I've been restoring a 82,000 mile 1984 Corvette for over a year now. During
this process, I've made it a point to know how everything works. The
electrical system was hacked up pretty bad, so this was my primary
concern.
Unfortunately, the car ran very poorly, so I had to fix that first. I
initially wanted to convert to carburation, but found the price-to-benefit
ratio to be a negative value.
On the plus side:
1. The cluster only needs the ECM for fuel economy information. The rest
of
it will perform perfectly without the ECM.
On the negative (note that the ECM will be effectively dead):
1. The transmission TV cable (throttle valve system) can be adapted to a
carb, but will be difficult to syncronise properly. Result- ****ft points
and
kickdown are never quite right.
2. The TCC (torque converter clutch: overdrive) is controlled electrically
by the ECM. Most aftermarket TCC kits are designed for off-road use, and
can
be a real PITA on the street. Leaving the TCC disabled means reducing fuel
economy considerably above 45 MPH. Top speed will also be reduced.
3. The stock distributor will not advance timing properly without the ECM.
Improper timing advance = extremely poor performance. Early
centrifugal+vacuum advance distributors will work, but not as well as the
original system. Once again, it would lose some streetability.
4. Emissions will be higher, because affordable carbs just aren't as
effecient as fuel injection PERIOD. Emissions go up and fuel economy goes
down, resulting in a loss of performance and "fun factor".
I've been working on cars proffessionally for over a decade now. Once I
realized just how much work was involved, and what I would lose, the
decision was easy..... Fix The Crossfire. I later found that the fuel
lines
were severely corroded inside, severe enough to plug the fuel filter
within
a few days of replacement. I spent about $50 and about 5 hours bending and
installing new fuel lines, and couldn't be happier. The '84 runs great,
and
gets 18-20 MPG (if I keep the pedal off the floor).
If the only reason you're bent on starting this project is a cracked
manifold, here is a cheap alternative:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Corvette-crossfire-intake-84-1984_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ6755QQihZ018QQitemZ280185098979QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW
If it's still available Friday night, I'm going to buy it for a ****ting
project.....
Fixitman
"Art" <awb0846@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message
news:mYw9j.70857$RX.36077@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Hello All Again,
>
> After doing tremendous research I think the conversion is not very
difficult
> as long as certain things are compromised. Please allow me to run these
> things by everyone for comment.
>
|
