Hello Chevy guys. I run an '82 Toyota pickup, and the motor is tired. It's not worth the money to rebuild the 4 cylinder, so I've decided on the small block Chevy when my motor lets go. I am debating between a TBI 350, or an older engine with a Edelbrock Q-jet. I like the smooth, all-angle reliability of EFI, but computers and sensors scare me, and since the Q-jet is supposed to be an excelent off-road carb, I'm leaning towards that route. Let me know what you guys think, the pros and cons of either setup. BTW I've already ruled out Vortec because of cost. Thanks :usa:

TBI. Carbs are for lawnmowers. One of the easier and cheaper factory EFI swaps, my brother just did one on his '70 Blazer. He replaced a quadrajet that replaced a Holley TBI system that replaced a q-jet. One nice feature of the TBI is how well they run under high load at low rpm (rock crawling)--my brother's gears aren't the greatest, and it was amazing seeing how much better the truck did in Moab this year vs. last.

Pete

TBI no question. There is only a few sensors not like other efi, don't be afraid.

For a carb, you can't beat a Q-Jet anywhere. I love them. I've been running them in everything from street rods, muscle cars, and trucks (2wd and 4wd) for (too) many years. Nice and simple (relatively anyway). I was always leery about the complexity of EFI of any kind.

However, I'm now a complete TBI convert. Still comparatively simple (and cheap) relative to other closed loop EFI systems. Stable idle at any angle, smooth power, and (from what I've seen and heard) pretty much just as reliable as a Q-Jet. I'll never go back; unless I start going for max power again, but then I'll probably go TPI (or direct injection anyway) rather than going back to carbs...

TBI seems to be getting the vote. Any good write ups on this? Also, who's got the best wiring harness, Painless? or should I get a donor vehcile and go from there? Thanks :usa:

I was converting diesel to gas, so I just did it the easy way. Got the engine, complete with accessories, wiring harness and computer from an 89 TBI Suburban with a very fresh crate motor in it to boot. Biggest problem I had was getting the funky metric o-ring fuel lines worked out. NOBODY has parts for that stuff. You can’t find couplers or adapters (although I’m told they exist) anywhere. I finally made little 3-4” adapters out of junk yard pieces to convert from metric o-ring to common inverse-flare fittings and I was good to go.

Yeah, TBI is relatively simple. Honestly, I feel more comfortable with them than carbs.

Like was said, few sensors.....

I have a friend who regularly uses Painless harnesses, I have heard great things about Centech, but I just ordered a Speedscene wiring TBI harness. The fellow there, Zac, was a tremendous help, and spent the time to figure out how to meet my needs (I'm using an inline transducer to give a VSS signal, this can be used with a mechanical speedo, digital signal electronic (programmable) speedo or I can just run the signal to the computer and run GPS for my speedo --which I am seriously considering).

http://www.speedscenewiring.com/