Fuel Injection

[TimUK]

1971 Chevy C10. Rebuilt and upgraded 350 V8.
Would changing to fuel injection be worthwhile? If so, which system is best?

[PbFut]

Relative to what? A well tuned carb and distributor will get you to about 90% of a well tuned EFI. other than cleaning injectors, efi is pretty much maintenance free and will stay in tune. Distributors and carbs not so much. Efis do use a locked out distributor so there is some attention required. Price of efi vary widely. In the basic retail user category, sniper is on pricey side but seems better documented and less finicky on setup. Aces is on the low cost side. You get what you pay for. No tuning documentation. Finicky requiring clean power of which our trucks do not have. Easy to correct. Most systems say self learning but it's on par with buying a carb and bolting on without jetting. If you are looking for a Rubics Cube project that will take some time. EFI is fun. If you think you can bolt it on and it will self tune, that's a hard pass.

[67 twins]

Originally Posted by TimUK

1971 Chevy C10. Rebuilt and upgraded 350 V8.
Would changing to fuel injection be worthwhile? If so, which system is best?

No

[Palf70Step]

No I don't think it's worth the difference. AS mentioned, a good/decently tuned carb is just as effective. However, if you don't drive it much, I have heard Cali gas gums/eats up carbs real quick. So far I have not see it worth the money to switch.

[Joyridin]

Depends on what you want. If you want something that the floats don't stick, gas doesn't eat gaskets, doesn't flood, doesn't heat soak, doesn't catch on fire, and starts every single time (related to the fuel), then EFI is for you.

If you like all those things, especially with today's gasoline, then stay with a carb.

[Rust_never_sleeps]

Keep your tank full and your filters clean either way with ethanol gas

There’s a thing called the Carb Cheater, which is really a TBI that sits between carb and manifold and gives you the feedback to fine tune your carb, or it can actively correct for it. Not cheap, but way less than EFI. Thunderhead289 on YouTube makes the things, check videos for more info

[HO455]

My two cents worth. If you're excited about the conversion process and you enjoy the challenge of learning new complicated systems then yes, it would be worthwhile on a personal level. But it's not going to make a big difference in MPG.

The same could be said for setting up from scratch a new carbureted engine combination. But once set up and driven regularly both systems are reliable.

If none of the tuning and conversion process interests you then installing a OE EFI system may be the way to go. Especially if your looking for a drop in and forget sort of thing. The upside of the OE route is using an engine and transmission combination that's 10 or 12 years old gets you a definite gain in MPG. But these make for a messier (Looking) install compared to an aftermarket EFI conversion. A 2018 GMC Savana 4.3 drive train would be a good candidate for a MPG centric conversion. 305 ftlb's of torque and 285 hp with no active fuel management stuff. Relatively easy to find as wrecked cargo and service vans are commonly found everywhere.

Just my opinion which along with a sawbuck will get you a steaming hot cup of Joe just about anywhere.

[LS short box]

If you stay carbed I would get an air/fuel ratio gauge and see where you are at air/fuel wise.
If you go efi I make sure who ever you go with knows your engine combo is. Also having a tuner locally would be nice either way.

[67 twins]

Originally Posted by Joyridin

Depends on what you want. If you want something that the floats don't stick, gas doesn't eat gaskets, doesn't flood, doesn't heat soak, doesn't catch on fire, and starts every single time (related to the fuel), then EFI is for you.

If you like all those things, especially with today's gasoline, then stay with a carb.

More than a bit overdramatic

[Joyridin]

Originally Posted by 67 twins

More than a bit overdramatic

Not at all. Considering today's gasoline, every bit of that is true.

I am guessing you never drove a car with EFI?

[HO455]

I have to agree with 67 twins. Your obviously unfortunate personal experiences with carburetors have colored your views which don't reflect the experiences of the hundreds of thousands of carbureted vehicles on the road today. Which is fine but, please understand that most folks haven't or won't have the same issues you have had.

[67 twins]

Originally Posted by Joyridin

Not at all. Considering today's gasoline, every bit of that is true.

I am guessing you never drove a car with EFI?

You would be dead ass wrong. I have driven numerous EFI vehicles. However there is utterly no compelling reason to convert an older vehicle. Very little to gain doing so with a hefty outlay up front. Carburetors have worked for over 100 years and still do.
The truck i recently sold i put 100k miles on it in 6 years. Stock Rochester 2 barrel, absolutely none of the issues you speak of.
Maybe it's you?

[72c20customcamper]

Not one of my old cars or trucks are fuel injected . Still running points in two of them . Never had a problem with gas as I have access to non E gasoline . Fuel injection is nice but so is a properly tune carb .

Have a few friends who have changed their LS motors to carb guess they will burn to the ground

[Joyridin]

Originally Posted by 67 twins

You would be dead ass wrong. I have driven numerous EFI vehicles. However there is utterly no compelling reason to convert an older vehicle. Very little to gain doing so with a hefty outlay up front. Carburetors have worked for over 100 years and still do.
The truck i recently sold i put 100k miles on it in 6 years. Stock Rochester 2 barrel, absolutely none of the issues you speak of.
Maybe it's you?

