I am thinking about changing the stock carb and intake on my 1981 to a nonemissions edelbrock. Will this change have any negative affect on performance if I don't also change out the distributor to an earlier model, also, since it is also computer controlled? Secondly, is it worth changing the carb to get better performance, or can the stock one perform as well with other performance upgrades such as a larger cam (Edelbrock performer RPM), higher compression (9.5 to 1), headers, etc? Thanks in advance for any advice.

Also, Any tips on removing emissions equipment (A.I.R pump, egr, etc.) would be greatly appreciated.

 

You will need to change to earlier HEI. The oxygen sensor controls both timing and mixture. You must change both out together.

 

Well Big Bird, I hate to be so blunt but, to quote Oscar the Grouch, "Ding dong, you're wrong!"

I Replaced a Q-jet once with an Edelbrock performer and the result was underwelming! (Anybody want to buy a used Edelbrock I have sitting in a box in my garage?). The Rochester Quadrajet is a much better carburetor and the E4ME is it's highest refinement.

I'm running a higher compression engine (Dart heads, Flat top pistons), a considerably higher lift cam, headers and very open dual exhaust. The E4ME Carb keeps the mixture perfect: 14.7:1 cruising, 13:1 at WOT. I'm getting 350-400 hp, regularly humiliate Mustang owners and still get 18 mpg in town, all with (and because of) the stock computer, carb and distributor. I'm not sure what the performance limits of this set up are, but I would guess that unless you are running 600 hp or better, you'd be better off keeping the stock carb and distributor.

P.S. You can dump the EGR and AIR if the law allows. The computer won't notice the difference (but you probably won't either).

 

Ouch. I apologise, and am pleasantly pleased with your results. The proof is in the pudding, as they say. I mean that. I have the stock system in my Kalifornia car, and cannot ever remove it. I have also wodered if it would compensate for cam changes.
My answer was more directed to the fact he wanted to change carbs, and wondered if he could keep the computer and Comp HEI. Without the feedback carb, I think the comp would misdirect the timing trying to satisfy the oxygen sensor.
Did you have that problem when you ran the performer?

 

What Law?

Federal EPA laws say if it is driven on thr street you cannot disable/remove anything.
Save anything you take off.

 

Big Bird, thanks for having a sense of humor! The Q-jet I replaced with an Edelbrock was on my big block. I was getting 10 mpg and fell for Edelbrocks web site hype about better performance and "outstanding fuel economy in a big block". Well I immediately missed the thrill you get when those huge q-jet secondaries kick in, and I still got 10 mpg. I left it on for about a year until it started acting up, then I rebuilt the q-jet and put it back on.

You are correct that if you get rid of one (carb or distributor), you will need to replace both. The TPS on the carb affects the timing, and the computer totally freaks out if it does not get a pulse from the distributor. God bless, Sensei

 

I fitted the Performer non-emissions intake (2101?) to my '81 & it didn't reduce performance in any way (though I'm not sure if it increased it either ). Mine runs fine with all the emissions eqpt removed & the comp doesn't care about it.
If you change either the carb or dist to a non-computer one then you'll have to change both AFAIK.
Several people have run better cams, etc with the computer in place & it's happy with the changes. What you need to be careful about is the manifold vacuum at idle (the cam supplier should be able to tell you this). If its too low then the computer really will have problems & you'll have to change to a non-computer HEI & carb. Helpfully, I've forgotten what the minimum manifold vac the computer can handle is
If you do remove the emissions stuff then don't remove the TCC/EGR relay mounted on the firewall on the drivers side as this switches power to the TCC solenoid for TCC lockup. The rest of the stuff (AIR, EGR, EFE) can come off OK &, once removed, makes the computer system a whole lot easier to understand/diagnose.
If you've not done it already, spending the manifold money on 2 1/2" dual pipes will give a much better result than the intake will.
The carb can be modified to cope with a better breathing engine. The primaries are computer controlled (based on input from the O2 sensor), but the secondaries are plain old traditional secondaries using rods & jets to meter the fuel. You can swap these as for a normal Q-jet (I swapped the rods after fitting Headers & the result was grin factor 10 ).
If you remove the AIR system then you'll be left with the little tubes sticking out of the manifolds. I cut them off inside the manifolds (to aid gas flow) & spent $10 on getting somebody to TIG up the holes. Be careful with the manifolds as they are quite brittle & easily cracked (or just do what I did & fit some Headers as they cost about the same as replacement stock manifolds here).
You'll probably get a bunch of people telling you to junk the computer system as it's "junk". The way I see it is that if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Spend the money on something else (heads, cam, OD trans, beer, women...).