Carb vs. EFI in 62 cadillac

[62 Cadillac]

Looking for some opinions on this subject. Currently blowing black soot out of the tailpipe. A rebuild on the carb or update to modern system?
Also, having issue with brake power boost. Brakes are hard to push and slooow to stop. Will replacing the drums eliminate the boost?

[bcroe]

Perhaps the float is stuck open in the carb, I suggest you fix it.  Changing
to EFI and getting it tuned right will be about 50 times as hard.  Bruce Roe

[SixDucks]

Rebuild the carburetor and do a very thorough tune up. Your poor brake performance combined with the symptoms the carburetor is presenting are  indicative of : a vacuum leak, air fuel mixture in need of adjustment, and ignition timing that is retarded. You may find a vacuum hose has become disconnected.

Hope this helps,

Terry 

[62 Cadillac]

Thank you ! I will have the carb redone and check vacuum hose. Much appreciated.

[chrisntam]

I would agree, fix the carb and reinstall.

Have it done by a professional shop, unless you're experienced.  If you're like me, you can take it apart and put it back together, but if something is wrong internally and if you don't know what you're looking at or looking for, you'd be in trouble.

Installing an EFI is more involved than you'd think.  I've only researched it, but haven't done one.

[WalterBrauer]

Converting to EFI is probably the best changes one can make to an older car, of any brand.
Holley has become the industry leader and their products are easy to install, self tuning, and adjust fuel ratios to any altitude your driving in. Easy starts, improved fuel milage, smooth idle, hard to argue against the benefits.
Check out the Holly website and You Tube, tons of info.
Not discounting other brands, but Holley is the one I've landed with.

[TJ Hopland]

I like EFI and have done a few myself and been involved in several more so I know it can work but you have to know what you are in for and be doing it for the right reasons.   Car currently running like crap is not a good place to start unless you are 150% sure its a carb issue.   Know of lots of people that have tried EFI to solve a significant problem and it rarely comes out good. 

A disc conversion isn't going to help a booster issue.  I'm with the others thinking that if you get the running condition sorted out that may also help the brake issue.   

[The Tassie Devil(le)]

From what I see as regards the performance of the aftermarket Fuel Injection units, they are out of my price range.

Plus, when a car is going well on a Carby, one can purchase a whole lot of petrol for the price of the EFI, plus fitting, etc, and still be in front.

With the car in this subject, I would be like others, and trying to sort out the initial problem, or the same thing could happen with the EFI replacement.

Bruce.

[fishnjim]

Need to check the compression and spark too.   If a valve is hanging or spark plug not firing it'll allow fuel mix to enter exhaust.   Of course it was cheaper then, we'd just change everything: plugs, wires, cap/rotor, points  aka "tune up" before doing anything else.
If everything checks, I'd try to adjust the carb before I tore it off to see if it adjusts or not.  Maybe take the top plate off and have a look see.  aka "you can observe a lot by looking" - yogi.   Most likely it got "crud" in it when they're that old. (Then a fuel system cleanse is called for too.)   But I can understand some, weaned on fuel injection, are not carb swavvy.
More likely the float isn't "stuck" but has a hole in it and therefore staying open, ie, won't float.  (Same thing spelled different)   The needle valve seat that the float operates can go bad and leak through, similarly.  Specially, if not ethanol resistant, but they can just get "hard"/deteriorate with age.   That's a lot of fuel that's dumped by overflow and not a steady thing, and makes it hard to start when choked out.   Plus mileage will go way down fast.   So look for more symptoms.

If you go with EFI, I'd go whole hog and go electronic ignition w/ hotter coil, too.   Points and rotor are weak links for hot spark.   The new TBI units are self tuning, so no need to worry about that much anymore.   I see they have a tripower set-up now too.   I doubt they're cost effective, >>$1500 compared to $500 carbs with low mileage in classic, but can argue better for the enviro.   

[kkarrer]

62 Cadillac,
      You may not know that Daytona Carb has now gone back to rebuilding carbs.  They do an excellent job and get the plating right as well.  I've seen some 60's Cadillacs with the Holley EFI units and they work well, but going with electronic ignition at the same time is smart.  You might want to be prepared for some issues regarding your air cleaner.  A modification or two may be necessary to get it to fit properly on the EFI.
Ken Karrer
CenTex CLC Reg. Dir.
1932 All Weather Phaeton

[62 driver]

Looking for some opinions on this subject. Currently blowing black soot out of the tailpipe. A rebuild on the carb or update to modern system?
Also, having issue with brake power boost. Brakes are hard to push and slooow to stop. Will replacing the drums eliminate the boost?

Make sure you have a stock carburetor to start with.  Then have it rebuilt.  My 62 has a Carter   Carburetor and it runs well.  Also my drum power brakes work well. Hold your foot on the brakes and start the car.  Your brake pedal should go down a inch or so as the vacuum builds up.

[Caddy Wizard]

Some good advice here in various replies.


My thoughts:  if carbs are carefully redone and all other components are in perfect condition, the car will run beautifully with stock systems.  My current 55 has stock carb and fuel pump and runs terrific (it does have an electronic ignition module inside the distributor).  But even though it runs perfectly, it is still at risk for various maladies that are common to driving an old carbureted car on modern fuel.  Namely, it can suffer from vapor lock and other drivability issues.  One way to eliminate that is to switch to EFI, which will eliminate the risk of vapor lock (largely because the pressurized fuel supply pushes fuel under positive pressure, instead of sucking fuel with negative pressure).  It also improves throttle response and drivability, as well as power and fuel economy.  There are downsides, however.  One is cost (about twice the cost of restoring a carb and fuel pump).  Another is the hassle of installation (not terrible, however).  Another is the technical hurdle of modifying the throttle linkage on the EFI body to mimic the connection of the carb's TV rod connection, so the TV rod moves through the same motion on the EFI setup, allowing the transmission to work as designed.  Finally, the EFI systems don't like to idle very low.  Many Cad engines are supposed to idle in the 400-500 rpm range and this is challenging for the EFI systems.  If the idle is too high, it can make it hard to shift into and out of gear (like from N to D or from D to R).  To me, this last point is the worst thing about EFI conversions.

I have converted one old Cad engine to EFI and am getting ready to to that to my 55 Cad as well, even though it runs perfectly (and I mean PERFECTLY).  For me, the EFI is a great alternative to the Rochester and Carter 4bbl carbs driven by mechanical fuel pumps (52 and up).  EFI is NOT a great alternative to the older Carter 2bbl carbs, which are more trouble-free when mated to the cooler-running 331 engine from 49-51.

[TJ Hopland]

Yes transmission control is an often overlooked detail that often turns out to me more complex than expected.   Cables can be a pain but if you are dealing with rods I could see it being extra complicated.    Throttle linkage itself isn't always easy even if it started out as a cable.