Carburetor on an '87 5.0?

[rtz]

Here's my situation. '87 5.0, basically stock, 160,000 miles. It will need a rebuild in the near future.

Here are my options.

1.) Just keep it stock and maintain what I got. That's the cheapest route and the most boring.

2.) Rebuild the short block. Get after market heads with 1.90 or 1.94 valves and 54cc chambers so I can have ~10:1 compression. Aftermarket cam.


Now the hard part.

Keep my current fuel injection setup, or upgrade it.

A Mass Air Meter for the 24lb injectors and 24lb injectors. Some upper/lower intake, 155lph or 190lph fuel pump.

Or Carburator and intake and fuel pump.

The carb route is a LOT cheaper, but will it be better? What about getting an inspection sticker for it around here?

The fuel injection route will be a lot more money.

I can't make up my mind, and I'm looking for someone who's been here and done this before for some advice.

For exhaust, I'm going to run chrome shorty headers, high flow cat x pipe, and flowmaster cat back exhaust.

I've currently got equal length shorties and I don't like them. Full lengths are too much of a pain to install.

What is the best combo as far as taking a stock short block, and get which heads, cam and intake? Carb or fuel injection?

Keep in mind that I'm going to be installing all of this stuff myself.

This will be on a 5 speed car with 3.27's. It will also be all motor, because I can't justify the need or the expense to get a blower, turbo, or run nitrous. Sure I'd love to have that stuff, and I would if I had a lot of money, but I don't. And this is a daily driver.