is going to a carbed lt1 a waste ? i was going to take a short cut and just go carbed to avoid the computer and the newer wireharness, but im getting alot of negativaty it seems, this must be bad for power?

 

The LT1 carbed intake(s) suck(s). FI is easier to tune, and easier to make power with. Leaves you with many more options, for a lot less $.

Seems like a waste to use a carbed LT1 in a car that came with a normal SBC. If you want a carb, use an SBC, they're made to fit your application, doesn't make sense to use the LT1 for that purpose.

 

ok thanks, ill keep the fuel injection :P

 

I'm swapping to carbed for my LT1 Fully Forged 383 project... Once it is done and I get the dyno numbers, we'll see just how much of a waste it was...

BTW, as far as cost and ease of working on it, the carb is less expensive and easier to work on.

I spent $850 the other day for the intake, carb, fuel lines, air cleaner, dist, cap, rotor, wires, and opti delete plug...

That is all that is needed for the swap, not that expensive if you ask me...

I didn't mention the cost of the sbc style damper, but that is because most 383 projects need one anyways, regardless of FI or carbed...

Do what you like with your setup, good power can be made both ways...

 

yeah i heard about that, i got the plug and distributor covered, but the only thing i was worried about was that stupid damper, i just bought a brand new one from summitracing for like 115 dollars, now im stuck with it.. shiet. , i cant use it ?

 

possibly, but you'll have to modify the opti plug plate because it has a timing indicator on it. The stock size balances don't clear it because they are too big in diameter...

 

i wonder if that would be a problem? cutting the plate :/

 

are less fuel efficient, have worse driveability, make less power, are harder to troubleshoot, and are generally a pain. The only advantage is lower cost, and if you already have FI then thats not an advantage.

Dyno sheets don't mean crap when your car won't start because its too cold, or have vapor lock, or your float valve isn't adjusted just right. Been there, never again.

 

everything seems wonderful until you have used it for a while and discovered all of it's faults...

You have used carbs for however long, and now you've discovered FI and love it. I have always used FI and feel like giving carbed a shot. I know many a carbed car that can lay the smack down on almost all the FI cars in town. It's all in the build and the tune.

Just like you say the carb won't start on a cold day, try starting your car after your opti got a little water on it during your t-stat install, or if you drive through a big puddle. Also, good luck getting it to run if any of the 5 thousand wires gets a small short in it, if any one of the fuel injectors is bad, or one diode in your ignition box, or your block 5 different idle controlling sensors...

Every car and every setup has it's up and downs. I say if you want to go FI, go FI, if you don't, don't... It's all up to the person behind the wheel...

 

lol, good point :P , i really dont care about fuel efficiency, this is my little toy, and tbo id rather have it carbed, it will be driven about twice a week, and it never goes out of the garage in the winter, not even once.. so im not worried about that. But i appreciate everyones feedback, thats why i posted right, thanks again guys.

 

Less Fuel efficient: yes

Worse Drivability: 99% yes

Less Power : Way off there buddy. Carbed cars CAN make MUCH more power. The intake design is much more friendly to airflow. Doesnt it make more sense to put the center of the airflow symetrical to the cylinders rather than at one end? The LT1 isnt the best designed intake setup. It isnt bad, but there are carbed intakes that can lay the smack down on FI manifolds. There are guy that convert the LS1 to a carb setup and see 40+ hp gain over the "almighty" FAST manifold.

Harder to troubleshoot: Have you ever worked on a carbed car? You have a carb, an air cleaner, distributor, fuel line, throttle cable, plug wires.... and thats about it for the most part. You dont have the luxury of real time sensor data, but you also dont have to worry about a one of a million sensors going out and screwing up the power and making it run like crap.

Carbed cars require a little more knowledge on how the car actually works, but if you use modern day technology like advanced roller lifters, better rockers, better spark plugs, wires, stronger ignitions, synthetic oils, forged pistons, better rings..... then you arent gonna have the issues that older carbed cars used to have and you can get the power that FI cant get.

I say go carbed, its fun to be unique. It kinda gets old following the standard path (cold air intake, then headers, then head/cam, then forged rotating assembly, forced induction.......). You also dont have to fall within the limitations of the LT1. You can go SB2.2 (its a carb designed head anyway), single plane intake, fully forged and lightweight so you can rev it to the moon, then spray the crap outta it.

Tuning a carbed car is fun too, but you might want a wideband o2 sensor to fine tune it just right.

Thats just my $.02

 

Back in the 85-92 timeframe, before I got my degree in Mechanical Engineering and got a modern FI car, I tuned Rochester Q-jets and Holleys with both mechanical and vacuum secondaries.

It sucks because a) you have to buy little parts like pump cams, accelerator pump nozzles, jets, gaskets, floats, etc. b) you have to get fuel everywhere to change anything. I tune my LT1 with a PC and LT1 edit.

Good luck to anyone going carbed, though, seriously. At the minimum you will learn a lot.

 

well ive already worked with carbs before, and honestly never had a fi chevy. Maybe next year for FI on my other car.