Rebuilding my first car, 1984 Dodge Rampage. Im not the smartest car guy HELP!!!!!

[parker]

Hello everyone,

I have a 1984 dodge rampage. It was my first car and when I was younger I was rough on cars. this one has had 3 or 4 different engines in it. I got to the point where I could take one out and back in again in a day HAHAHA. the last one I rebuilt and in typical 2.2 fashion it got a little hot and well this time im doing it right. my father used to race 2.2 when I was younger. I know I can get rid of the crappie stock electrical system and Holley carb. But need help finding and do it. My father found a mallory duel point distributor that replaced the electrical system and was able to mount a holley 350 carb and get rid of everything else. If there is anyone out there that knows of this distributor please let me know...and any other little tips. Im about to just go out and buy a remand long block off Ebay.

[cordes]

Why stay with a carb?

Why not source the motor from the JY for cheap?

[parker]

thats y I am here for help and Advise. but I do want to get rid of the stock system. It has failed me to many times. and I know there are so many guys out there that love there turbo systems but that not for me either. but im open to all ideas. I want it done good this time

---------- Post added at 02:34 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:32 PM ----------

junk yard motors are great if they work and im not looking forward to rebuilding one again. and I know they will give me another one to replace it if it dont work but they dont cover my labor of taking it back out and there new one back in

[cordes]

You could run it as a TBI car by pulling everything off of a TBI omni or horizon. That would be a pretty cheap way to do it. You could run megasquirt and use a turbo intake and injectors for MPFI, but that would be a lot more work.

[ScottD]

Why stay with a carb?

Carb hater!! :-)

Parker - check out my 85 Turismo 2.2 project log here. I converted the car to a Weber carb and did a couple of other things. It runs great and is very reliable.

In fact I could make the argument a carb car is more reliable than an injected car simply because there is less to go wrong.

[Subliminal]

I'd think with a bit of looking you could find a perfectly respectable 2.2t or 2.5t with whatever flavor of tranny you want and just do a little electronics conversion and you're good to go with fuel injection and boost. There are plenty of guys on here running that exact combo who should be able to help you out with the transition, and plenty of documenting threads on the matter.

[cordes]

Carb hater!! :-)

Parker - check out my 85 Turismo 2.2 project log here. I converted the car to a Weber carb and did a couple of other things. It runs great and is very reliable.

In fact I could make the argument a carb car is more reliable than an injected car simply because there is less to go wrong.

I just can't justify the amount of money I've read it takes to make one of these cars run really well with a carb. EFI is cheap in the yard and fairly fool proof if you have the wiring diagrams.


I'd think with a bit of looking you could find a perfectly respectable 2.2t or 2.5t with whatever flavor of tranny you want and just do a little electronics conversion and you're good to go with fuel injection and boost. There are plenty of guys on here running that exact combo who should be able to help you out with the transition, and plenty of documenting threads on the matter.

My thoughts exactly.

[ScottD]

I just can't justify the amount of money I've read it takes to make one of these cars run really well with a carb. EFI is cheap in the yard and fairly fool proof if you have the wiring diagrams.

How much money do you think it takes to make one of these run well with a carb? I put a new Weber 32/36 DFEV on my car for $269. You don't have to go new, I've seen several 32/36 DFEVs at $100 or less and in fact picked an extra one up for $40. Let's say worst case scenario, you buy a new carb for $269. Then you need a couple of plugs for the goofy emissions sensors in the thermostat housing in the head, they're like $2.50 each, so another $5. You take the throttle arm off the Holley and put it on the Weber. That's free. You remove the rest of the emissions garbage, like the charcoal canister, purge solenoid, EGR valve, and air pump. That's free. Install the Weber, get the fast idle set, get the base idle set, then get the air/fuel mix set, done. Worst case you're in for $274, best case you get get a decent Weber used and you stay under $100.

Going to TBI, you could probably get the wiring harness, computer, intake, throttle body injection, fuel tank, fuel pump all used for $200 if you got lucky and found a complete donor car. Then you'll need either an intake/exhaust manifold gasket at the minimum if you can do that in the car ($20?) or head gasket and head bolts ($50 total?) if the head needs to come off to get the manifolds swapped. Plus I think you'd need to get metal fuel lines from an MPFI or TBI L-body, the carb fuel lines are different, so you'd need to get some fuel injection hose too, which isn't cheap, so right there the cost is probably the same, but the work involved is a heck of a lot more in going to TBI.

After putting 8k on my carb'd Turismo the last 12 mos, I don't see a benefit to going to TBI. It starts every time and idles smooth. In the cold weather it gets 23 in town, 25/26 in town in warmer weather, and on the few straight highway trips I've done I've gotten 30mpg. And that's with an upgraded exhaust, ported head w/ OS valves, a UD pulley, and 180 deg tstat.

If one is to do all the work to go to fuel injection, you might as well skip TBI and go straight to MPFI w/ a turbo.

[BadAssPerformance]

Hello everyone,

Welcome to the Forum!

[cordes]

How much money do you think it takes to make one of these run well with a carb? I put a new Weber 32/36 DFEV on my car for $269. You don't have to go new, I've seen several 32/36 DFEVs at $100 or less and in fact picked an extra one up for $40. Let's say worst case scenario, you buy a new carb for $269. Then you need a couple of plugs for the goofy emissions sensors in the thermostat housing in the head, they're like $2.50 each, so another $5. You take the throttle arm off the Holley and put it on the Weber. That's free. You remove the rest of the emissions garbage, like the charcoal canister, purge solenoid, EGR valve, and air pump. That's free. Install the Weber, get the fast idle set, get the base idle set, then get the air/fuel mix set, done. Worst case you're in for $274, best case you get get a decent Weber used and you stay under $100.

Going to TBI, you could probably get the wiring harness, computer, intake, throttle body injection, fuel tank, fuel pump all used for $200 if you got lucky and found a complete donor car. Then you'll need either an intake/exhaust manifold gasket at the minimum if you can do that in the car ($20?) or head gasket and head bolts ($50 total?) if the head needs to come off to get the manifolds swapped. Plus I think you'd need to get metal fuel lines from an MPFI or TBI L-body, the carb fuel lines are different, so you'd need to get some fuel injection hose too, which isn't cheap, so right there the cost is probably the same, but the work involved is a heck of a lot more in going to TBI.

After putting 8k on my carb'd Turismo the last 12 mos, I don't see a benefit to going to TBI. It starts every time and idles smooth. In the cold weather it gets 23 in town, 25/26 in town in warmer weather, and on the few straight highway trips I've done I've gotten 30mpg. And that's with an upgraded exhaust, ported head w/ OS valves, a UD pulley, and 180 deg tstat.

If one is to do all the work to go to fuel injection, you might as well skip TBI and go straight to MPFI w/ a turbo.

I've got a really cheap JY around me so that influences what I view as cheap. I bet I could get out of a JY with a full TBI conversion for a little over $100. If I could find a Webber carb for cheap I would throw it on my blue omni and call it a day though.

[parker]

I am with you I personally love Carbs. Hate the stock model however Hahahah I will def check out what you have