thinking of going carb

N

noslow1986

New Member

Mar 25, 2006

274

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oswego Il

Nov 27, 2006

#1

• Nov 27, 2006

• #1

whats the pros and cons of going carb im sick and tired of dealing with computer sensors and so on . will i lose horsepower

 

8

86bluecobra

Advanced Member

Dec 20, 2004

4,265

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69

B.C. Canada

Nov 27, 2006

#2

• Nov 27, 2006

• #2

Actually you will probably pick up HP. The problem with it is you are going backwards as far as technology goes. That and your fuel milage will also suffer.

 

N

noslow1986

New Member

Mar 25, 2006

274

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0

oswego Il

Nov 27, 2006

#3

• Nov 27, 2006

• #3

im just tired of the computer, sensors and all the other crap would this be a bad idea

 

8

86bluecobra

Advanced Member

Dec 20, 2004

4,265

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69

B.C. Canada

Nov 27, 2006

#4

• Nov 27, 2006

• #4

well lots have done it. No need to worry how the cam will affect the computer and so on. What i would do if i was you is get yourself a different block and build it up so that you don't have worry's with piston to valve clearence and then run what you can off your current 5.0L on it.

 

mattmcdan

Member

Apr 19, 2006

176

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19

Okeechobee, Florida

Nov 27, 2006

#5

• Nov 27, 2006

• #5

carbinator ftw, I avg about 15mpg with my HCI 302/T5 3.73 notch. As far as power goes, it rips from idle to 6k rpm. Just use good parts. MSD has a great distributor that is super easy to wire up to a 6al box or equiv,

 

8

86bluecobra

Advanced Member

Dec 20, 2004

4,265

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B.C. Canada

Nov 27, 2006

#6

• Nov 27, 2006

• #6

I personally like the carb idea after all i ripped all my efi stuff off my 86 and went to a carb'd 351w.

 

mattmcdan

Member

Apr 19, 2006

176

0

19

Okeechobee, Florida

Nov 27, 2006

#7

• Nov 27, 2006

• #7

+1 on going carb'd It is much easier to tune at user level than fuel injection, but carbs have to be maintained to keep performance top notch.

 

N

noslow1986

New Member

Mar 25, 2006

274

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0

oswego Il

Nov 27, 2006

#8

• Nov 27, 2006

• #8

well heres the story bought a block with 80,ooo miles its a 91 gt. i hook up the msd box 6al and it all went to ****, i think my msd box screw something up. the motor was good without the box with the box i think it screw something up, so i took the box off and i have no power at over 4500 rpm. new plugs, wire, cap, rotor,distributor module. going to try a different tps sensor. i cant run computer codes cause the computer tester light barely lights ups and wont read. after i hit 4500 rpms the car will die at lights or stops like it cant find the idle or something but it will idle and run great till i hit 4500 then its over

 

8

86bluecobra

Advanced Member

Dec 20, 2004

4,265

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69

B.C. Canada

Nov 27, 2006

#9

• Nov 27, 2006

• #9

well you can get a code reader for cheap probably 25 bucks or hook a volt meter up and count the needle movements so you can get the codes.

 

dragnazz5.0

My "0" key d0esn't w0rk, s0 I have t0 use the zer0

Nov 19, 2005

815

5

18

mooresville, nc

Nov 28, 2006

#10

• Nov 28, 2006

• #10

going carb will solve the problems you have right now but you will just give yourself a totally different set of problems. as far as gas mileage is concerned it all depends on how much you keep your foot out of it. ive got a spread bore carb and i get 20-21 mpg on the highway which is pretty amazing if you ask me. and it pulls great but the secondaries need jetted down a little so it will pull harder.

 

MrKwik

Founding Member

Jan 29, 2000

1,008

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0

Kansas City, Kansas

Nov 28, 2006

#11

• Nov 28, 2006

• #11

I think the main advantages of carb are that you can make more power for less money. Not saying that a carb is more powerfull than EFI just that for a given power level it costs alot less for a nice carb setup than for an EFI setup. The other things I like are it really cleans up the engine compartment and keeps things simple. You will probably loose some MPG but I dont totally agree with poeple that say you have poor drivability. Carbs do tend to be cold blooded and I never run a choke but have never had an issue driving a carbed car in the winter. Just takes a couple minutes to warm up. Low end response I think is a little better with EFI from my experience. I love carbs but I am kind of old school. But I will say that if a car was already EFI, I probably wouldnt convert it just because it has an issue. They are actually pretty easy to troubleshoot once you understand the basic components.

 

85_SS_302_Coupe

it sucks (I know) to be on the receiving end

15 Year Member

Nov 11, 2003

6,945

1,598

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Northern KY

Nov 28, 2006

#12

• Nov 28, 2006

• #12

There's a reason carbs are still around and that they work on the same principles that they were created with...it just plain works. They make power, they're cheap to build and they're user friendly (once you learn the ropes).

