looking for truth about carbs..., do they really ruin your engine? Options

[pete914]

so,
i know a lot of people on here must be running carbs with stock a stock cam. everyone knows about Dr. 914's advice about putting a carb on your engine.
i've posted on here before that i'm thinking about moving my 1.8L to a FI setup from the POS carb that's on there now. reason being i don't want to ruin my engine as i need it to keep chugging (around 92k on there now) for another 3 years until i'm out of school. However, this is going to be quite an undertaking in that i will have to remove the gas tank, fuel lines, find wires that have been cut from the exit on the firewall, as well as install the FI system having zero experience.

right now (i'm a student spending my savings) i just want reliability. If i put a single (appropriate sized...what is the appropriate size?)carb on the car am i still risking wearing out my engine "twice as fast"? i feel like a single weber would be a plug and play option and allow me to save a little $ and a lot of time in the installation. again, performance is not my main goal here.
i have access to a garage and the full gambit of tools, ijust don't know if i want to spend the time and headache installing an FI system (although i do love working on the car). i feel like i might be getting in over my head especially because there isn't anyone in the immediate area to turn to if things head south.
thus far the work i've completed on the car is minimal:

adjusted valves
switched tranny mounts
switched alternator and harness
installed heating system

that's pretty much my experience, period.
whaddya think?

your opinions are appreciated.

[jk76.914]

I agree that the progressive weber is OK, though not optimal. Should be reliable if you rebuild it. I had it on two cars in the '70s and it was fine. When you rebuild it, set the throttle stop screw (a teeny set screw) very carefully. If it's in too far, the throttle can stick closed, and if it's out too far you'll never get the idle down.

Main issue with winter approaching is that it isn't heated, sitting up there on its throne and with all that cold air rushing past on the way to cool the engine. Carb throat can freeze up on humid days, and either freeze the throttle (open or closed) or throttle the car to where it won't move.

As far as washing down the cylinder walls- well, I know of a lot of D-Jets that are running so rich that they smell like diesel buses... go figure.