Need advice from anyone with an automatic transmission or engine expertise

[Snake2998]

My Cobra is the only automatic I have ever owned in fifty years of car ownership and I must say that i find it a really nice combination that suits the whole torque profile and low speed low rev cruising ambiance of the Cobra. And even on the race track I can stick it in second and comfortably do 60% of our local race track without a gearchange or dropping below 3000 RPM which suits the torque curve of my engine. (A Chevy 383 with TH400)

[mdbound2005]

Thanks for all the advice gentleman

This car will only be used for street driving, and will never be raced.

In regards to the automatic transmission, I have a little bit of a knee issue but I also want to cruise in the car without the need for manual shifting.

In regards to carbureted versus EFI, I was initially going to go for EFI (because I wanted less smell in my garage) until I was told the difference in smell between the two is nearly negligible nowadays and the carbureted engines are just as reliable without the need for tinkering (I would not be changing altitudes and the weather in Los Angeles never gets too hot or too cold).

The engine would be professionally installed and tuned, so I just wanted to see if you guys thought that if I would be better off with carbureted vs. EFI or whether you think the end result in drivability would be the same

[joyridin']

Originally Posted by mdbound2005

Thanks for all the advice gentleman

This car will only be used for street driving, and will never be raced.

In regards to the automatic transmission, I have a little bit of a knee issue but I also want to cruise in the car without the need for manual shifting.

In regards to carbureted versus EFI, I was initially going to go for EFI (because I wanted less smell in my garage) until I was told the difference in smell between the two is nearly negligible nowadays and the carbureted engines are just as reliable without the need for tinkering (I would not be changing altitudes and the weather in Los Angeles never gets too hot or too cold).

The engine would be professionally installed and tuned, so I just wanted to see if you guys thought that if I would be better off with carbureted vs. EFI or whether you think the end result in drivability would be the same

I can only guess the same person that told you about the car having so much horsepower is the same person that told you a carburated engine is the same as a fuel injected engine?

[olddog]

Originally Posted by mdbound2005

I just wanted to see if you guys thought that if I would be better off with carbureted vs. EFI or whether you think the end result in drivability would be the same

Carbs pros:
can make a lot of power.
are cheaper. (single carb setup)
they were original equipment in Cobras.

Carbs Cons:
Fuel may boil over when shut off.
Vapor lock.
Choke dump to much fuel on start up, contaminating oil.
Engine flooding.
Lean condition can backfire flames up the carb.
Cobra acceleration can uncover the jets and stall engine. (common)
Tuning happens at one condition.
They develop leaks.
Fewer and fewer expert tuners are still alive today.
Generally use with a mechanical distributor (vacuum and centrifugal advance)
Many certified mechanics today have never worked on a Carb.

EFI pros:
Controls both fuel and timing (shift points too).
Infinitely tune-able
compensates for temp, altitude, and sensor calibration drift.
Lower emissions
Better fuel mileage.
Consistent perfect fuel on start up (no flooding).
Timing curve can be shaped to fit the engine needs.
Can retard timing and save engine with knock sensors.
Easily handle boost.
Will rev limit the engine.
Uses timing to rapidly respond to idle rpm changes - shifting auto into gear.
Mechanic everywhere understand EFI.

EFI Cons:
Initial cost.
Self tuning is a steep learning curve.
Radical cam engines are difficult to tune

Note not all EFI systems are the same. This is another huge subject.

EFI engines last longer and can go further between oil changes, because the fuel control is not washing the cylinder walls down with too much fuel on cold starts, as a carb does.

[MKS427]

Originally Posted by mdbound2005

Thanks for all the advice gentleman


In regards to carbureted versus EFI, I was initially going to go for EFI (because I wanted less smell in my garage) until I was told the difference in smell between the two is nearly negligible nowadays and the carbureted engines are just as reliable without the need for tinkering (I would not be changing altitudes and the weather in Los Angeles never gets too hot or too cold).

The engine would be professionally installed and tuned, so I just wanted to see if you guys thought that if I would be better off with carbureted vs. EFI or whether you think the end result in drivability would be the same

The gas smell can possibly be captured with a charcoal filter in the fuel tank vent line. Remember to put a loop in it.
If you are going with a big cam, EFI is the way to go to keep the drive ability at lower RPMs. I'd recommend double collectors with O2 bungs in the headers. Some people have issues if the sensor is too far down stream. Visit GP Headers website for a visual.