 

Modular2v

Founding Member

Jun 30, 2002

3,222

23

99

oklahoma

Nov 28, 2006

#13

• Nov 28, 2006

• #13

do it! You wont regret it!

 

MrKwik

Founding Member

Jan 29, 2000

1,008

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0

Kansas City, Kansas

Nov 28, 2006

#14

• Nov 28, 2006

• #14

85_SS_302_Coupe said:

and they're user friendly

Click to expand...

You have obviously never seen an EFI guy try to tune a carb. Its like a monkey with an algebra problem

 

85_SS_302_Coupe

it sucks (I know) to be on the receiving end

15 Year Member

Nov 11, 2003

6,945

1,598

223

Northern KY

Nov 28, 2006

#15

• Nov 28, 2006

• #15

MrKwik said:

You have obviously never seen an EFI guy try to tune a carb. Its like a monkey with an algebra problem

Click to expand...

That's what happens when computer nerds build cars


Seriously though...if you can install an EFI system on a car then you can tune a carb...it's just a bunch of screws and parts put together! You might actually have to READ A BOOK (i know, it's obsurd huh?) to learn how instead of pushing some buttons on a laptop or handheld tuner but damn...you can buy a whole rejet kit for a Holley for like 30 bucks! How many tuning options do i get with that little kit for 30 bucks, and how much would it cost in EFI tuning time to compare to the flexibility that i've got with my carb? How much is spent in the long run vs. my little half hour jet change?

Just do a search for EFI vs. Carb and you'll get about 1k opinions on why carb is better and why EFI is better. It all depends on what you want to work with. If you're lazy and don't want to fool with learning how to tune a carb...then you're probably better off with EFI.


Oh, and my carb is chokeless too! I just drove it to work the other day, it was 34 degrees out and it fired right up first try!!!

 

enyawix

Member

Dec 18, 2005

507

0

19

127.0.0.1

Nov 28, 2006

#16

• Nov 28, 2006

• #16

MrKwik said:

I think the main advantages of carb are that you can make more power for less money. Not saying that a carb is more powerfull than EFI just that for a given power level it costs alot less for a nice carb setup than for an EFI setup. The other things I like are it really cleans up the engine compartment and keeps things simple. You will probably loose some MPG but I dont totally agree with poeple that say you have poor drivability. Carbs do tend to be cold blooded and I never run a choke but have never had an issue driving a carbed car in the winter. Just takes a couple minutes to warm up. Low end response I think is a little better with EFI from my experience. I love carbs but I am kind of old school. But I will say that if a car was already EFI, I probably wouldnt convert it just because it has an issue. They are actually pretty easy to troubleshoot once you understand the basic components.

Click to expand...

Go carb!

EFI cost too much I could have 50 to 70 more hp for what I have in EFI

 

C

carlp

New Member

Jun 26, 2005

59

0

0

Nov 28, 2006

#17

• Nov 28, 2006

• #17

I have 2 carbed 5.0's both run pretty well, but do not have perfect driveablity. I am using a wideband O2 sensor to help tune, but they are not quite right yet. Mileage is not very good.(about 15.5/gal) If you have a stock EFI system it may be cheaper to troubleshoot and fix than it will be to go carb. Don't forget to go carb, you need the following to do things right and build the system for future mods. I have listed the parts and approxiamte prices for middle of the road stuff.(Im sure you can spend less or more, just trying to make a point)
carb manifold -160
carb- 380
distributor- 200
carb fuel pump- 120
carb fuel pressure regulator- 50
fuel lines and fittings(braided)- 200
fuel filter- 45
in-tank sump to attach fuel line- 75
air cleaner- 30

Approximate cost $1250.

Take it from a carb guy each part is innexpensive, but it adds up quickly.

 

B

Boss 351

Here sthhhhhhhheeeve take a picthh of my man flowe

Jul 13, 2003

2,433

23

48

Canada

Nov 28, 2006

#18

• Nov 28, 2006

• #18

you won't lose power with carb if you choose the right carb for the job... putting an 850cfm double pumper on a stock 5.0L won't help much unless you spin it to 10,000rpm or something... lol One important detail is are there any emmisions in your area?

Also I wonder how many overweight people come on this site from searching for carbohydrate (carbs) information

 

F

fastranger347

New Member

Nov 4, 2006

59

1

0

york PA.

Nov 28, 2006

#19

• Nov 28, 2006

• #19

holley projection, best of both worlds, bolts on any 4bbl intake, compact, fuel injection mileage with carb top end charge, uses commonly available gm sensors,900 cfm throttle body