Converting TBI to roller...?

[MrSony]

Engine is still in the truck, and down to the short block. has the bosses in the lifter valley for the lifter holder thing.

I've come to understand, I would need the following parts to convert my 1990 K1500 to roller cam
-Roller lifters
-Roller cam timing set
-Lifter dog bone holder things
-cam plate
-shorter pushrods from roller engine
-valve springs spec'd for roller engine
-melonized distributor gear?

And a camshaft that will play nicely with the factory ecm, while also being roller. Is there such a thing? This is my first sbc, so despite it being the most popular 8 cylinder in the world, I know fairly nothing about them.

Any other parts I'd need?

Any input is appreciated.

 

[olds307 and 403]

You need to stay very mild assuming the earlier ECM was the same as my 94, tune tolerance wise. The 204/214 cam was borderline too big for that ECM, had to bump up the idle and open loop ran shitty. Build a Buick 350 rather than that swirl port turd and give that truck some low end torque. The swirl port heads are awful on those motors, they were actually overated at 210 hp, most say 180 was actually what they put out. Get some Vortec heads if you bothering to go roller cam.

 

[ck80]

You need to stay very mild assuming the earlier ECM was the same as my 94, tune tolerance wise. The 204/214 cam was borderline too big for that ECM, had to bump up the idle and open loop ran shitty. Build a Buick 350 rather than that swirl port turd and give that truck some low end torque. The swirl port heads are awful on those motors, they were actually overated at 210 hp, most say 180 was actually what they put out. Get some Vortec heads if you bothering to go roller cam.

He's got a 4x4 and is just looking for it to work, fairly cheap. You aren't doing that with a buick motor into a 4x.

It's been a long time, as in, over 20 years, and, only once, but I seem to remember something about wanting the shorter v6 roller lifters on the early blocks? Someone more knowledgeable can chime in, or, maybe you can do some Google sleuthing on an engine board.

As far as conservative roller cam that works with a dumb early ecm... and, given you've got the ferd for towing, and, this stepside is supposed to be a driver, right, maybe something from a junkyard fbody. 87-up were TBI, and roller, and the ecm interchanged. I'd trust a stocker junkyard roller setup from an untouched motor more than the questionable Chinesium blanks

 

[stew86MCSS396]

I've done a 350 .040 TBI vortec heads with a roller L98 cam. Had to plop a LT1 spark map into the tune to make it run worth a damn. There's been numerous post all over the web by screen name Fast355. He's made the claim that you can run some healthy cams on the stock TBI tune by giving it enough fuel with bigger injectors or cranking the fuel pressure. Then goes on to say it likes a little more ignition timing instead of the factory 0, he recommends bumping it up to 6, 8, 10 or 12 depends on what the engine likes.

 

[MrSony]

So, in essence, yes, but no.
For an engine with 230,000 miles,in a rotten $1000 4x4 its worth the $200 in parts i have into it right now, and $200 in used tires, not much else. I bought it from my Grandma, it was her and my grandpa's truck, the last one grandpa owned and drove. But I made it clear that if anything major happens to the truck like the transmission goes out or the engine is irreparable, it's going.
It didn't run nor did it have brakes when I bought it, I made it so and bought it from her.

4x4 and plow still currently work, but as said if anything serious happens drivetrain wise or it rots in half, it's gone.

 

[ssn696]

I had the perfect donor engine for you 10 years ago. Roller TBI was left over the winter without antifreeze in the radiator and the block cracked. I pulled all the parts you describe, and just needed an uncracked block. Yours is worth keeping in the shed even if you pitch the rest of the truck.

 

[gnvair]

I built a Vortec engjne for my 90 GMC using the tbi.
I used a stock roller camshaft from an LT1 Caprice, GM performance intake, Vortec heads and Edelbrock headers. It ran great and was a beast when towing. The heads alone are worth 45-50 horsepower.

 

[olds307 and 403]

I've done a 350 .040 TBI vortec heads with a roller L98 cam. Had to plop a LT1 spark map into the tune to make it run worth a damn. There's been numerous post all over the web by screen name Fast355. He's made the claim that you can run some healthy cams on the stock TBI tune by giving it enough fuel with bigger injectors or cranking the fuel pressure. Then goes on to say it likes a little more ignition timing instead of the factory 0, he recommends bumping it up to 6, 8, 10 or 12 depends on what the engine likes.

Yeah with the 307 headed Olds 350 it needed 10 degrees base not to back fire through the TBI, ended up at 19 base. Even at that, part throttle timing was 53 degrees, very lazy. I am also planning on bumping fuel pressure if I find another one to Olds power. The open loop stock parameters were my issues, closed loop ran pretty good. If you want more power out of it with the stock motor, a good stock roller cam setup, Vortec heads and TBI Vortec intake. So about the price of a TA intake for your Buick 350😵.

 

[MrSony]

Yeah with the 307 headed Olds 350 it needed 10 degrees base not to back fire through the TBI, ended up at 19 base. Even at that, part throttle timing was 53 degrees, very lazy. I am also planning on bumping fuel pressure if I find another one to Olds power. The open loop stock parameters were my issues, closed loop ran pretty good. If you want more power out of it with the stock motor, a good stock roller cam setup, Vortec heads and TBI Vortec intake. So about the price of a TA intake for your Buick 350😵.

I got my intake used off of eBay. It's from 1993

 

[DRIVEN]

Just keep the TBI stock. Life is already complicated enough.