The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop tbi swap anyone?

I bought a wrecked 95 Chevy truck with a 5.7 tbi and overdrive tranny. Anyone have any experience with swapping this into an old truck , someone told me that you need to run power to the computer but that's as far as he got.

Whole discussion boards are devoted to this topic.
You'll need a fuel pump (can be external) and a return line to tank. You may want to simplify your wiring by going with an aftermarket computer. Is you tranny computer controlled as well? This swap won't be done by the weekend- that's for sure. But there are lots of resources around. diy-efi, or something like that.
Third Gen -Camaro guys who have done EVERYTHING with fuel injection. There are a bunch more. Gotta roll, I'll check back later with some links.

Truckrodder, I'm also shortly going down the same EFI road but am still not sure what powerplant out of the Suburbans to use, SB or BB. I'll start getting some info together and post it here.

Thanks guys , I know it won't be easy but I think it will be worth it. I would love to go with a tuneport but those are going for a premium here and are more complicated.I just want a more modern engine with decent mileage , seems like a good choice.

I used a 99 Vortec 5.7 with a 96 computer, removed purge canister, EGR valve and am running a TH400 (non electronic transmission) I installed the front O2 sensors, rear O2's will not change engine perameters only set a code so they are unhooked. and thinned out wiring harness, I did add a VSS signal from the rear u-joint, (From JTR) for better fuel mileage. Runs great. Now it will set mucho codes but if your concerned get the computer reflashed to what you want. Zeke

where is a good place to get one of these motors?

The GM-ECM section of www.diy-efi.org is a good place to get some basic info. It leans toward custom modifications, but there is quite a bit of other information on GM fuel injection systems, too.

I just did this swap in my '61, with a '95 TBI, but I kept my transmission. If you have the whole truck, you're in great shape, and the swap won't be that tough.

For me, one of the biggest issue was motor mounts. I found a bellhousing on ebay, which kept my original rear mounts, but I had to make new front mounts. I probably could have bought a kit, but making my own was more fun.

Exhaust manifolds was the other biggie. Since mine is 3/4 ton, 4x4, I had a bit of trouble figuring out which ones to use. The '95 manifolds weren't even close, and a friend gave me a set of truck headers, but they didn't fit either. I ended up going with the original ram's horn style, which I picked up on ebay for like $50.

If you have a donor truck, wiring is actually quite simple. I hooked up all of 5 wires and had the thing running. 3 to the ignition switch, and 2 to the fuel pump. There's a few other little things, like guages, but other than that, it's pretty simple, if you take the whole engine harness out of the other truck. The computer is mounted on one end in the glove box area, then it goes through the firewall, around the back of the engine, and then to a fuse block near the brake pedal. One of the best things I ever bought when I did this swap was the Driveability, Emissions, and Diagnosis Manual. It has every wire, connector, and fuse labled, where to find it, pretty much everything. If you find one, buy it.

Fuel also presents a few more mods. I used a Holley Blue series electric pump, mounted in the frame rail. The only thing is it's really noisy. I'm sure you could find a different one that wouldn't be so loud. TBI only needs something like 13 to 14 psi, instead of 60+ for the later Vortec engines. Depending on what year your truck is, it might be a good time to move the tank out of the cab. I was going to do that, but time and finances started running a little low. Fabricating a return line can also prove challenging with an in-cab tank.

As far as the auto trans, can't say that I'd be much help. But, if you have the donor truck, you should have everything you need. That shop manual also has some info on transmissions.

I have to admit that I can't get much over 11 mpg since I did the swap. But, then again, I have 4.56 gears and a granny 4 speed. Also, I don't have the VSS hooked up, which I suspect may be the cause.

Keep me posted on how it goes, and feel free to ask me any questions. I'd be more than happy to give you any info I've got. I have bunch of pictures up on my webshots at the link below. I also have a bunch of links to places where I bought stuff. Have a good one...

Thanks for the replies , It helps to know someone else has done this swap. Where would I get a DRIVEABILITY , EMISSIONS,AND DIAGNOSIS MANUAL for this truck that sounds like a good idea. Also what is a VSS?

Why so much talk about TBI? Anybody thought about TPI?

Yeah tpi wpold be great but they go for a premium here. I bought this 95 truck for $700.00 so it was the best deal for my application.

truckrodder...i sent you a PM

My old e-mail is not working try [email protected]!

truckrodder-
I found my manual on ebay, using this search. Looks like there's a couple there. Just make sure it says C/K truck, and not S/T truck. For VSS, Jags that run has some pretty good info and parts, but if you're keeping the auto that was attached to the motor, you shouldn't have to do anything, if the truck is 2 wheel drive. If you're keeping the tranny, I think the only sensors you would have to worry about hooking up would be O2. Let me know if you have any other questions.

Factory Service Manuals
Every used car (GM, of course) I buy, I buy the factory manual for, from these guys.

If you are going to use an engine from a donor, get the manual for your donor.

I really didnt want to post this because i know its supposed to be a "no-no" but I was just going to let you know that i have a complete TPI set up for sale in the swap meet .

syclonejoe I replied to your pm by pm, I read your reply earlier thinking e-mail instead of pm, sorry!
Thanks guys, you all have had great info so far , not so scary now that I have some leads!

Thought I would put this at the top again , any others have experience doing a swap like this?