EFI to replace Edelbrock carb

[Rberger]

Hi everyone. New to me is a 1970 Dodge Dart Swinger that has had its transmission (4-speed 833 now) and carburetor (Edelbrock now) and cam (card shown) replaced. I want a regular driver i.e. road trips and around town whenever there’s no snow or salt. I’m told by a couple of local mechanics that the Edelbrock is terrible and have been recommended (by a purest) not to EFI but instead to re-install a Carter. The car was surging terribly last week it almost died several times; a mechanic said the carb looked wet in the secondaries. My hope is to keep this car for a long time and if so it won’t be kept original by any means anyway. So does anyone have an opinion whether the Sniper or other EFI is a good move for reliability and easy starts. I’m told also that kits don’t have sufficient sensors (i.e. only a single O2 sensor?) to perfectly meter. I’m Imagining a rear gear change and electronic ignition upgrade down the road too. If I’ve missed a thread addressing this already I’m sorry and could jump to it if that’s better. Many thanks for any opinion or ideas!

 

[abodyjoe]

I’m told by a couple of local mechanics that the Edelbrock is terrible

and they are a bunch of idiots.. don't take any advice from those clowns.. an edelbrock carb is perfect for what you say you want to do.

rebuild if need be and tune that eddy carb and it will cruise great and be reliable.. ( i pefer the holley style only because i have parts and know how to work on them more then an eddy)

i've gone back and fourth on the efi thing the last couple of years with our dart. i've decided to follow the K.I.S.S method. i have a friend with a sniper and his car runs good with it. problem is on a road trip if something goes wrong where are you getting parts for it? that eddy carb is an easy replacement. electric fuel pump. if its in tank which is the best way is a pain in the *** to change on the side of the road also. stock style mechanical pump is a quick and easy fix on the side of the road....

i did a 5500 mile road trip last year in our dart and a 1200 mile trip this year.. and after this years trip where i lost a fuel pump i'm keeping the carb and mechanical pump. easy to get and easy to install.. no need to over complicate the car in my opinion.. hell, i'm even pulling the MSD RTR dist. and installing a stock style one this winter for the same reason.. keep it simple and easy to get parts for..


not pulling a tank here to do a fuel pump..

 

[69conv]

Welcome to the site. You know that 1 pic isn't enough, right? By the time I enlarge your cam card its pixelated. Could you repost?

 

[Plymouth 65]

Carborated engines are much simpler than an EFI engine. Read a few articles on both and make your own decision. 65

 

[RustyRatRod]

Edelbrock carburetors are fantastic. Sounds like you took your car to dumbass central. Find a new shop or learn to work on it yourself.

 

[Professor Fate]

Eddies are junk? Get a Carter? Uh... they're the same carb, basically.
For a reliable, "running around" car, stick with a carb. I've been down the TBI/EFI road, was really nice- when it worked. Went back to carb, for the exact reasons already mentioned- parts availability.
Carbs (and I'm a Carter/Eddy man myself, nothing against Holleys, Carter/Eddy just suits my style better) have always worked well in the proper application, and will continue to do so today. Read up or find someone who is comfortable with your brand carb and get it tuned right (local car clubs are great for personal knowledge or recommendations) and never look back.
The guy you took it to doesn't sound like a mechanic; he sounds like a "parts replacer". The secondaries "looked wet"? Really? Ever think of adjusting a float height or replacing a gasket, or just do some basic diagnostics? No, let's just throw a different carb at it, or better yet, slap a whole EFI system on it (we can REALLY make some money there!).
Find a GOOD local guy, they're out there.

 

[forphorty]

I couldn't really read your cam card. The few numbers I could make me think it's an XE268. Maybe a few more details? engine size,etc? Is the carb new? From 1984 to 2019, I drove exclusively 60s-70s cars with carbs as daily drivers , all kinds of weather . But I'm a weirdo.

 

[tonysrt]

If you don't want to get towed home stick with the carb. The only good EFI is the one from the AUTO Mfr. that is installed on your car. 05 Ram 20 years old never failed me. 2 strikes against aftermarket EFI and 2 different types and Mfr's..

