The problem with EFI conversion over keeping carburetors

[deathsled]

Uncle Tony's take...
https://youtu.be/T6LqnLB7JzQ

[FL SAAC]

I truly never knew Mario ( a.k.a. Captain Lou Albano ) was a gear head   !

[deathsled]

It would seem so...

[pbf777]

     You've got to be really bored, with absolutely nothing of any importance that needs doing, to sit thru that!  At least not until you've had a couple of alcoholic drinks first!   

     Scott.

[deathsled]

     You've got to be really bored, with absolutely nothing of any importance that needs doing, to sit thru that!  At least not until you've had a couple of alcoholic drinks first!   

     Scott.

That sums up my situation upon listening. But it did dissuade me from going the efi route.

[pmustang]

I read again and again about these systems fixing issues. I spoke to a guy with a spectacular Mach one in PA last month. Said he just installed a Sniper system and it was great BUT!  There always seems to be a but. Something about the Tach causing issues with the system.

Hear the same type of thing again and again.

[69 GT350 Vert]

Love my sniper EFI.  I've had it for 5 years and it is the best mod I ever made to any classic car.  If you have a marginal engine with vacuum leaks or an exhaust leak you will have lots of trouble with EFI.  If you don't install it properly and don't know what AFR means, stick with the 100 year old carb technology.  If you want perfection with cold start and throttle response, EFI might be for you.

[Royce Peterson]

Lots of folks in my club have gone that way. Big trouble. Breakdowns constantly.

[69 GT350 Vert]

Many do have problems if they have the ECU control timing with the hyperspark distributor, which is prone to rfi/EFI.  I stuck with my autolite distributor with pertronix and it works great with my factory tach. Fuel percolation and vapor lock is eliminated even with low boiling temps of E10 fuel.  Holley quality control on the sniper is poor currently based on what I read in the sniper forums. My 5 year old unit has been great.

[crossboss]

Even old school Holley's have issues. "Why is my carb always leaking?" Holley has always had the reputation for being a "Calibrated fuel leak". That said, once its set, and correctly rebuilt, it will/should be fine. Sniper EFI is not perfect. When an aftermarket conversion is made for a 'universal' across the board usage, there are bound to be issues. In my view, only an OEM set up will be reliable. Just me.

[Side-Oilers]

^^^ +1 with Scott. 

[69 GT350 Vert]

Tony's video makes several good points.  He's right about the heat from mechanical fuel pumps being attached to a 220 degree engine block being mostly the cause for high fuel temperatures.  The problem is that storing 6 to 12 ounces of E10 fuel in the carb's fuel bowls just doesn't work without percolation.  The boiling point of ethanol fuel is too low.  With 58 psi of fuel pressure and no fuel storage on top of the heat sink, percolation and vapor lock is not a problem with EFI.

I couldn't solve percolation problems with a carb because my 351w has high performance mods that cause increased heat.  My gt350 feels like a gt500 based upon the ease of being able to spin both tires for 25 feet with half throttle from a dead stop with an FMX. I owned a 68 KR for 21 years with a well tuned cobra jet and my gt350 is almost as powerful as the KR was.  My car runs way better with EFI.

[69 GT350 Vert]

My Sniper EFI just failed and needs a new oxygen sensor driver and ECU.  My car started randomly stalling and I barely made it home.  I'm switching back to a carburetor.  EFI gave me 5 good years but I no longer trust it on my Shelby.

[deathsled]

My Sniper EFI just failed and needs a new oxygen sensor driver and ECU.  My car started randomly stalling and I barely made it home.  I'm switching back to a carburetor.  EFI gave me 5 good years but I no longer trust it on my Shelby.

A carburetor can be tuned to cooperate at the side of the road.  EFI makes that prospect difficult if not impossible especially for a novice such as myself.

[Drew Pojedinec]

"I want to use EFI because it is easier to tune." -some guy with an AOL email address (probably)