Alright, I've got an 87 GTA with an 88 GTA L98 in it. Which will be the cheapest/easiest/least time consuming. Getting rid of the tpi in favor of a carb and building it up that way, or keeping the tpi and building it up? Thanks. Also, any good combinations that you guys have had luck with would also be appreciated.

 

well cheapest leaves out the TPI

 

WTF you act like just bolting on a carb or something will make it run 12's.
Do everything you want on the bottom end then if you still aren't getting the results you want maybe go to carb. Actually I would sell the tpi on ebay for $500 and buy a stealth ram for $500 and break even.

 

are you talking to me or to mrr23, aaron91rs?

 

No such animal. You have to sacrifice something. You could get it in the 12s, spend little money but the motor will be unreliable. Do you want to be able to drive it cross country without worrying it will break? I got an Accel Suerram kit with headers and a 383 SB built by LPE. Was it cheap? No. Can I and have I driven it over 1000 miles on a road trip with peace of mind? Yes.

 

I don't think its as simple as that. The TPI setup seems to be pretty flexible, but is limited on top end horsepower without spending some money on a new intake system. How fast you want to go? 11's, 12's, 13's?

A carb may make it easier short term, but having EFI definitely has its benefits. I'd look at a head/cam swap first along with headers and exhaust and then build from there. Like I said, it all depends on how fast you want to go.

 

Well, since I'm in high school yet, money is sort of an issue. I would just like to see a 12.99 with this car. There is a friday night high school drag race just about every friday at my local track and I would be going there quite frequently. But at the same time this will be my daily driver. How much am I looking at total to convert from tpi to carb, all in all, I would probably go with an edelbrock performer rpm package as well (heads,cam, intake, carb) That would most likely be my setup just for the sake of simplicity unless someone could suggest better for about the same price. And what are some things that I would need for the switch that I probably wouldn't think of? Thanks very much for the help.

 

yeah he's talking to me.

but here's my reasoning for the cheapest thing. which is valid in any case. you can get a carb, intake, and distributor for $600ish. if you stay TPI then the same $600ish will get you runners and a baseplate. at this point you get more bang for the buck here. no this alone won't get you into the 12's.

now, i've done both ways. i prefer FI over carb anyday of the week.

easiest - no way is the easiest way. each has to deal with removing and replacing parts. the only difference is in the fuel and spark delivery.

least time consuming - read easiest

i've been doing this awhile. just like many others here have. 11 years gives you some knowledge. along with running performance stores and being trained by people from places like Mallory ignition and Erson cams.