Attempting the Weber carb install

[nitrofarm]

Carburetors

…. I don't want to be a pain in the BUTT but there is something that is really biting me in the butt. Carburetors are carburetors and they meter the fuel supply to the engine. I understand about spray bars and metering jets and needle values etc. Why is it that Festie's carburetor is so much inferior to the Carter 32/36? An engine can ONLY handle so much quantity of AIR and FUEL and unless the Carter has a bigger throat or something VERY special on it, what is the difference? You can only regulate so much air and fuel. Now, the Carter 32/36 carburetor has jets and needle values and Festie's carburetor is controlled by the on board computer based on the reading from the O2 sensor and others. And I, for one, have to admit this does seem to be a cumbersome way of managing Festie's fuel but it is electronic and in theory is just as good. Those that have converted to the Carter 32/36 carburetor are very much satisfied with more power but there are still problems, minor perhaps but still there. What I am hinting at here is perhaps Festie's COMPUTER needs to be modified if all points of both carburetors are the same or equivalent. Don't misunderstand me, I too want to get rid of all vacuum and extra components as well. The other side of this coin is the cost of the Carter 32/36 even on eBAY is very expensive. If Festie's carburetor and or COMPUTER could be modified it certainly would be a lot less work not to mention the cost. These are my thoughts that I wanted to share with yours.

Thanks

Hello Boydg1 fyi I cut my teeth on carb's so these questions are good that your asking. I have an 89 thats got the stock carb on it. The "to do list" has "R&R" stock carb with the Weber. The Weber was designed for performance & adjustability. The stock was not. You'll be able to "Fine tune" your Weber. And gain HP at the same time. Plus if you are patient and have some skill. You can get the same cruise mpg's from the Weber vs the Carter. That is because with jetting you can "lean out" the jetting that meters "cruise" throttle positions. Just dont expect your Weber to get better mpg when your foot is all the way to the floor.But with some talent,plug reading & jetting. You can get the Weber "Dialed in". Bottom line is the Weber can flow better. Engines are air pumps. More air in more available HP
Hope this helps ???

[nitrofarm]

If you have a carburetor and want to swap a mechanical pump for an electric pump, you will need to get an electric fuel pump, FI gas tank, fuel pump relay, a bypass pressure regulator and an inertia switch. Good luck getting everything for $15.

FYI You dont need a bypass reg if you purchase the correct pump. Just purchase a low psi elect pump. Dont even need a return line. Also you dont need to switch tanks. The inertia switch is not manditory,but HIGHLY reccomended. (For safety's sake)

[brickdog2000]

We are just elminating the vaccum control. The Weber carb I have is a electric choke. As far as the computer metering the fuel I am not to sure how much of a differnce that makes. Although I have read in some forums on here that you could possibly rip out the computer once you put on the new carb. Plus you could find a used carb off a ford escort in a junkyard from what I understand.

[boydg1]

Carburetors

…. I don't want to be a pain in the BUTT but there is something that is really biting me in the butt. Carburetors are carburetors and they meter the fuel supply to the engine. I understand about spray bars and metering jets and needle values etc. Why is it that Festie's carburetor is so much inferior to the Carter 32/36? An engine can ONLY handle so much quantity of AIR and FUEL and unless the Carter has a bigger throat or something VERY special on it, what is the difference? You can only regulate so much air and fuel. Now, the Carter 32/36 carburetor has jets and needle values and Festie's carburetor is controlled by the on board computer based on the reading from the O2 sensor and others. And I, for one, have to admit this does seem to be a cumbersome way of managing Festie's fuel but it is electronic and in theory is just as good. Those that have converted to the Carter 32/36 carburetor are very much satisfied with more power but there are still problems, minor perhaps but still there. What I am hinting at here is perhaps Festie's COMPUTER needs to be modified if all points of both carburetors are the same or equivalent. Don't misunderstand me, I too want to get rid of all vacuum and extra components as well. The other side of this coin is the cost of the Carter 32/36 even on eBAY is very expensive. If Festie's carburetor and or COMPUTER could be modified it certainly would be a lot less work not to mention the cost. These are my thoughts that I wanted to share with yours.

Thanks

[brickdog2000]

I use the one in the pic for the reason that I had no means to build the aluminum one ro the patience to wait for one to come in the mail. So my buddy and I made this as tall as the aluminum one or close to. It may look taller due to the design. We used what we had which was a welder, flat metal, and yes a small section of fence post. It seems to be working great except for the distributor. Which is a different issue now.

[boydg1]

…. Brickdog2000, did you use this adapter plate or did you go with the thinner laminated aluminum one later on in this post that zoe60 used? If you did use this one, from the pic, it appears almost too high between the intake manifold and the bottom of the “Carter 32/36”. I am still playing catchup on this, maybe you can clarify and why. :confused1:

Thanks

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Progress slowly being made.

[Festy46]

I run a stand alone electric fuel pump that I mount to the frame rail below the battery and back toward the firewall with a pressure regulator mounted beside it. With a pressure regulator I can tweak the fuel pressure to exactly what I want. I also wire a N/O pressure switch into a "T" where the oil pressure sending unit connects to the block. That way if the car is ever in a wreck the fuel pump stops as soon as the engine shuts off and loses oil pressure. If I use a fuel injected gas tank, I cut the fuel pump off inside the tank which leaves about 1" or more of tube sticking into the tank through the cover.
I connect a pick up hose to the short pipe with a hose clamp and extend the hose down into the tank. If it's a carbed tank, just use it the way it is. I use a low pressure fuel pump instead of the tank mounted injection pump so I don't have to reduce the higher pressure so much.

[bravekozak]

If you have a carburetor and want to swap a mechanical pump for an electric pump, you will need to get an electric fuel pump, FI gas tank, fuel pump relay, a bypass pressure regulator and an inertia switch. Good luck getting everything for $15.

[brickdog2000]

Dont know yet, i am still trying to get mine to run normal instead of when it wants to.

[smurfstiva]

nevermind i found it. thank you as always. can someone please give me an idea of the gas mileage of a weber swap?

[smurfstiva]

do you know where i can find the parts list for a carb to efi swap?

[brickdog2000]

I have heard that you could for 15 bucks but I have not ventured that far yet.

[smurfstiva]

have any of you tried to replace the mechanical fuel pump with an electrical one and did it work out ok?

[brickdog2000]

stefan I wish I would have known that earlier. However, i dont think i would pay that price. Now will they or have they released that in the U.S.?

[brickdog2000]

I just used a small flat piece of aluminum to offset the stock bracket.
That is a lot of complicated work you did there with your buddy.

Yes it was, but it gave us something to do away from the wifes. It works great too.