[BlazinC5]

When I was kid, looking into ideas for a career, My father and I had quite a few discussions. One of them was about beeing an auto mechanic. His personal take on it was of course the old school thought of things. Saying things like, there are lots of backyard mechanics out there to compete with and vehicles are getting harder to work on every year. And why they need a computer to run makes no sence when a carb works just fine. After being talked into being a machinist instead and around 20 yrs later, Was he rite? Well, yes and no.
Pesonally, I find the new stuff harder to get my dang hands into when working in the tighter spaces, not so much about figuring out what is wrong with it, like my dad was thinking.. An OBD2 code reader isn't all that expencive, especialy one from walmart. And they can tell you what is wrong down to what plug was misfiring. Sure seems to help eliminate the guesswork. My first EFI engine was a 87 camaro with a TPI 305. I had no idea how it worked I just wanted the car. But I went throught the whole engine bay, fixing all the typical white trash wire rats nests, disconnects, and faulty parts, learning from books on how and why it works the way it does. I Also learned how simple it really is. Since then EFI to me is the way to go.
If you get rite down to it, EFI is just a monitoring system that says "ok, add fuel, spark the plugs did I get it right? oops, adjust and try it again, is it rite now,, If it ain't that idiot light is going to come on cuz something is jacked the F up in here buddy." Compaired to carbs, similar results, just a different way of doing it.
I haven't decided on exactly what engine I will be putting into my 71, But I know it will be LS. I have read every post in this thread and I also notice people complaining about the added wires, electronic gas pedal, hiding the computer/ ect. Stuff that don't look very good in most peoples eyes. And we'll just leave the plastic cover issue alone. lol.. But, I say get creative to hide it. nothing says a wire has to be exposed. So tuck it away, loom it, make a cover of your own for it. We who build these trucks are just redesigning what is already out there, rite? so mod it up if your so concerned. My truck does need a whole new engine reguardless and the way I would want an old school 350, it would cost close to the same as putting in a salvage yard 5.3. So I feel upgrading to the newer stuff would be beneficial in some respect of stock fuel ecconomy/H.P. even though the work and effort to do so is alot more. But hey,,, It's a hobby to me, half the fun is trying to figure things out and make it truly mine...
BTW, a few years before my dad had a stroke and could no longer drive or work on stuff, he did embrace the new tech stuff pretty well, Course that took some late nights of BSin and many a bottles too convincing.