dont forget pro flo 4 now does boost .
CK5
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To run a Carb or not?
- Thread starter TJ1978
- Start date
Yay!!
I have time to ponder...
I’m keeping the TH350, I would like to switch out the 203 eventually. And go to a lighter Tcase.
Edlebrock ProFlo + gas tank etc. is not very forgiving to the wallet. So, like I said I have time to weigh things out.
But by your measure of wants, the edlebrock pro flo would be the more logical choice.
I’m keeping the TH350, I would like to switch out the 203 eventually. And go to a lighter Tcase.
Edlebrock ProFlo + gas tank etc. is not very forgiving to the wallet. So, like I said I have time to weigh things out.
But by your measure of wants, the edlebrock pro flo would be the more logical choice.
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time = keep eye open for good used efi tank and sender from 1987-91 blazer or suburban 31 gal tank and save money .
Moody Bricker
1/2 ton status
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- Feb 1, 2016
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All I know is that in 76 stuck in a 73 impala wagon in the rocky's that was set up for In.that 350 was sucking it guts out but we was not going to fast. if we had f.i. it would have been a walk in the park .thats all I want. to go up Pikes peak in my chalet.last time was on a bike,it hot down low but at the top they had snow
The Sniper has the same settings others have discussed with setting the cruise target AFR to whatever you like - or leave it where the stock setting is.
I'm always worried about getting to lean and melting pistons so 14:1 is the leanest I've been brave enough to try. Honestly I haven't felt like I know enough to tinker a lot with the AFR targets.
I did mess with leaning the idle AFR and the results weren't good. Figured out my engine idles way better with a richer AFR, which was the AFR the stock tune had it set to.
I have a company 2008 2500HD with a 6.0L and I spent a month or so trying to get the best mpg I could. 14.5mpg was the best I achieved with very gentle driving.
If EFI on my C10 could gain me 2mpg, I'd be happy. Sad thing is that would take 8 years to pay back a $2000 EFI system.
I'm always worried about getting to lean and melting pistons so 14:1 is the leanest I've been brave enough to try. Honestly I haven't felt like I know enough to tinker a lot with the AFR targets.
I did mess with leaning the idle AFR and the results weren't good. Figured out my engine idles way better with a richer AFR, which was the AFR the stock tune had it set to.
I have a company 2008 2500HD with a 6.0L and I spent a month or so trying to get the best mpg I could. 14.5mpg was the best I achieved with very gentle driving.
If EFI on my C10 could gain me 2mpg, I'd be happy. Sad thing is that would take 8 years to pay back a $2000 EFI system.
No contest for sure, just a discussion. When trying to make a decision all sorts of viewpoints and experiences are valuable, there are a significant number of systems to choose from, some of what one offers may be better than another for a specific user, etc.
Had I known what I know now, I would have put a lot more thought into swapping a 6.2L diesel into the thing. I care a BUNCH about economy, far too much actually. But after putting in a couple thousand dollars, and countless hours on both installation and tuning of TPI (plus Vortec heads, retrofit roller cam, etc), the results were disappointingly less than what I hoped. If I search back far enough here, I'm pretty sure I was confident that all the "modern" tech I used would get me to 20MPG (this ignoring lean cruise). And I was way off. Like you, I didn't put up with a poorly running carb either...I spent time on the Q-jet, I think my economy numbers indicate I had it "right", at least for economy. If the economy numbers are the same for a given displacement and design, then the engine wear has to be near identical, no? Obviously there are mechanical aspects that can influence wear (compression ratio, combustion chamber design, cam, etc) but if simply talking efficiency of combustion, if the amount of fuel required to go a given distance is the same, I'd expect there to be minimal wear difference. Injection would probably have an edge on startup wear as well, although I really had no issues with the Q-jet, obviously many have hot or cold issues with carbs.
Cruise is the easy measure, it seems off-cruise, MPG's are pretty consistent around 10.
I want to say my factory carbed 305 had 130K on it when I sold that truck (engine would have been 20+ years old at that point), and it had been abused before I got it. I'm sure there are a lot of carbed engines that have gone much further. No idea what the cylinders looked like, but I'm not sure how oil got back to the sump through the heads. A bit before pictures were all the rage, but I broke the carbon out of those heads with a chisel and screwdriver, and it would still get me 17MPG. If you are one that will see high mileage, and wants to put 200k+ on your engine, good maintenance all around will go a long way. FI will certainly not hurt engine longevity, assuming its working and tuned properly.
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beags86
Eastbound and Down
So when I was Colorado, as part of my job I started to get my hands wet in oil analysis on our equipment. The thought was from a quality standpoint that a consistent hydraulic fluid would allow the machine to run consistently to produce parts consistently.
Vs a dirty fluid/watery fluid would make the machine herky-jerky. Lol.
Anyway I would take random samples and sent them off and watch for dirt, water segregation, oil degradation, etc. The results were interesting. One of the fall outs of that was I found that one of out machine ran better with a oil heater on the tank in the winter months.
Fast forward 6-8 months. I get sent to grand junction to a Fab shop out there. I go and they have a canopy that has the same machine under it and it's obviously not heated. I tell the QC about my oil analysis. Three months later I get a phone call thanking me because they took my advice and their machine never ran so good. And you fellows think I'm just some neanderthal, Looking at welds all day.
All joking aside, there is some real science behind all this. As far as this thread is concerned, no doubt about it a controlled amount of fuel keeps your engine in better shape.
