Hey guys I am considering doing a 4 barrel carb conversion and I have some questions. Well... put in a nutshell 3 questions. Is it efficient for power? How hard is it? and What would I have to do? I look foward to some answers. Thanks. L8rZ.

Pete

 

It seems kind of pointless in my opinion. If you do it though, you are going to need a good fuel pressure regulator, all the fuel lines, the carb(s)(obviously), You'll have to get rid of all those EFI lines, and if you want to boost it later on, you can't.

Correct me if I am wrong here anybody.

 

I should be able to skate without the pressure regulator if I put on a new fuel pump right? Such as this one- http://www.thezstore.com/page/TZS/PROD/PFFC05/11-3072

I'm not wanting to boost it anyways. I'm keepin this Z non-turbo.

 

it works, it gets rid of the problem of hard to find parts, i think it aboot as efficient as our old efi. you can read my thread in tech aboot how to do the manifold gasket, thatll give you a good idea (with pix) o how to do it. you can get the manifold off ebay or msa, then get the carb from summit, is prolly cheaper.

 

I found the conversion kit on zcarparts.com so I think I might just get it from there. After I go to iraq next year and come back I'm going on a huge shopping spree for my Z. Military base pay+overseas pay+ hazard pay= soon to be badass Z!!!

 

That is incorrect...I have seen several turboed cars that were carbed, you just seal the carb in a box so to speak.

Here is a good 4bbl intake
You will need all new fuel lines and a low pressure electric inline fuel pump, FPR but the engine bay will look real nice.

 

Yup that is what you need exactly...and no you wouldn't need the regulator if you had that pump. Rock on.

 

I stand corrected. I was always under the impression that it was kind of pointless to boost a carb'd car. I guess people always try to do crazy things.


Also, to the creator of this thread, lets see some before and after pictures of it when you are done.

-Derek

 

i like arizonazcar.com they have a GREAT selection of many things and a very competitive price for their four barrel conversion you should look into theres. as for ditching the EFI.... ehhh w/e..... as for using a 4 barrel over teh SU's good choice IMHO because its easier to tune you dont have to sync anything and they also make really good power, better than the SU's i believe but probably not as well as triple's

 

Ask yourself "Why don't cars use carbs these days?"

 

because carbs SUCK!!!!!!!!

 

Holy Crap...come on guys...carbs don't suck, just because we are force fed FI doesn't mean carbs suck....carbs have been around just as long as FI if not longer (in terms of number of years total) and for good reason...they work. Drag cars use them, Nascar uses them and many other race applications where a car or truck needs to be "PERFECTLY" tuned, uses them. It all comes down to what you like. Nismo, I am gonna shove a fuel injector up your ****!! Snw, you're MY bitch...you agree with ME

Honestly though, FI is more tunable and has more power potential but need more things to make it work right, carbs can and still do very well and need less things to make them work well. You can make the same car run exactly the same with a carb setup and a FI set up, but where the carb stops the FI will continue to yield good results.

J/K about the fuel injector....but Snw...you are still my bitch

 

As the owner of a '73 Z, I can't argue with that!

 

No really... why don't car makers put carbs on their cars these days? We know the reasons... carbs are not as fuel efficient & not as tuner friendly. If carbs were all you are making them out to be... they'd be on all cars today & we wouldn't want / need fuel injection. As for easy power... how many Vipers, Porsches, Ferraris, Lambos, Bugatti, Corvettes, F1 racecars are carb'd? Easy power is easy AND efficient with fuel injection.

 

and drag cars? i dont think they are carbed, im pretty sure NHRA full pro with their giant *** blowers are EFI not carb'd, and nascar sucks just as much as carbs..... lol.are you sure nascar uses carbs though even?

 

A lot of drag cars do use carbs, and the Nascar motors are carb'd too (http://www.howstuffworks.com/question588.htm). I give them about 5 more years before Nascar starts building f/i motors. Carbs are old technology... Nascar is stuck in the past.

 

why do you think your better than me.....

 

Can't argue with that.

 

No, just more drunk than you.

So thread starter, what is the final plan for your Z? You goin carb? Big Cam? Stroker kit?

 

I gotta agree with Shady though that compared to the stock FI, as aged as it has over all these years, that four barrel swap would probably be more reliable and definitely far more tuneable. Of course for the cost something such as MS can be implemented and then you get 'modern' FI which is going to be far superior to that carb setup. And I'm sure NASCAR is still using carbs just because its easier to regulate the field. Everything is right there on top...cant hide electronics like you can with FI. Not to mention that theres far less to go wrong with a carb during a race then with FI...so short term reliability may also be a factor.

 

I have a lot of plans for the car but a lot of it is still in the works. I'm wanting to build this Z for drag racing. I'll buy more in the future and toy around with them some other way. I'm still considering the carb conversion, big cam, bore it out... I want to keep the motor non turbo and beef it up as much as I can. I can do before pics but after pics won't come until next year after I have the money for it when I come back from my deployment to iraq . I leave in Feb and I come back in august so it's just wishful thinking about the car for now but I'll make it happen .

 

if you want carbs, and you want a good drag car, you should drop a SBC 350 in it. probably cost double the carb conversion.... but will get you in teh low ###'s much cheaper

 

Carbs are easy to install and tune but are usually a compromise between driveability and use for a particular purpose. FI is a little harder, but will allow you get every ounce of power out of your motor at EVERY point in it's operating range and it's unaffected by altitude or weather.

Turbo's have been used on carb'd cars for decades before electrical fuel injection was capable of being inventented.

Here's the 1980's triple mikuni carb'd intercooled T4 turbo conversion from CarTech & Jim Cook Racing: