In reply to toomanytoyz:
Sadly a mechanical pump won't fit due to the motor mounts in the Vette.
In reply to toomanytoyz:
Sadly a mechanical pump won't fit due to the motor mounts in the Vette.
So here's where I'm at with the Vette...
It still runs erratically - sometimes it's fine, sometimes it surges, sometimes it stumbles and dies. I'm pretty sure it's related to the carb/tuning. My options, as I see them are:
Buy a jet kit & accelerator pump cams, and attempt to tune the carb via trial & error. Lowest $ option, but I neither have the patience for fiddling about with it, or the desire to be constantly pulling the carb off/apart to try and tweak it.
Buy a factory refurbed carb. Next $$ option, but would still need some tuning out of the box.
Buy a FiTech injection system. Definitely some $$$, and I wouldn't be able to afford it until likely next year, letting another season of autox pass me by.
Swap the Vette for 3 Miatas...yes, seriously. A 92 w/230k that's rough, but runs/drives fine, with NB wheels & unknown lowering springs; a 91 w/197k that's stock & good condition, with maintenance records, new top, an older respray, but locked engine; and a 97 w/96k, a Hard Dog bar, 15" wheels with Nitto tires, AGX shocks, but wrecked on the driver's side & chassis is twisted.
The swap idea is very tempting to me - who wants to talk me into/out of it?
I'm all about Miata but I say you put your big boy pants on and get that Vette going. Once you find the issue you're going to say wow that was easy to fix.
Three Miatas.
Stampie wrote: I'm all about Miata but I say you put your big boy pants on and get that Vette going. Once you find the issue you're going to say wow that was easy to fix.
I vote vette. Might not be the smart move, but I want to see you get this running. I wish I had a carb to send you.
In reply to Stampie:
Unfortunately the easy fix is ~$800 and waiting to be able to afford it. Not that the Miata deal is "easy" either.
In reply to Woody:
Any specific reasoning for suggesting that choice?
Pete Gossett wrote: In reply to Stampie: Unfortunately the easy fix is ~$800 and waiting to be able to afford it. Not that the Miata deal is "easy" either.
Naw the easy fix is either go through your carb again or get another carb. There's QJets all over that I found while searching HEI on CL yesterday.
I am about to head down the FITECH route and will let you know how it goes. Mine is bought and paid for so no going back.
However, the more time I spend on the FITECH User's Facebook page the more concerned I get about this device. LOTS of unhappy post and not all are user fault ( a lot are). The "self tuning" part of the equation requires a lot of input from the user and a reasonable knowledge of EFI systems in general. Anyone who had no tuning experience at all would be lost right away trying to get a fitech to work.
The irony here is that I am going to fire my engine up for the fist time with a Holley 650 rather than dive into the FITECH learning curve. Only after it is running well with the carb do I want to do the FI conversion.
While 3 Miatas is probably not a bad deal...you are SO close to having this thing drivable.
$200 carburetor with a warranty. Buy this, install, and have it at an autocross next weekend. I have purchased three of these (for 3 different projects) and cannot complain a bit. I put one on the wife's K20 while she was out of town for the weekend a couple months back. She came home and has hauled horses and gravel with the thing regularly since then.
Sell your TPI to pay for it if it helps. I gladly forked over $150 for a tuned port system a few weeks back, so $200 shouldn't be an unreasonable asking price (I actually think it would sell quickly for that). Then put $20 in an envelope every month for the fitech system in a couple years.
Otherwise I think your problem is in the carburetor too...and it's precisely this sort of issue that (sorry to keep saying this) turned me from a "just rebuild the carburetor" guy to a "psshhh...just buy a new carburetor and actually enjoy DRIVING the thing" guy.
In reply to Stampie:
Short of buying new/factory refurbished, I'm struggling to believe another carb will help me out. Going through this one again is a relatively cheap option, but I'm not sure I'd gain much by doing that, unless I just happened across something obvious?
Hell, I briefly considered casting a new upper intake for the stock TPI setup, but with the FP trouble I've had I don't have much faith in the stock electronics.
