Anyone running a carb'd SN-95 on the street??

[xc600]

I'm trying to find someone who's got a carb'd SN-95 and is driving it on a regular basis on the street. I have all the parts to do it, and I feel more comfortable playing with a carb'd engine than an injected one, so I might attempt it.
I realize I'll have to use an aftermarket ignition box and distributor and I'll have the fuel system to work on, but it really shouldn't be that difficult.
I'd like to be able to do it without hacking up the wiring, but would like to retain the factory gauges.
Anyone been through this before?

Alan
95 Laser Red GT

 

[BlackVert]

contact diablostang. he had one. of course, you know you have to tinker with them more to keep them tuned, but that is the price you pay ...

some other guys who might provide insight are sorscode (danny) and final-50 (grady)

i was considering it, but since mine is more of a daily driver, i wanted the ability to fine tune it for idle, part throttle, and wot, which can be better done with an efi setup

 

[xc600]

Tuning

Don't get me wrong I like the injection, the car runs pretty well right now.
I had an 85 notch with basically a stock roller motor and a 600 cfm carb. It was a blast, ran good, and wasn't that hard to keep in tune. I'm just weighing all the parts on hand with what I'd have to buy in injection parts to make things work right.
What I don't know is how much my stock upper and lower can provide in the way of airflow, same with the throttle body, and mass airflow sensor. Then there's injectors, and a retune of the eec.......it just seems like one big dollar item after another........
All I want to do is use the parts I have, without needing to purchase another $1500 in parts to make them work even close to how they should.
I'd like to be able to use my FRPP Y303's, 1.7 roller rockers, change the cam, maybe get a set of shorty headers, swap in the MSD 6AL I have and just about call it good. But what's the use if I'll need a new intake, MAF, and throttle body just to take advantage of the heads and what they can do.
I already have a new Performer RPM intake and 750 carb on the shelf......ready to go. There's not much more after that, but maybe figure out the fuel system.
Mind you, I still plan to drive this car at least until winter sets in, so I'm not building it for the track.

 

[SQUEEZE&STROKE]

I'm trying to find someone who's got a carb'd SN-95 and is driving it on a regular basis on the street. I have all the parts to do it, and I feel more comfortable playing with a carb'd engine than an injected one, so I might attempt it.
I realize I'll have to use an aftermarket ignition box and distributor and I'll have the fuel system to work on, but it really shouldn't be that difficult.
I'd like to be able to do it without hacking up the wiring, but would like to retain the factory gauges.
Anyone been through this before?

Alan
95 Laser Red GT

I did it...and I drove it on the street for a while...its been down for over a year though.

Its actually pretty easy and straight forward. Get a fuel pickup, aftermarket pump, run some fuel line and hook up your dizzy and MSD box.

The wiring is a little more complex. I deleted just about everything, but my factory gauges still work. Get a wiring schematic and you will be good. FWIW, I bought a painless wiring panel which made it easy to hook up switches for the fuel pump, elec. water pump, fan, etc.

Make sure you do your wiring homework firs though...it will make it go so much easier.

 

[SublimeRT]

TTT for more replies. I'm interested too.

 

[diablostang]

I converted to carbed, it was easy..

I used a sumped tank with a Barry Grant 280 GPH pump, stainless lines and an Aeromotive regulator. Not necessity, but I got the stuff cheap so I used it.

IGN: Used a MSD box, ran a Monster tach off of that for the tach. (Didn't even bother trying to hook factory Tach up.. Probably doable, I just didn't bother) and a Blaster 2 coil.

For speedo, I retained my stock tranny wiring harness and left the computer in the car (removed enginebay harness) Factory speedo functioned fine.

I did install Autometer gauges for my Water temp and Oil press, I didn't bother separating those wires from the enginebay harness to run to the sensors, I wanted more accuracy anyway.

Result:
Clean looking enginebay:

 

[Juggalo95]

Thats odd to see a newer body stang with a Carb....Anybody ever dyno test thier car before and after carb swap...Any hp loss or gain? I dont think I do carbs again

 

[go-stang5.0]

I do like the clean sexy and simple look of the carbed motor...esp. yours diablo. But I have too much invested in the efi already...to late for that. If I got an emissions exemption a few years back I could have been one of those guys.
Wait....I'm just imagining freezing winter starts on a carbed motor with a big cam Maybe i would have stuck to efi .... whatever no point thinking about it now.

