89 runs but really crappy has water in the oil which leads me to believe it has a bad intake gasket BUT WHO KNOWS???
and a complete set of noisy lifters and a burnt exhaust valve on number 7 cylinder.

 

[RetroC10Sport]

I don't think the intake will swap over without the heads? I seem to recall some changes about then.

 

[bucket]

The center intake manifold bolts are at a slightly different angle, but any bozo with a die grinder can make it fit. If you take your time with it and make angled washers, it will look OK. IMHO, a better option is just to use a standard 4bbl intake with a TBI adapter on it.

 

[skysurfer]

I'm wondering if i can put my 78 350 v8 engine in the truck and use the intake with the tbi ... I would have to put a heavy duty fuel pressure regulator to turn down the pressure for the carb and put a block off plate were the mechanical one goes ...

This confused me. It sounds like you want to run tbi but "turning down the pressure for the carb" sounds like you don't.

 

[89Suburban]

No idea but great thread.

 

[jake wells]

This confused me. It sounds like you want to run tbi but "turning down the pressure for the carb" sounds like you don't.

im just saying if the TBI intake doesn't work i will have to run a carbed set up and in order to do that i would have to put a pressure regulator in the input line off the tank.

cant run a stock carbed engine off a TBI intake pump because you have to turn down the pressure.

 

[Swims350]

very true and you need a return or bypass style press. reg. to make it work.

it will work, either drill out the tbi intake 4 center holes and use the older heads, or swap head to your old block and then the intake dist. etc.

or use the carb and dist setup all of it off of the old truck and do away with the fuel injection and all.

You can remove the relay and etc. from the tbi pump and run a block mounted carb pump and it work fine, it'll suck gas thru the in tank pump and all.

Thing is the trans works the electric speedo in them newer trucks, and not sure how much of the engine computer if any is tied into that system to make it work.

 

[RetroC10Sport]

Thing is the trans works the electric speedo in them newer trucks, and not sure how much of the engine computer if any is tied into that system to make it work.

All of it. He could, however, in theory and we've discussed this on occasion get a standalone computer from a diesel. Or he could put the trans from his current truck in it.

 

[Swims350]

I was thinking him use his trans that's in it now. I just wasn't sure on what the computer would do or tie into with it.

Onlty way I know about the fuel pump and carb thing is the 85 monte carlo I had was 4.3 tbi factory and I had a carb'd 350 in it. No reg. just block mounted pump and the rest was all out of it minus the fp and wiring for it.

No VSS though so it was simpler

 

[jake wells]

think i will pass on this and just find another 73-80 truck
sounds to me like to many problems

 

[Swims350]

how is it too many problems to drop it in mech. pump and all and run it? only problem is the speedo.

 

[jake wells]

well i was told by hotrodpc that it will work fine because the trans is not electronic.

run a mechanical pump because the electric one is straight through so it should not be any problem

 

[jake wells]

how is it too many problems to drop it in mech. pump and all and run it? only problem is the speedo.

not worried about the speedo i don't drive fast anyways.

 

[Swims350]

well then there ya go buddy its simple. But yea the trans is fine since it's not a 4l60e or something as he said, it just needs lock up for the tcc, if it's a 350c or 700r4 and that's about it minus the tv cable. You need that too.

But yea the pump is fine block mounted I've done it before.