Is it basically personal preference, ease of working on it, or the feel your going for?

Me personally, the carb era for Camaros should have died completely with the 2nd gen. The 3rdgen with its sleek body and agressive looks, should have been FI all the way.

I know most don't share this opinion but do many of you feel that way?

Yes, carb makes more power out of the box, but doesn't it feel "old"?

 

Im fine with either, but I agree the thirdgens should have came FI. But carbed vehicles aren't so bad either.

 

Considering what the state of the art of FI was when these cars came out, I'm glad I don't have that.

Considering how far the state of the art had surpassed what these cars had by the time they ceased production, I'm glad I don't have either of those also.

None of the FI systems that came from the factory on these cars deserves to be on a "high-performance" vehicle.

Which is not the same as saying that "carb is better than FI"; only that a carb is better than any of those particular FI products.

Incidentally, my next engine will likely be FI; but it sure as hell won't be a stock one.

 

Carb is better when you compair its power making potential to TBI and TPI systems. Not stealth ram but the plain jain GM TPI. However nowadays LS1 and LT1 set-ups can make just as much if not more power across the board as any similary equiped carb set-up. Not to mention all the advataged FI brings as well.

 

I hate qudrajunks!

 

Factory is just a place to start. I don't give a damn if it "feels" new or old.. as long as it's blazingly fast.

I'm a fan of the carb.... holley carb that is. easy to work on, easy to diagnose, simplify the ignition system, get all the garbage out from under the hood., and make it fly. less gaskets, less electronic crap to bug out.. just fast.

then.. again.. it's much easier and more cost effective to tune.. so.. to me it's a no brainer for a play car.

 

if you want a serious power car your gonna drive on saturday nights, go carb. you want a good power car you can drive everyday, go FI. i think FI costs to much to make power with. you can also clean up the engine bay better with a carb, less wiring...

feels old? i really dont feel my carb... but without the old there would be no new. without the carb there would be no muscle car...

 

I agree with RB's first line... considering what EFI actually was at the birth of the 3rdgen, it wasn't a whole lot different than a carb, except that carbs made alot more power. At that time (81-82ish) the only FI setups the factory put on these cars were basically really small carbs with fuel injectors in them. Basically all CrossFire Injection was is two 250cfm 2bbls with fuel injectors built in. There were just as good (bad?) on gas, just as easy (hard?) to start in the cold as a carb... except they were only capable of making about 1/2 the power of the 780cfm Qjet.

TPI was an improvement in reliablity and efficiency compared to either the Qjet or the CFI and TBI motors, but still couldn't make as much power as a good 4bbl could.

I myself prefer a healthy 4bbl to any of the factory FI systems that were available on these cars, but if I got my hands on an LT1, I wouldn't ruin it by putting a carb intake on it, because the LT1 setup was a good one, unlike TBI, CFI, and TPI.

Just my $0.02

 

I'm partial to working with what you've got. My donor car had a CC carb, so that's what I'm running. I have a mostly-complete '87 TPI in the garage attic, it's been there since early '01.

I know some cars that run very, very well with TPI-based systems. I'll agree, though, that LT1 and LS1 systems are highly superior.