383 FI Swap from 350

[TruckCo]

Hey all. I hope everyone is having a great day. I currently own a Edelbrock FI 350, 700r4, and 10 bolt on my 1987. I am pondering the idea of doing a 383 Blueprint, (nothing crazy 400hp) with a Holley Sniper Kit. I have a few questions regarding this swap.

1) The truck was orginally a TBI. The pro flo kit involved changing the intake to accomodate the injectors. The new motor will come with an intake, i assume the Holley Kit will have a bolt on setup to remove the carb?

2) Theres a lot of harnesses from being TBI and of course adding the FI Kit. The new blueprint will be setup for carb and wont have many of those harnesses anymore as it was meant for a carb not a TBI. Will the TV cable and currently throttle cable work on the new 383 FI?

3) it comes with a High pressure fuel pump. These kits were designed for carb trucks which did not have in tank pumps, i assume the rail pump provided will be able to suck out of the tanks and wont require a pusher pump in tank? My truck now has a pump in place, still dont know if i have in tank pumps or not. I know they were factory in the tanks in 1987. Not sure it PO removed them or they died and now the the rail pump is just pulling through a dead pump…

4) 383 is a small block so i assume everything will bolt up no problem. Ill swap headers for asthetical reasons or may just spray my current headers black again.

Id appreciate everyones input on this setup . Id like a fun cruiser like i have now. I dont race, do burnouts etc. My 700 has a shift kit and aftermarket torque convertor. I assume the 10 bolt will be fine as long as i dont beat on it. Also will i be able to bolt my factory AC and accessories to the new block. Will my current cooling system work and be enough for a 383. Thanks!

 

[Ricko1966]

350 and 383 swap,bolt for bolt, including accessories. I'd want an intank pump,even if it was just a pusher pump. Don't take the TV cable working as is for granted,no matter what anyone tells you,check it,double check it,triple check it, it's the biggest cause of 700r4 failures IMHO. The 10 bolt as long as traction is the weak point and not the differential,I've beat on 10 bolts with zero problems until I got them to hookup. I learned after many years of breaking parts,rearends,driveshafts,transmissions. There has to be a weak link, Tires are a cheap and easy weak link,my second choice on a weak link is a moderate clutch selection,so it slips a little instead of breaking things.

 

[Hunter79764]

Just curious, what is the reason for moving away from the Edelbrock injection to the Holley?
In general, in tank pump is best, see what you have, and a pump swap to get what you need should be fairly easy if you have TBI tanks and hangers (and the rail mounted should be irrelevant and unnecessary).

 

[TruckCo]

Just curious, what is the reason for moving away from the Edelbrock injection to the Holley?
In general, in tank pump is best, see what you have, and a pump swap to get what you need should be fairly easy if you have TBI tanks and hangers (and the rail mounted should be irrelevant and unnecessary).

I dont think the pusher pump will make the 60-70ish psi the Sniper Kit says it will. I just figured Hunter it will be a cleaner look. The amount of vac lines and wiring harnesses from the tbi to FI seem ridiculous for me when i can just have the sniper kit where everything is bolted pretty much as one unit.

 

[Ricko1966]

I dont think the pusher pump will make the 60-70ish psi the Sniper Kit says it will. I just figured Hunter it will be a cleaner look. The amount of vac lines and wiring harnesses from the tbi to FI seem ridiculous for me when i can just have the sniper kit where everything is bolted pretty much as one unit.

A pusher pump supplies the main pump,so it never starves,leads an easier life and lasts longer. It's common on lots of fuel injected cars to use a lower pressure pusher pump in tank,(pusher pump),to supply the pressure pump. You should be able to get a high enough pressure in tank pump,that will work with your stock 87 sender and tanks. I think its an EP381. Double check me. Cause I'm working from memory

 

[TruckCo]

A pusher pump supplies the main pump,so it never starves,leads an easier life and lasts longer. It's common on lots of fuel injected cars to use a lower pressure pusher pump in tank,(pusher pump),to supply the pressure pump. You should be able to get a high enough pressure in tank pump,that will work with your stock 87 sender and tanks. I think itscan EP381. Double check me. Cause I'm working from memory

I also have the high press pump on the rail currently from the edelbrock kit. Also the kits dont come with pusher pumps so i wonder if those pps have check valves to eliminate “dry starts”

 

[TruckCo]

Will the harmonic balancer,flex plate and flywheel from a 350 work on that?

 

[Ricko1966]

Will the harmonic balancer,flex plate and flywheel from a 350 work on that?

That's a question for your engine builder, 383s can be internal balance or external balance so I would only be guessing.

 

[Hunter79764]

I would venture a guess that you have the TBI pumps operational in the tank and the P.O. added the inline pump on the frame rail to get to the high pressure required for the Edelbrock. You could use the same setup for the Holley, but the more right thing to do is to skip the inline and swap in high pressure pumps into the tank(s). The EP381 ought to be enough, or basically any 255 lph pump out there (just avoid the no-name, get a legit Walbro or other name to avoid having to drop the tank again soon).

You didn't ask for my advice, but that seems like a lot of money and hassle to take a step back on the technology front, and go back to TBI from the port injection you have now. It's your truck, not mine though, so I hope it gets you what you are after.