I am sorry you don't see the huge gains by converting, but you can't fix somebody living in the 60's. Maybe there is a reason every vehicle today has EFI and we see horsepower gains beyond what we ever saw in the past 100 years on cars that are driven thousands of miles each year. I'm glad your carb works well. I'm guessing you haven't a clue how to tune an EFI car, which is why you are still using the carb.

[72c20customcamper]

Dude you need to chill . It’s your opinion everyone has one

[Joyridin]

Originally Posted by HO455

I have to agree with 67 twins. Your obviously unfortunate personal experiences with carburetors have colored your views which don't reflect the experiences of the hundreds of thousands of carbureted vehicles on the road today. Which is fine but, please understand that most folks haven't or won't have the same issues you have had.

I didn't have those experiences on any regular basis. I am stating this fact because of the millions upon millions of EFI cars that are easy tunable and get good mileage, great horsepower numbers, and start/stop so efficiently, they are programmed to do it at every stop light if you so chose to leave that option enabled.

There was a reason the last carb was installed in 1994 on a production vehicle and any vehicle off the showroom floor that had an ounce of performance switched to EFI years earlier. EFI is the reason we can now build a 800 -2000 hp twin turbo engine and drive it on the street daily.

[Joyridin]

Originally Posted by 72c20customcamper

Dude you need to chill . It’s your opinion everyone has one

I spoke my opinion initially, but somebody had to make a smart-assed comment. Now here we are.

As for the LS to carb, how many took out their old carbed SBC and converted them to injected LS engines? Seems to be a daily occurrence anymore.

[67 twins]

Originally Posted by Joyridin

I am sorry you don't see the huge gains by converting, but you can't fix somebody living in the 60's. Maybe there is a reason every vehicle today has EFI and we see horsepower gains beyond what we ever saw in the past 100 years on cars that are driven thousands of miles each year. I'm glad your carb works well. I'm guessing you haven't a clue how to tune an EFI car, which is why you are still using the carb.

There are no huge gains that you claim period. Emissions is why everything is now EFI. I still use a carb because I see no reason to spend thousands of dollars with negligible gains.

[67 twins]

Originally Posted by Joyridin

I spoke my opinion initially, but somebody had to make a smart-assed comment. Now here we are.

As for the LS to carb, how many took out their old carbed SBC and converted them to injected LS engines? Seems to be a daily occurrence anymore.

You made the smart ass comments in post number 5

[Joyridin]

Originally Posted by 67 twins

There are no huge gains that you claim period. Emissions is why everything is now EFI. I still use a carb because I see no reason to spend thousands of dollars with negligible gains.

So tell me again how your 2.4 liter engine in your daily driver now puts out 300 hp? Tell me why a new Corvette can now put out over 1000 hp and be driven daily?

Yeah, because it was all emissions.

[HO455]

Originally Posted by Rust_never_sleeps

Keep your tank full and your filters clean either way with ethanol gas

There’s a thing called the Carb Cheater, which is really a TBI that sits between carb and manifold and gives you the feedback to fine tune your carb, or it can actively correct for it. Not cheap, but way less than EFI. Thunderhead289 on YouTube makes the things, check videos for more info

That's an interesting gadget, thanks for posting it!

[Steeveedee]

Not finding an eaten up/gummed up carb on my truck, using 10% ethanol fuel. Original carb.

Manufacturers went to electronic ignition because people didn't keep their points ignition systems tuned.

Manufacturers went to EFI because people didn't keep their carburetors in tune.

Mileage increases were gov't mandated, thus EFI and EI. Performance gains are just icing on the cake.

My econoboxes have EFI. I considered EFI for my truck, but there is nothing to be gained, and it won't pay for itself in the remainder of my lifetime. I go out and hit the key, and the truck starts.

[HO455]

This may help the OP with the EFI or not decision. It's a link to a good review that was just posted over on the Pontiac forum. I wish all reviews were this good.

http://forums.maxperformanceinc.com/...d.php?t=881010

[67 twins]

Originally Posted by Joyridin

So tell me again how your 2.4 liter engine in your daily driver now puts out 300 hp? Tell me why a new Corvette can now put out over 1000 hp and be driven daily?

Yeah, because it was all emissions.

I take it you weren't around when the industry made the changeover. If you were you would know that it was driven by emissions standards.

[A1971Blazer]

I remember in Jr. high school a couple of boys squared off and engaged in a battle of words that everyone thought was gonna lead to an all out fist fight.
As it turns out one was scared and the other was glad of it.
These encounters have now become common place in world of the internet and the keyboard bullies.
There's an old saying "opinions are like azzholes, everyone has one". The problem nowdays is that everyone believes theirs is the only correct one and there is no respect for the other person's opinion.
Chill out and stop cluttering the thread with useless juvenile back and forth rants.

I have carbed vehicles, well tuned, and I have EFI vehicles also well tuned and I have modern LS based vehicles, again well tuned.
There's another old saying "different strokes for different folks"