 

[George Jets]

When I heard Sniper, it was game over... Kent Mosby is going through this right now trying to figure out what is wrong > and spending a lot of money and time in the process with no end result in sight.

☆☆☆☆☆

 

[go-fish]

Got another strike against the Sniper. My dad's '73 Barracuda 340 has had the Sniper on it for less than a year and it is having a problem now.
I chose to stick with the carburetor just recently when I decided to rehab my fuel system. I have a stumble at a certain point in cruise mode too. My tank and lines had been open during restoration and thought there could be some crud. I like to optimize so I decided to upgrade to 3/8" lines but I needed a tank. I went through all the options; stay stock ($), get an EFI tank and run the carb with a regulator($$$), full EFI deal ($$$$) ...
In the end, this car is my daily (other than wet days) and I want to take long distance trips so I'm staying with the carb and diving into learning the Holley/QFT. I am installing a vacuum gauge and air/fuel gauge. After much research I have bought a jet up and down and a power valve one size down to try out. When you get it dialed it will be more reliable and you learn something.
I wouldn't want to be too many towns away from my truck and trailer with an EFI deal now and I was really considering it. So consider that ALL repair/replace parts would have to come in the mail with EFI. On the other hand a fuel pump, pickup, filter, and even an Autozone AVS Eddy can be had right now in most towns! For my race car, EFI. For my daily and road trip car, carburetor.
@Rberger Watch this guy HERE . He is very knowledgeable and is connected to Edelbrock in some way. Just start learning terminology and familiarizing yourself you the style of carb you choose and make sure everything is clean from tank to air filter. Get a vacuum gauge at the least. Have fun.

 

[RustyRatRod]

To clarify, I'm not an enemy of EFI. I was merely saying that there's not a THING wrong with the Edelbrock carburetors. What's more likely is, your "shop" is looking for a big payday.

 

[Hellrats]

Edelbrock avs2 carburetor. Screw that Sniper injection.

 

[Bewy]

To be told by a 'mechanic' that the carb [ any carb ] should be replaced just shows that dumb & dumber...are getting even dumber. The float level [7/16"] is often out on Edel carbs. That should be checked, easy to do, no special tools or gaskets needed if you are careful. Youtube/pics on line.

 

[harrisonm]

There is ABSOUTELY NOTHING wrong with Eddy carbs. I am on my second one, and it works flawlessly. Whoever said that knows nothing about carburetors. A few years ago, my neighbor needed someone to rebuild the carb on his 73 Caddy Eldorado. He took it to several places that supposedly worked on old cars, and they all said, basically, good luck finding someone in town who can do that. I rebuilt it for him and it worked great. very few places want to work on carbs. I cruise around in my 69 340 4 speed Barracuda all the time. I get about 15 MPG on the highway.
I know that a lot of people swear by their EFIs. The Sniper is a popular one. When they work, I guess they run great. But they don't always work well. I have seen a LOT of people here and other places cuss them up and down. I would not buy one.
Nothing wrong with a carb, specially an Eddy.

 

[kaharshs]

I have had Holley an Edelbrock carbs. I have had good experience with both. I have a 4 barrel sniper on my Duster it rums amazing. I have the sniper
Distributor, coil, amd box. Nice to be able to control timing. I also have a 2 barrel Sniper I was running on my jeep and I used an hei style distributor. It ran great, but did take some work to figure out I had a leaking brake booster that was throwing things off. Either a carb or efi can work, well.

 

[Kendog 170]

and they are a bunch of idiots.. don't take any advice from those clowns.. an edelbrock carb is perfect for what you say you want to do.

Must be a Chevy guy.

 

[BrianT]

I’m Imagining a rear gear change and electronic ignition upgrade down the road too.

I addition to sticking with the Edlebrock carb I would recommend upgrading to the stock Mopar electronic ignition. MSD boxes and distributors are great but try finding one in Small Town, USA on a Tuesday night after hours.

