u/gtramontelli

As the title says, I made the switch from the stock CFI to an edelbrock performer rpm intake and holley 4bbl carb. I'm really happy with the performance change - it definitely feels like there's a direct relationship between what my foot does to the gas pedal and what the car does. With the CFI it was like my throttle foot was more of a suggestion. But now I have all of these wires that the mechanic tucked into the corners. I would like to clean up the engine bay but I don't want to just cut them out. Is there a clean way to hide them without hacking up the harness?

So my 1985 gt vert has cfi and aod, and it's a real dog. I am planning a manual swap but everything I've read and the techs at LMR said that cfi and manual don't play nice. So I'm having an edelbrock performer rpm intake and holley 1850 carb installed, with supporting fuel mods and an HEI distributor. I'm hoping the car runs a bit better than it did with the cfi - it had weird idle problems. What can I expect in terms of power and throttle response? I've never had a carbed car before, I hear they're more responsive.

Pic is my lifter valley... good news is that even though I have a flat tappet cam, my block is roller capable.

I'm trying to accomplish a specific goal with my 1985 GT Convertible. When I was a kid, my older cousin had an 86 5.0 hatchback that I just thought was the coolest car in the world. It definitely shaped my perception of cars in general and made me fall in love with muscle cars. What I remember the most about it was how violent and snappy it felt. The car was a 306 with GT40 top end, 3.55 gears, and was generally pretty mild by the standards of some of the cars that we see today. I think it may have been a high 12, low 13 sec car on slicks. It's the way the power was delivered that I found addictive. It accelerated with drama.

Since then I've had a pretty heavily modified 2000 GT, with a vortech blower, cams, built motor, 3.73s, etc. It was way faster on paper and on the track than my cousin's car but it didn't have the same "feel." At its peak it dynoed 450rwhp. But that car was a bit too much for the street. Even with 315 drag radials, traction was non existent in 1st and 2nd gear and the complexity of the blower meant that there was always a gremlin or funny smell that freaked me out.

For my 85, my goal is a weekend cruiser that I can take my family for ice cream with the top down, but I also want to be able to scare them a little. The car will never see a track, I don't care about peak numbers or gas mileage. I want it to be reliable with a fat powerband and a similar feel to my cousin's 86.

This car is an AOD with CFI. I picked it up because it had no rust and only 35k miles on the odo (no one who has seen the car suspects the odo rolled over). So my first step is to swap to manual and the car is getting a performer rpm intake and conversion to holley 4barrel carb in the next week or 2 (will also include HEI and fuel system mods). Then the manual swap and I already purchased an 8.8 rear that I'm going to rebuild with 3.73s and a fresh set of clutches/bearings etc. Beyond that, a set of aluminum heads (I'm thinking the SVE 170s), a roller cam, and exhaust work should wrap it up. Is this a good plan for my intended goal? I'm not interested in any power adders. What would you do different?

Thanks, just sitting here planning out the build and hoping to achieve the outcome I'm after.