But if you watch the tv shows, instead of a simple carb rebuild or carb tuning, you’re suppose to just have your sponsor give a free efi setup and pay to have someone do all the tuning for it for you……
I've stated before that I seem to be charmed. The bad luck that many people claim to have is the opposite for me. I must be lucky.
I haven't had that many carburetor problems. I've had some but the main car in my small group of classics is the red car....
It is nothing too complicated, just a Holley based Demon 850 vacuum secondary. The car always starts and runs great in weather between 35 degrees and 110. It does not fail. Am I lucky? I've changed jets, power valves, metering blocks but that is it. I've never messed with air bleeds, accelerator pump cams, squirter nozzles or the PVCR system. If I were a drag racer looking for the fastest ETs, I would have tinkered with it more.
The Holley 600 in my 75 Power Wagon is great too. The truck can sit for months and still start up fairly quick, then idle great. I have a Holley 750 in Jigsaw....
That car always funs great.
The 67 Dart has a Holley 600...
That car sits for months too.
In fact, the only classic that I have that has had carburetor problems is this one...
It has sat almost completely idle for years at a time. I went through the carb but it still won't run right. It too is a Holley 600 but it's problems extend outside of what a basic rebuild would fix.
I've considered EFI for the red car but the way I see it, throttle body systems are a crutch. The automakers only used them as a stop-gap to develop the superior port injection systems. I'm of the opinion that the Sniper/FITech and other throttle body systems still have some of the same drawbacks as carbureted cars. No thanks. If I ever build a 3rd gen Hemi for Jigsaw, I would consider a factory based EFI system but until then, HARD pass.
Yes, carburetors are simple, yet complicated at the same time. A man with limited skills can just swap on another carburetor and keep his car mobile. EFI, especially aftermarket systems...can break down and leave you waiting for days, weeks or months for that one proprietary part that only one small "3 person company" makes. I could get on the phone now and in 15 minutes, find 4 friends with Holley carburetors I could borrow if I needed to.