EFI musings

[George M. Dailey]

At 12:06 PM 8/21/96 -0400, you wrote:
..... Therefore, I still drive a 33 year
>old, 2 ton, carbuereted, distributed, 2 valve, cast iron 2 speed
>behemoth that is still woefully out of touch with today's technology.
....

Surprise, surprise! I drive '58 truck. But I've cheated with the TPI &
700-R. I wonder what the other DIY'ers drive every day. Sound off.

>So what? Here's the dangerous question: in light of the recent
>discussion on analog vs digital EFI, and in the spirit of engineers
>taking things to the extreme, why not stick to carburetors(ignore spark
>control for a moment)?

Simple, If you buy an already engineered system off of an junked car and
retrofit to your carbed vehicle, you get that excellent mix if very low
price & DIY satisfaction plus 14mpg city (plain HT-350 though).  Imagine,
carbed to TBI for about $200 total and a few weekends!  You OEM guys did a
fine job engineering those systems. 

>Yes, I am aware that this is an EFI list. But some very good points were
>made about what EFI can do vs what the DIYer needs it to do, and what
>sparked(pun intended) my question was a description of how both analog
>and digital systems figure out how much fuel to provide, why they might
>have to be trimmed/adjusted/calibrated, etc(even after you get it
>working at one point in time), which eventually led to KISS and
>analog/trimmming pots vs sophisti-digital, so I take it one step
>further.

Excellent logic my good man.  Most DIY'ers wish to improve their vehicles as
a bottom line. If you re-invent the wheel, you will probably kiss the
K-I-S-S plan good by.

>Don't get me  wrong, I still lust for an EFI on my car, and I am still
>waiting to hear back from the guy who installed the Edelbrock #3500.
>But, in one page or less, what do you need and why not carbs?

I wanted fuel economy beter than 8mpg city. Got it
I wanted no loss of low & mid range torque. Got power improvements!
I did not want to break the bank.  From the other DIY EFI quotes, I've got
the lowest price.
I did not want weather to greatly impact engine performance. It does not.
I wanted a system proven to last well over 100k miles without maintenance.
Got it.
I wanted no problem with vapor lock, as I idle for 1 hour in 120 deg summer
heat with AC on full afterburner. None experienced.
I wanted great under hood looks. No carb(s) look better than GM's TPEFI
I wanted stock parts available at any parts house (not antique store). They
got em.

That, Ed Hernandez, is why a carb just would not cut the mustard _for _me_.
Your vintage steel would be a prime candidate for an OEM conversion at a
price and simplicity you would love. KISS KISS KiSS

As you OEM guys say "...these thoughts are my own, and not necessarly those
of my employer.", not that they care though.

GMD