"what we fail to understand, we will fear......"
You;re caught in the middle. Its probably just as expensive to go either way since you're not fully aware of what kind of bubba build the PO dropped on you and you KNOW that some facts were omitted for the sake of the sale.......
The EFI TB system is SOOOOOO simple that ever Larry the cable guy could install it and make it work. Whats hard about a throttle body with 2 injectors and a couple sensors that do NOT need to be messed with constantly? Thats what ends up happening...people treat sensors like adjusting screws thinking they will "get sumthin" more out of it and they make a mess of the motor..
A carb is just as complicated or MORE with its multiple stages for fuel and not nearly as precise. If it was as precise there would be no need to develope EFI.. ...wow. Moving ahead to yesterday...back to the future inverted.
How to get headed somewhere and work toward a running engine?
If you want, take it ALL off and get to a bare block w/heads.
Get your intake manifold of choice. Get your appropiate carb...bigger is NOT better here. No more than 650cfm or maybe 750 for a stock block & exhaust & cam. If you want to run it hard get a mech secondary. Vac secondaries are too prone to bogging down when you stand on the pedal and the engine is outside of its power band. All noise no go. Mechs that are set to only open at 3/4 pedal assures you that the motor can use the fuel/air and that its spun up enough to move and not bog. Plus you can control the fuel use better.
Get some sort of FAN control. There are dozens. ANything from always on to a control by a thermostat to run at a preset temp.
Figure out IF you have to have the smog stuff...it does NOT hurt anything and things like PCV, EGR and knock sensors(oppps...can;t have that !..thats computer junk designed to save your engine from blowing itself to pieces) so scratch the knock sensor but find what else you have to have and get it installed and you;re done. Your engine will run fine with a carb, and EGR and PCV. EGR may be tricky since it was part of computer stuff...but they can be made to work on vac only..
Probably cheaper to make it TPI again and use it like the 100's of thousands of other TPI engines out there.But if its been TOO bubba'd....
. its gonna be costly either way.
Good luck
