[WillyBear]

I'm well versed with carbs (Holley/QuickFuel/Edelbrock) and after getting them dialed in, find them to work perfectly fine and operate reliably for many years w/o any maintenance. I wouldn't disagree that EFI has some advantages and have considered. Then I read many horror stories about fussy glitchyness and people being held hostage by computers and get stuck w/o a way out. Currently, I'm perfectly content with my carbs and have put aside feeling that EFI is necessary or even an upgrade overall. The fact that I don't need an app to adjust my carburetor is comforting. On the flip side, I'm sure many people enjoy that aspect for good reasons. I suppose being fine with carbs in 2022 officially makes me "old school." I'm cool with that. Just like I prefer vacuum tube guitar amps and analog gear.

 

[WillyBear]

As relates to keeping the Mustang "vintage," I think there needs to be some clarification on if that means to keep it stock or not. Point is, where do you draw the line? Is it ok to add better shocks and springs or does that make if not feel vintage because it now has an improved ride. Do you leave the original pedal assembly and not go rollerized because it will feel too smooth and easier on the leg. Do you stick with 3 gears instead of 5+ so you can feel your brain needlessly rattle on a road trip for hours on end and leave more cash at gas stations along the way. Do you go out of your way to find radial tires for a "better" ride quality?

Most would agree that there's no right or wrong answer. Well maybe that's too optimistic/idealistic and reality is we'll tend to believe our own ways and habits of rationalizing and forming perceptions are right thereby making others wrong. Without getting too deep, there's a wide range of "where do YOU stop" and decide to draw the line. For some, it's anything that makes it look modernized on the outside (about where I'm at but the second you open the hood, or crawl under the car, expect something much better than stock). For others, so long as a modification provides additional power, improved efficiency, added durability, safety, then why not step further outside the original box.

I've done a lot to my Mustang to make it not drive like a primitive vehicle by today's standards. The net result is that it just makes it even more fun and enjoyable to drive while at the same time safer, more reliable, better acceleration and deceleration capabilities, improved engine/exhaust sound, etc. That said, the carb still plays well in today's world of new and improved options and there's not enough compelling reasons to pull me over to adding technology that hasn't been designed/built to be widely reliable just yet. On the other hand, I don't love carbs to the point that If I were buying a new vehicle, I'd be wishing it had a carb instead of EFI. I feel the big companies are held to standards to produce generally solid products, however, after-market is not. If there's one substantial benefit I view EFI offers, it would be the freedom to travel great distances while encountering massive elevation changes while adjusting automatically to the fluctuations of available oxygen. Or should I prefer the stock design where the engine just refuses to function and you have to wait for hours to cool down so you can change jets, in an inconvenient location, only to have to change them again in an hour or less when altitude is a few thousand feet higher or lower.