Carb vs. EFI.....pros and cons.... please help!

[Hemogoblin]

This isn't in regards to my F-body but it does apply to all cars I guess I have a 4x4 off-road rig I'm building and am dropping in a 95 4.3L Vortec V6 with now, the OEM Central Port Fuel Injection (CPI). Aside from some issues I've heard about these "spider" type fuel injectors, the main reason I was thinking about switching to a carbed system was price and ease of install/use. To install the CPI, I need an engine harness, VSS and VSS buffer, computer with chip, possibly new sensors if these are shot, HP fuel pump and lines, etc. This engine came from a yard and appears to have some fire/burn marks around the fuel inlet on the intake manifold. After taking the manifold apart, the spider injector may need to be changed too.

Now for the carb system. I would need a new intake and carb (Edelbrock for both) a low pressure fuel pump and that's about it. No wiring, no VSS, no comp. Sweet already. But seeing as I've never used/seen an Edelbrock carb, how are they? Reliable? I would be looking at a 500 CFM carb with an electric choke (I live in Canada so the weather varies, A LOT! LOL)

Aside from the $$$ being saved on a carb, is there a reason I should stay with the FI? The rig was carbed to begin with (with a small 4 cylinder) and although that OEM carb sucked, I was hoping my luck would be better with the Edelbrock.

Any ideas on what I should do? I need to get this sorted ASAP because the frame/body are about to be painted, and the rig assembled. Please share your thoughts

Cheers,
Steve

[markd79ta]

If you want a carb for off-road use where your rig will sit at pretty extreme angles, you will want to go with the Holley Truck Avenger or EFI. The Edelbrock will give you problems when it is tilted. I am going to put the Holley in my Blazer replacing the Carter AFB that I currently have. I am not going with EFI due to cost. I really don't care about minimal MPG increases with EFI on a trail rig. Check out the Holley Truck Avenger; they have them at Summit.

[WICKED LT1]

Well here's a couple points to consider...

A 4x4 Off Road will need an off road carb to help with the problem of fuel sloshing in the bowls. as well as, carb angle as posted above. FI will not.

Carb's need to be kept in tune, and that can vary wildly with temperature. If you are good at keeping a carb in tune, that's fine, but for reliable 'set it and forget it' FI wins hands down.

Aftermarket parts for a V6 are a little hard to come by. So finding a manifold, distributer, and a carb that is the right size might be a challenge. I doubt that a 750 or even a 650 cfm can be jetted down enough to keep the motor happy. The only carbs in the aftermarket right now are performance carbs, so it might be hard to get the right carb for a stock V6.

Just some points to think about. Me, I have tuned carbs for years, and am now a die hard EFI guy. I love tuning with a laptop instead of a timing light and a vacuum gauge. :-)


-Paul

[Hemogoblin]

Thanks for the help guys. I know about the angle issues, I've been wheeling for quite a while now and had to deal with that with the previous carbed engine But seeing as I have some of the parts already for the CPI, I may just stay that way. My biggest concern was the tuning of the carb, not only off road but on too. This rig is going to see more on road than off. The Edelbrock carbs, although not specific to off road, are available in 500 CFM, and they have an intake for the Vortec V6's too. Cam's are pretty common too, which is NOT the case with the CPI engines. From what I have found, only Comp has a cam for these computer controlled engines. I would figure that a carbed engine would be a lot more forgiving when it came to part swapping. These CPI's are a pain to deal with when the cam is swapped, and reprogramming is a must. Which is why I'm leaning towards a carb. As you can see, I'm undecided

Up here where I live, there is mainly just trails and mud. No real rock crawling and in any case, RC isn't for me. That being the case, no really extreme angles are encountered. Guess I'll just decide when the actual time comes to start wiring things Thanks again for the input.

Cheers,
Steve