gm, TBI efi to replace a carb. Doable?

Will be getting my 356 this week, and the first thing I would like to do is get the carb off of it. :) Maybe. Unless its quick the way it is. I personally have only owned chevy v8's and one 4 cyl turbo (tbird). I am afraid that though i love the look of the widebody 356, that it will be too slow for my tastes. The single barrel throttle body injection systems have been used on many 4cyl gm engines and in theory would be an cheap efi upgrade for a vw.

I can tune on the fly my tbi systems now etc.. so its more my bag than carbs...

Just gathering thoughts on what may be a ludicris idea to you all...

BTW, expect to see me often here. :)

If youre interested in gm efi. check out

www.thirdgen.org tbi board and diy efi boards.

Hey Nic, welcome...
You sound like one of those guys that gets written about in Hot VW's magazine and such. This bit of alphabet soup youproffered, does that mean you use a laptop computer in the car and that all your engine stuff is hooked to it?

If so, where does one learn how to do that?

I have shyed (Theron, when are we gonna' get speelcheck?)away from a few fuel delivery options because it just seems to complicated.

Curious,mellow.
MM

EFI is great until you have problems, then it's a PITA. Of course if you use a well designed system and maintain it properly you shouldn't have problems. I like carburetors simply because I can probably repair them at the side of the road if necessary, and for their traditional look on a Speedster.

But if you want to make best power EFI and an engine management system are the way to go. And of course add a turbo for BIG power...

well, like i said go to the website i posted above...

I would use a GM ecm and all gm wiring etc... Gm has produced thousands of vehicles and spent plenty of time perfecting it pretty well. It's even better after you simplify it and get rid of some extra sensors and bs. Now you can even change the source code within the ecm to create special functions to help tuning. Once you learn it, its pretty set and tuning on the fly has dramatically cut down tuning time.

But what i was wondering is, how much actually air and fuel would be needed for the engine to run. a single throttle body is 48mm and injector size would probably be 40 pounds per hour. Is that too much fuel/air?

Thanks.

nic, wouldn't you model a system to c.c.'s and than use o2
sensor/airfuel ratio for fine tuning?
btw----i've been collecting bits and pieces for a turbo system for
my speedter, currently i have a sidedraft draw through setup i made.
but that system is a little cluttered/clunky. when i get around to
it [keyword "when"] i wanted to adapt a cis fuel injection from an
early rabbit[ very simple setup]. thats a ways off. but i'm always
interested in efi alternatives. turbocity makes a mocked up system
using gm efi pieces, you probably already know.
keep us updated on your thoughts/progress---bruce

There is a system in the CB catalog that has a under dash 4 knob control unit.
I think it is sold as a kit with all the stuff you need for converting a carb type I vw.
CFI digital pg14

It seems like you should get one of their catalogs, tweekers perfomance porn A+

www.cbperformance.com

EFI Seems like a lot of extra crap to me. and $$ too.

Twin webers dump plenty of gas into most type 1's. I will stick with em.

I'm chasing down a cold start problem with the CIS in my 911 pickup. Old fuel injection trouble shooting is a PITA. I thought about converting to carbs...unitl I priced them...$3000.00 (Ouch)
Ron

ron, i'm far from an expert [very far], but most systems have a temp. sensor coupled with a cold start enrichment circuitor xtra injector.
good luck with yours

Yeah, cold start valves in VW and Porsche CIS systems can be a problem.

The thing is that i know TBI very well. I could tune it without too much trouble and would get rid of a few sensors like knock sensor and idle air temp sensor. the coolant temp sensor would need take out too and probably set all at constants or i could rig the cts to a pot and adjust it as i drive etc... watching my oil temp or something i guess. Mainly, the system would have one injector or maybe 2 if i converted to dual intakes instead of the single carb setup it has now. then i would have the tps sensor 02 and the ecm and that would be about it. I think i might be able to get it too run not too shabby. However, I got the car tonight at 9pm cst. Its 955. I showed it too a few people. It is running VERY rich and has a bit of a bog in mid rpms if im not in the right gear. I dont know how high i can rev it either. What is redline on one of these. A few other questions... How do i open the engine cover and hood? :) really, i dont know. I also dont know what the lever next to my ebrake is that says temp. I would love to talk to somebody about the car. Some say its a cmc from another post i made. I will look at it more closely tomorrow in the daylight. O, also, the top wont stretch to fit... does it need to be really warm? how does the front latch? anything else i need to know? Thanks... I am as newbie as it gets when it comes to this car.

No one has bit on this yet so let me get you started. First off, I have an IM and am not familiar with your car, but am guessing they are all pretty much the same.

Don't know the redline, but you should be OK to 5000. Anyone else comment?

To open the engine cover there should be a knob on the drivers side door post. When you are in the driver's seat, it will be about at your left elbow. Pull to release. To open the hood, look under the dash for a knob. Probably by your left knee when you are in the driver's seat. Pull to open.

The lever next to the ebrake is the heater. When you pull it up and back, it opens the gate in the heater boxes and allows air that has been heated by the engine's exhaust to come into the car. IMs have a fan, not sure if others do or not. Original VWs had no fan. There may be a knob under the dash by your right knee that switches from heat to defrost.

The top may have velcro edges that can be pulled up, tightened, and reattached.

Don't be afraid to ask questions, Nic. One thing about this forum is that we love to help fellow replica owners.
Ron

ok... it was dark when i got the car so i couldnt see the levers... i found them all in the morning and solved some other issues. task at hand now is in solving a brake problem... see newbie post...