I would get what you have running right and then start making upgrades as necessary. Good luck!

 

[tonysrt]

The only bad side of carbs now is the cost of them. They used to be roughly $200 and now around $500 for the better ones. Just remember a tow home maybe $100 plus.

 

[abodyjoe]

The only bad side of carbs now is the cost of them. They used to be roughly $200 and now around $500 for the better ones. Just remember a tow home maybe $100 plus.

to do EFI properly you are looking at $2500+ though.

 

[MadScientistMat]

I'd only go EFI if you have other goals here in play that you haven't mentioned. TBI type setups are only an incremental improvement over a carburetor, at a cost that's going to be a lot more than having a good mechanic fix the one you have or even buying and tuning a new carb. They have their place if you want a few cold start improvements and a programmable timing curve. Or if you just have the urge to check the "yep, I have EFI" box.

But if you are planning a turbo or nitrous build, want advanced drag racing features like traction control, or similar, my advice would be to go big or go home. These goals call for a multiport setup, and maybe other things like a crank trigger.

But if you just want the car running well and running for a long time, and there are no other goals - fix the carburetor.

 

[Kendog 170]

MSD boxes and distributors are great but try finding one in Small Town, USA on a Tuesday night after hours.

I had a 70 Duster my friend built. He had an MSD box but kept the stock ECU and wiring. If the MSD failed it took little to hook the stock box up and get home. I never had to use it. Wish my Hardtop Dart was wired like this as I did get stuck from an MSD box. Now running stock. I may go HEI and carry a spare. just my 2 cents. Nothing wrong with a well-tuned carb.

 

[abodyjoe]

I had a 70 Duster my friend built. He had an MSD box but kept the stock ECU and wiring. If the MSD failed it took little to hook the stock box up and get home. I never had to use it. Wish my Hardtop Dart was wired like this as I did get stuck from an MSD box. Now running stock. I may go HEI and carry a spare. just my 2 cents. Nothing wrong with a well-tuned carb.

exactly why i'm taking the msd rtr dist out and putting a stock style with hei in the car. the msd has been in the car for like 10 years and i've never had an issue but just incase... i want easy to get parts for it. when i fuel pump died on our trip in oct. the first thing that came to mind was what if its the msd dist. i'm screwed. luckily it was only a 26 dollar fuel pump in which i had a spare in the trunk.. all that exptic stuff is cool and all but some times simplicity is best.

 

[dano]

to do EFI properly you are looking at $2500+ though.

This. I went all Sniper. I love it, works great for me. I can tune with a laptop. Car can sit for 4 months, turn the key, prime, fire, drive dead cold.

But, this isn't for everyone. If you're used to tuning carburetors stick with them. The AVS2 are supposed to be great and your issues may not even be carburetor related.

 

[Backally]

I installed a Sniper in 2017 or 18. I knew pretty much nothing about installing one other than reading their instructions. I had some early issues, mostly my fault but Holley had some issues also. From what I understand many issues have been addressed with the Sniper 2.

What I like is how easy it is to change settings. I also didn’t know squat about tuning a carb, making changes with a Sniper involves uploading a file. Take it for a drive and if it’s better leave it, if not pull over and 20 seconds later the previous tune is uploaded and your on your way. Can change idle timing or a/f with no effect on anything else. Or change wide open settings with no changes to drivability idle or starting.No waiting for engine to cool to pull a fuel bowl and spilling fuel in the intake or swapping springs in a distributor.

If you know what you’re doing tuning a carb that would be cheaper. If your like me I have learned a bunch making changes as it’s so easy to experiment. EFI needs a clean install, less tolerant to exhaust leaks, vacuum leaks etc. I know one guy that did nothing other than do a clean bolt on and wire up a Sniper 2 on a Pontiac and loves it, says it never ran better. I also know a guy, totally computer illiterate that had a **** install and it taking it off.

I love mine, would do it again. Was a challenge early on but I learned a lot.

 

[YY1]

Didn't see it but-

Edelbrock actually IS Carter.

...at least they bought the design and rights, and are modern copies.