Have an 81 Elky, 305 V8. I'm thinking of replacing the computer controlled distributor and carburetor with standard versions. I don't live in a state that has rigid smog inspections, etc. Looking for a little more reliability, and better performance.

Looking for suggestions from those who may have done this before. It's my understanding that 81 was the first year to use the computer controlled systems. Could I just use a distributor and carb from a 1980 model with the same engine?

Glassman

Any non CCC HEI will work. You can get cheap new ones from Summit and Jegs for cheap. Depending on what you want to run for a carb, you may consider an intake change also. A lot of people like Q-jets. But finding someone who can tune them is getting harder and harder. If you go with a Holley or Edelbrock change to a square flange intake manifold. Some people have had issues with the adapters to mount a square bore carb to a spread bore intake.

Call up http://www.guaranteedcarbs.com/ and they can send you a non CCC carb that would fit a 1978-1980. Send them your old CCC carb and for $188 they send you a newly rebuilt one. When I got mine back from them, it looked like it was brand new and ran great. For a distributor, any non computer HEI would work great. I got a Flamethrower from Summit, but any one should work fine.

The carb I have is almost brand new, but it is a CCC carb. Could I just leave the CCC carb on it and just change the distributor? If I understand this carb, the only thing the computer really controls is the idle mixture isn't it? The mains are all standard jets, etc. so I'd think it could stay in place.

glassman, to answer your question about keeping the CCC carb. Yes the car will start and run. Will you like the way it does it - NO Let me see if I can say that another way NO _ NO _ NO
By by CCC carb :bat_angel:

The computer on your car controlls spark advance through the distributor and part throttle mixture through your carb. I learned this the hard way on my 1988 Monte. I replaced the CCC carb without swapping the distributor. The car started and ran, but would fall flat on its face when you hit the gas because I wasn't getting any spark advance. To do this correctly, you have to keep both the carb and distributor because they work together, or replace them both.

Ditto to Badmoon's comments. Go either all CCC or no CCC. Possibly the only alternative would be to install an early style HEI, but plug in the computer distributor's module to the computer harness, thereby "tricking" the computer into thinking the distributor is still there. I can't see what you would gain, though. The knock sensor in the CCC system always keeps the timing on the edge of detonation. It would take a lot of advance curve tuning to duplicate what the computer is already doing with the stock distributor. Your money might be better spent on a re-programmed chip for the computer, or maybe some secondary metering rods to fatten the mixture at WOT.

Bill

I had an '85 the computer died in it too a total of about three hourse to do the complete swap 2 hours of which was disconnecting and removing all the junk. If you go to any local shop you can get a basic sb chevy intake for about $100 the carb of your choice for about $300or less and a new MSD Streetfire dist for about $150 bit pricy but the car will run a lot better. You shouldn't have to cange the manifold if you use a quadrajet but the EGR valve will get in the way of anything else