Can I install a Carburetor on a 1983 Mercury Grand Marquis?

Reader Question Mr. Davis;

Love your newsletters, I like to read up on other issues even if I don’t own that car to have more knowledge.

My question is: I own a 1983 Mercury Grand Marquis. It came all flubbed up, as the previous owner tried to eliminate the Emissions system thinking it would make it more powerful, etc. He eliminated the cats, and bypassed some of the vaccum system. The computer system didn’t like that, and read that the car needed to be run extra rich which made the car basically dump gas in the system. The owner got fed up with having to spend so much money on gas and every 4 months or so removing the spark plugs to clean them due to being fouled by fuel.

Now that you know the back story…I’m seriously thinking of switching the TBI to Carb, and eliminate the computer system entirely from the air fuel mixture process. A friend says I don’t need to get a new distributor at all, but I think otherwise. This distributor that is in it you can’t adjust. The computer adjusts things for you. If I eliminate that from the process, wont I need to get a new distributor that I can adjust myself?

I plan on getting Edelbrock manifold, carb (4 barrell), and air breather. Seems rather odd to slip in Edelbrock into a Grand marquis, but…I always like doing things that aren’t exactly normal. 🙂

If you could give some insight as to what I should be getting (distributor wise, and anything else I don’t know about) to switch a system from TBI to carb I’d appreciate it. Also, your personal opinion on whether I should go Edelbrock, or another…like Holley, etc. Oh, and I don’t live in a county where they test emissions, so no worries.
Thank you SO much for your time. I know you must be super busy.

Doug

Hello there Doug,

Sounds like you have a project on your hands alright. I don’t think you will need to do anything with the distributor BUT the computer is controlling the spark advance, so the engine will run as is with a carb attached, but it probably wont run good…..since the spark advance is computer controlled.

BUTTTT you should replace the carb and manifold and try it first before you replace the distributor.

If the engine runs bad, lack of power etc. then go to a junk yard and get a non computer distributor with a plain old vacuum advance on the side and attach vacuum to it.

Blessings,

Austin Davis