New Wave TPI

The Scoggin-Dickey manifold...        read full caption The Scoggin-Dickey manifold allows you to bolt a TPI system on a small-block with Vortec iron heads. The manifold also comes with an external-source tube to plumb exhaust gas into the manifold.

We bolted a set of ACCEL High...        read full caption We bolted a set of ACCEL High Flow runners to the Scoggin-Dickey manifold to ensure everything would bolt up. The Scoggin-Dickey intake can accommodate either stock or high-performance runners and plenum.

ACCEL also offers a complete...        read full caption ACCEL also offers a complete stand-alone fuel injection system that has just been entirely redesigned using Windows-based software.

The system offers significant...        read full caption The system offers significant advances over the previous system at a reasonable price.

ACCEL has 13 different high-...        read full caption ACCEL has 13 different high- impedance injectors ranging from 14 to 48 lb/hr output. This is the manifold with an ACCEL fuel rail and injectors, but a stock fuel rail will also bolt right up.

One way to increase fuel flow...        read full caption One way to increase fuel flow is to increase the fuel pressure. ACCEL offers an adjustable fuel-pressure regulator that bolts to the stock fuel rail that will increase line pressure for tuning purposes.

The Scoggin-Dickey intake...        read full caption The Scoggin-Dickey intake also comes with an external EGR tube that connects the exhaust line from the header or exhaust manifold to the intake. The EGR-valve is located in the middle of the intake under the plenum. This external exhaust- gas plumbing makes the Scoggin-Dickey manifold legal for swaps in third- generation Camaros.

John Lingenfelter designed...        read full caption John Lingenfelter designed this ACCEL SuperRam to pump up the horsepower on a typical TPI system. The shorter runners allow the engine to extend the peak horsepower up to around 5,800 rpm.

Few cylinder heads have hit the small-block Chevy world with as much impact as the GM Performance Parts Vortec iron cylinder head. By now you already know that the Vortec head offers outstanding intake and exhaust flow combined with an incredible price of under $450 for a complete pair ready to bolt on.

Unfortunately, this cylinder head also brings with it a couple of limitations. First and most importantly, the heads require a specific Vortec intake bolt pattern that differs from all previous small-block Chevy intake patterns. While the Vortec heads can be re-drilled for the earlier small-block bolt pattern, it’s not recommended.

One of the many applications where the iron Vortec head would be a natural is bolted on a third-generation Camaro or Firebird Tuned Port Injection (TPI) engine. Both the 305ci and 350ci TPI engines used iron cylinder heads, and the Vortec would be a perfect swap. Unfortunately, the Vortec’s different intake manifold bolt pattern made this swap unrealistic.

Scoggin-Dickey Performance Center in Lubbock, Texas, recognized this opportunity and has just completed a TPI manifold base that employs the Vortec cylinder-head bolt pattern. The manifold base uses larger intake runners to take advantage of the Vortec’s excellent intake port flow. The manifold is designed to accept either stock TPI runners or the larger, high-performance runners available from several companies >> like ACCEL, Edelbrock, Lingenfelter Performance Engineering, TPIS, SLP, and others. These can be used with the stock TPI plenum as well as a stock or large-bore throttle body.

Third-generation Camaros and Firebirds also have emissions legality requirements. The iron Vortec head does not include an exhaust-gas crossover passage, which was incorporated into the third-gen 305ci and 350ci TPI heads. This exhaust crossover port is where the exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) valve picks up exhaust to direct back into the intake. In order for Vortec heads to be legal in a third-generation Camaro, Scoggin-Dickey includes an external exhaust-gas pickup tube that directs the exhaust gas from the passenger-side exhaust header into the intake manifold.

This manifold is not just intended for use on third-gen Camaros however. There’s a whole world of opportunities waiting for the chance to pop a TPI-style intake on a hopped-up small-block with Vortec heads. Scoggin-Dickey also sent us several dyno-tests that reveal excellent torque numbers of over 425 lb-ft at 3,800 rpm and a respectable 354 hp at a very low 4,800. This is a function of the runner length of the manifold that keeps the peak horsepower numbers below 5,000 rpm. While not optimal, this makes for an outstanding grunt motor with tons of torque.

If you’re looking for a bit more horsepower, you could also step up to the John Lingenfelter–designed ACCEL SuperRam intake. The SuperRam runners are shorter than the TPI runners to increase top-end horsepower while sacrificing little power below peak torque. We’ve had excellent results with this manifold, and on a 420ci small-block, we’ve made as much as 525 hp and 540 lb-ft of torque with this intake.

There are a ton of opportunities to combine the excellent dollar-per-horsepower advantages of the iron Vortec heads with this new Scoggin-Dickey Vortec TPI manifold. Whether you want to hop up your third-gen Camaro or just want a slick tip on EFI for your early Chevelle or Camaro, the new Scoggin-Dickey Vortec TPI manifold may be the right part at the right time.