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Ever see the internals of an engine that ran on propane all its life ?..
They look like a brand new engine with fresh motor oil poured on everything..cylinders still have cross hatching,no ridge,the intake ports and valves are spotless...my dad had some company fleet vehicles that were converted to run on propane (he worked for an LNG gas distribution company).
I saw a few engines their mechanic had to take apart to put in new timing chain & gears and new gaskets (propane tended to make old gaskets more prone to leaks)...the engines were like new inside..
They look like a brand new engine with fresh motor oil poured on everything..cylinders still have cross hatching,no ridge,the intake ports and valves are spotless...my dad had some company fleet vehicles that were converted to run on propane (he worked for an LNG gas distribution company).
I saw a few engines their mechanic had to take apart to put in new timing chain & gears and new gaskets (propane tended to make old gaskets more prone to leaks)...the engines were like new inside..
beags86
Eastbound and Down
Yep. That very true Bob. Propane engines typically are very clean on the inside.
Propane is poor man's fuel injection.
I've had propane on my Blazer/buggy for ~13 years, back then the options were pretty limited. Projection (garbage), TBI (I had too much cam), the Holley commander ($$$) and Edelbrock ($$$$). The Edelbrock was batch fire too, have not been impressed with the few of those systems I've been around. Ended up buying a second hand new propane system here for cheap (I was in college at the time so that was a big driver) and have had it since. Honestly I never noticed a power difference (plus it's turbo'd now), and it's been dead nuts reliable. Filling tanks is stupid because you can't do it yourself, but other than that it's been great. Now-a-days, there's a pretty small window of people that makes sense for.
My most recent project has an LQ4-ish motor with the Holley terminator X. SUPER impressed with how easy and capable it is, but it's for engines that are already fuel injected. There are a bunch of good fuel injection options now, plus a whole bunch more used factory EFI engines. I'd take a stock junkyard 5.3L over my old "built" carb'd 383 any day.
That's a good point, glad you mentioned it.
Though I didn't forget, which is why I listed turbo(s) but not a supercharger. I'd still rather have the the extra control capability of the Holley with the turbo setup. But a supercharger I think I'd be willing to give the Edelbrock a go, assuming the other items aren't needed. On the other hand, if you are running pure mechanical boost control you could run the Edelbrock with turbos too if you desire.
Being inspired by this thread I was looking thru Summit at the current EFI offerings. It's been over 2 years since I put the Sniper on my crew cab and I'm amazed at the offerings available now. It's not just the EFI systems but also the fueling options as far as pumps and tanks. I don't remember a bunch of this stuff being available 2 years ago.
beags86
Eastbound and Down
It's so easy that (money excluded)there is basically no reason not to.
It didn't used to be that way....
I remember 10+ years ago being bummed out I couldn't get an affordable EFI setup for my K5. It had too much cam for a factory TBI; which was all the rage to swap into the vehicles on CK5.
beags86
Eastbound and Down
I was never a tbi fan, but back in the day I thought a tpi setup would have been trick for my Monte Carlo SS...
Wait, it still would be.
I have never looked into it, but does anyone know if you could take the factory gm hard parts for a tpi setup and use a Holley computer?
@folkenheath?
I think it would be cool to have the old tpi look and have the Holley tunability.
Yeah... saving up now, probably take a couple months or more. But it’s probably worth it the long run to switch Holley or Edelbrock.
My biggest issue is actually commiting to one and knowing which one is right for me.
For a daily driver with not too extensive off roading, at least for now like rockn crawling. I’m more desert/mud driving ). Seems edelbrock ProFlo is the ideal choice.
ProFlo
Tank (used or new?)
Fuel sender
Fuel pump
Fuel regulator
Fuel lines...
Is that pretty much the shopping list?
My biggest issue is actually commiting to one and knowing which one is right for me.
For a daily driver with not too extensive off roading, at least for now like rockn crawling. I’m more desert/mud driving ). Seems edelbrock ProFlo is the ideal choice.
ProFlo
Tank (used or new?)
Fuel sender
Fuel pump
Fuel regulator
Fuel lines...
Is that pretty much the shopping list?
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beags86
Eastbound and Down
if cost is a major concern, then i would say the FAST EZ EFI would be your best bet. For what you listed there. A 900 dollar base kit will get you EFI quicker then a 2k kit. But I also know that @folkenheath is a dealer. He might be able to cut you a better deal.
Your best bet is a blazer tank and a pump so that cost is the same regardless of EFI kit.
I was never a tbi fan, but back in the day I thought a tpi setup would have been trick for my Monte Carlo SS...
Wait, it still would be.
I have never looked into it, but does anyone know if you could take the factory gm hard parts for a tpi setup and use a Holley computer?
@folkenheath?
I think it would be cool to have the old tpi look and have the Holley tunability.
I think that would be relatively easy beags, most aftermarket kits are designed around similar parts as the TPI as far as IAC and TPS sensors etc. You just need the correct injector connectors or adaptors, etc. Plug and play if you purchase it correctly. The TPI manifold has great torque but is limited in pony output though.
You will need to weld in an O2 sensor bung in the exhaust, it might come with one, I'm not sure on that one. I'd do it before you tear the thing apart for the conversion.
Yes, the Edelbrock system comes with a bung and a plug. They even tell you that it's so that you can get it done, then drive it home to do the install.