 

[SquareRoot]

^^^^. I'll echo what Shawn said and add my experience with the same setup.
First, I ran a Proflo 2 for 20 years with zero issues. When I got my truck it had a new 350 Goodwrench in it. Since Edelbrock didn't support the PF2 anymore I decided to try the Sniper. It was the biggest headache and POS I ever dealt with. Terrible RFI issues for one. Putting the ECU in the throttle body on top of the engine was the dumbest thing I ever heard of. Interference with the coil, radio static from hell, etc, etc. But the third time it left me stranded was the last straw. Sent it back to Holley just so they could tell me it lost its "memory" and just needed a firmware update. Additionally, it ran like crap with my vortec intake because it lacked a heat crossover. I HATED that POS. I did what I should have done in the first place and installed a Proflo 4 system and plumbed the fuel delivery system the way the factory did. It's the only way to get reliable hassle free use out of it. Use 87 tanks with the built in baffles, make a simple circuit to control the pumps, DON'T use Amazon pumps/regulator! They are cheap knockoff's and impossible to tell apart from the real ones.

You say you currently have an Edelbrock FI? Which version? Again, as Shawn asked, why would you downgrade to a TBI?

 

[TruckCo]

^^^^. I'll echo what Shawn said and add my experience with the same setup.
First, I ran a Proflo 2 for 20 years with zero issues. When I got my truck it had a new 350 Goodwrench in it. Since Edelbrock didn't support the PF2 anymore I decided to try the Sniper. It was the biggest headache and POS I ever dealt with. Terrible RFI issues for one. Putting the ECU in the throttle body on top of the engine was the dumbest thing I ever heard of. Interference with the coil, radio static from hell, etc, etc. But the third time it left me stranded was the last straw. Sent it back to Holley just so they could tell me it lost its "memory" and just needed a firmware update. Additionally, it ran like crap with my vortec intake because it lacked a heat crossover. I HATED that POS. I did what I should have done in the first place and installed a Proflo 4 system and plumbed the fuel delivery system the way the factory did. It's the only way to get reliable hassle free use out of it. Use 87 tanks with the built in baffles, make a simple circuit to control the pumps, DON'T use Amazon pumps/regulator! They are cheap knockoff's and impossible to tell apart from the real ones.

You say you currently have an Edelbrock FI? Which version? Again, as Shawn asked, why would you downgrade to a TBI?

Thank you guys for the great input. I have read that holly is amazing fi , but now im having second thoughts. I wanted a motor that had some power and a good cam and figured the fi opposed to a carb would be a better option.

 

[SquareRoot]

Thank you guys for the great input. I have read that holly is amazing fi , but now im having second thoughts. I wanted a motor that had some power and a good cam and figured the fi opposed to a carb would be a better option.

Keep in mind that FI does NOT make any more power than a well tuned carb. The benefit is drivability and slight economy. The difference you feel is throttle response because it's a "dry" system. Our brains assume that quicker throttle response=faster which in not always the case.

 

[Frankenchevy]

A pusher pump supplies the main pump,so it never starves,leads an easier life and lasts longer. It's common on lots of fuel injected cars to use a lower pressure pusher pump in tank,(pusher pump),to supply the pressure pump. You should be able to get a high enough pressure in tank pump,that will work with your stock 87 sender and tanks. I think its an EP381. Double check me. Cause I'm working from memory

@TruckCo

Yes, the ep381 pump from a vortec era 350 (L31-R) will put out north of 60 psi and will fit a TBI tank sender.

Save the money on the kits with external pumps. The in tank pump will live much longer, is readily available at any parts store and will simplify your fuel system. I bought 87 tanks and an ep381 and have run both the Holley Sniper and Eddy Proflo4 EFI on them. No other pump is needed between the tank and engine.

I believe the BP383 has vortec style heads and no heat crossover. When it’s winter in Massachusetts, you won’t like the first 10-15 minutes with a Sniper on cold mornings.

You’ll be starting from scratch either way from the intake manifold up, because a tbi pattern intake won’t bolt to a vortec pattern head.

 

[TruckCo]

@TruckCo

Yes, the ep381 pump from a vortec era 350 (L31-R) will put out north of 60 psi and will fit a TBI tank sender.

Save the money on the kits with external pumps. The in tank pump will live much longer, is readily available at any parts store and will simplify your fuel system. I bought 87 tanks and an ep381 and have run both the Holley Sniper and Eddy Proflo4 EFI on them. No other pump is needed between the tank and engine.

I believe the BP383 has vortec style heads and no heat crossover. When it’s winter in Massachusetts, you won’t like the first 10-15 minutes with a Sniper on cold mornings.

You’ll be starting from scratch either way from the intake manifold up, because a tbi pattern intake won’t bolt to a vortec pattern head.

This is a show truck so it will be only driven in warm weather. These are great points. If i go with a 383BP with a carb, how hard would that be to go back to from a Pro Flo setup?

 

[Ricko1966]

This is a show truck so it will be only driven in warm weather. These are great points. If i go with a 383BP with a carb, how hard would that be to go back to from a Pro Flo setup?

Dirt freaking simple.leave your tbi pumps,put a bypass regulator where the stock fuel pump was ,you'll have to make a bracket. Hook the bypass regulator to the carb. Depending on the carb,you will need a throttle geometry correction kit.