In reply to ClemSparks:
Am I understanding correctly that other than setting the idle you didn't have to mess with it at all out of the box?
Edit: The carb you linked with the side-hung floats wouldn't work too well for autox, but this one looks like it would work...I think?
Just think. When you get it sorted out it'll be worth four Miatas!
In reply to Ovid_and_Flem:
Or one really, really big one! 
lrrs wrote:Stampie wrote: I'm all about Miata but I say you put your big boy pants on and get that Vette going. Once you find the issue you're going to say wow that was easy to fix.I vote vette. Might not be the smart move, but I want to see you get this running. I wish I had a carb to send you.
When has the smart move ever been the right move on this forum?
Go Vette or go home!
I am the Root of this Evil I'll send you 100.00 bucks in the Morning and I think shipping was another 24 so 125 in the am.do you still have the Box? "A Lesson learned" Have you ever been Experienced, Well I have.! so I've just gotten Home from a road trip to Alabama where I bought a Floater rear for 100.00 dollars it may take me an extra day to get the Funds. sorry Pete I was trying to Help. P S drain it really good and a plastic bag they will flip out if they smell Gas.
In reply to GTXVette:
John - not your fault at all! I wouldn't have got it running without it!!! I just don't seem to have the talent to make it work right, and I know I don't have the expertise to tune it properly to get the most out of it...I need a detailed flow-chart: If X happens, choose Y-sized jet...
I'm confident that if I could get the car over to you you'd have it running perfect in a couple hours. I just don't have what it takes to figure it out on my own.
In reply to Pete Gossett:
sounds like you made a decision.
Normally I don't look for a business on CL but I found these guys 39 minutes from you. At least for CL their ad seems professional. https://gulfport.craigslist.org/pts/6159373902.html
In reply to Stampie:
That's intriguing...
Pete Gossett wrote: In reply to ClemSparks: Am I understanding correctly that other than setting the idle you didn't have to mess with it at all out of the box? Edit: The carb you linked with the side-hung floats wouldn't work too well for autox, but this one looks like it would work...I think?
Yes, the extent of the tuning I've done to all of mine so far is idle mixture and idle throttle arm adjustment. Holley has instructions on line (youtube) showing how to do this with a vacuum gauge (not a terribly expensive tool to buy...Harbor Fright has one).
About the center hung vs. side hung floats. Bah...I suppose it might not be ideal for autocross. I autocrossed with one back in college and didn't have any problems. However, that would have been by far the LEAST problematic part of the car in question back then. If other folks are having problems with the 4160 carburetor on the autocross course, then I'd heed their warnings. If not...go for it!
In reply to ClemSparks:
From my research & what I've read online everyone is having problems with carbs at autox - they're just not up to dealing with the > 1G loads, and especially the rapid transitions, that we see frequently today with these sticky tires. The 4150 can be setup to deal with lateral G-loads fairly well, but often will still have problems with stalling during braking. Conversely it seems Edelbrock carbs deal better with braking/acceleration than cornering, due to their side mounted bowls.
Well, I can't (and wouldn't) argue with that. Then just slap a carb on and drive it around on the street 
while saving up for EFI.
The devil on my shoulder keeps whacking me with his pitchfork saying "tell him to put the TPI back on!" I know (really...I know) the reasons you don't want to run it. But it's known for low end torque and should make a great autocross induction. But there are plenty of factors against it. Age (wiring, injectors, the fuel pump you mentioned), the cam you're running will probably require an ecm tune, etc.
I know you're keeping in mind that this car will probably have many other items you'll want to attend to after you get it running right. It's a tough call whether to chase the rabbit down the EFI hole or not.
Put a tbi setup on it from a truck. Easy and the parts are just about free. 200 bucks, including the ecu tune, and your fuel injected and running.
In reply to wvumtnbkr:
I've considered that, but I'd need to do more research. My old truck had a TBI setup and it was a complete dog - not sure how much of that is to blame on the TBI setup vs. cam/heads/etc. though?
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