 

[SublimeRT]

Wait....I'm just imagining freezing winter starts on a carbed motor with a big cam

Carbs really aren't as bad as everyone makes them out to be. As long as they are properly sized and tuned.

 

[HISSIN50]

^^ but their (carb's) design involves compromise. With properly tuned EFI, you can have it all.

 

[xc600]

That's more like it...

Diablo,
I really like the looks of that engine bay, that is exactly what I want mine to look like. Very nice job. I like the looks of the carb'd motor, with touches of the SN, like the power distribution box and the plastic break res., very nice.
What may I ask do you use for an air cleaner?? I've considered using a cowl fed air cleaner of some sort, kinda like the Nextel cup guys use, I just don't want it to look too, circle track and I want to keep my stock hood. I've also considered trying to use the old school dual snorkle GT air cleaner and maybe duct it to the two little eyeholes in the hood and make them functional. Or maybe route them to where the original mid eighties Foxes had them in the fender wells. I just hate feeding a motor hot engine heated air.

Sublime, you hit the nail right on the head, WITH a properly tuned AND sized carb you should have no major issues with driveability, fuel economy, or power. Hell, we had them on cars long before anyone even heard of a MAF.......
Don't get me wrong, FI has plenty of good points, but for my budget and time even though I'm starting with a working FI engine, it just won't be worth the extra money and grief. It would cost me way more money to see the benefit of some of my parts.

 

[diablostang]

Diablo,
I really like the looks of that engine bay, that is exactly what I want mine to look like. Very nice job. I like the looks of the carb'd motor, with touches of the SN, like the power distribution box and the plastic break res., very nice.
What may I ask do you use for an air cleaner?? I've considered using a cowl fed air cleaner of some sort, kinda like the Nextel cup guys use, I just don't want it to look too, circle track and I want to keep my stock hood. I've also considered trying to use the old school dual snorkle GT air cleaner and maybe duct it to the two little eyeholes in the hood and make them functional. Or maybe route them to where the original mid eighties Foxes had them in the fender wells. I just hate feeding a motor hot engine heated air.

Sublime, you hit the nail right on the head, WITH a properly tuned AND sized carb you should have no major issues with driveability, fuel economy, or power. Hell, we had them on cars long before anyone even heard of a MAF.......
Don't get me wrong, FI has plenty of good points, but for my budget and time even though I'm starting with a working FI engine, it just won't be worth the extra money and grief. It would cost me way more money to see the benefit of some of my parts.

I ran a slimline Ford Racing 14" air cleaner on my carb. With a spacer between the carb and intake, I had to run a small cowl hood. Without the spacer, I'm pretty sure it would have cleared no issues. (Nitrous plate guys, keep this in mind.)

 

[fastgtfairlane]

ive thought about going carb on my car also. fuel injection is nice being able to tune without breaking a hand tool out but its just too damn expensive. diablostang, you did a hell of a job on the conversion. i bet the car probably had a little more power after the swap. i started out with carbs with my first car so im more knowledgeable with carbs then efi. without a tuner like a tweecer or a pms everytime you do make a big change on an efi car you have to get it tuned. that can get expensive pretty quickly.

 

[StinkinLincoln]

i just saw a 94 GT with TF heads and 750carb. he said it was a 302, had to have a cam, it sounded pretty good. he didnt kno what it ran. i saw so many fine cars tonight!

 

[SQUEEZE&STROKE]

My mild 331 with EFI=HIGH HIGH 13's

My same mild 331 wih a carb and a little bigger cam, nothing else changed= 11.70's

 

[Kr33p]

My mild 331 with EFI=HIGH HIGH 13's

My same mild 331 wih a carb and a little bigger cam, nothing else changed= 11.70's

How little is a bigger cam?

 

[nmcgrawj]

Yea clearly a carb wont knock off a complete 2 seconds off your 1/4 mile times. But obviously the 2nd combo matched and ran much better together. Its all about the total package, just not one specific part whether its the heads, intake, carb, etc.

 

[SQUEEZE&STROKE]

The first cam was a crane 2030, the second one was a trickflow stage 3.

You have to remember that I eliminated ALOT of weight by taking the EFI junk, emissions stuff, wiring, etc out of the car.