Let me make a couple of points:
1. "You can spend just as much on a carb as you can on an entire FI system....". As soon as some carb manufacturer comes out with a carb that starts at $2K (starting price for a third party FI system) is when that statement becomes true. However, since most street carbs are in the $400-700 range, your statement is blatantly false. If you are pointing towards racing carbs, that is an apples to oranges camparison, the $2K fuel injection systems are not race ready, so you would be comparing a low cost street FI system to a very high priced race carb system.
2. If you undestand how carbs work, they are far easier to keep adjusted than the FI is, without the need to read data streams, or the multiple thousand/tens of thousands/hundreds of thousands of dollares worth of equipment needed to look at those data streams. You want to use data stream reading diagnostic computers, people familliar with carbs would use things like fuel/air meters, compression/vacuum gauges, timing lights, dwell meters, etc. and all of those combined would cost 1/10 of what your diagnostic equipment would for reading data streams. Difference is, the "old school" equipment reads stuff directly, not through the accumulated interpretations of the sensor, computer, and then diagnostic equipment. And guess what, that same leak down tester many not even be required, if you know how to read a compression and vacuum gauge. Takes a little bit longer, but most of the people here are not on the clock.
3. Also note, your example of "I dont know how many threads I have seen here where people have thrown a half dozen parts on to not fix the issue, and the recommendations are to throw more parts on instead of doing actual diagnostic procedures" is also a very gross misinterpretation of what the situation is. None of the people here are there in person to witness what is going on, or to hear/see/feel the problem first hand, and the experience level of the people who are having the problems are quite varied. Some of us are here to learn, and we don't know it all; that is why the board exists, for members to help each other out, and to learn from each other. in addition, I posted about my Dodge Caravan not starting. Guess what? On the Chrysler mini-van site, I was given a list of parts to change; camshaft position sensor, crank postion sensor, and so on and so on. End result was that the van got scrapped. I didn't happen to have a piece of diagnostic equipment that would "let me read the data stream". The diagnostic system would cost more than what the van was worth.
Guess what? Cars before fuel injection, computers, and OBD II came along existed. The cars worked well and reliably. Fuel injection works well, but so do carbs. OBD II helps with diagnostics, but so does knowing how a carb, ignition, and cars in general work.
As for whether or not you can run a 500 HP LA engine with a carb, sure you can. Has been done in the past, will be done in the future. But then again, another apples and oranges comparison. Just because you don't know how to make something like that work, doesn't mean it isn't possible. Ever hear of a six pack? Ever look through the Indy Cylinder Head ads in most of the Mopar magazines? How about a 415" LA stroker (Magnum, but same basic engine) with MA-X heads making 520 HP and 500 ft.-lbs. torque? On a carb, delivered to your door for $US7695? Or a 440" LA stroker with 600 HP, 550 ft.-lbs. torque for $US10,995? Again, on a carb. Both sold as street engines. Not just me talking, on page 22 of the Feb.2016 issue of Mopar Muscle magazine (TV announcer voice: " On newsstands now").
I understand your enthusiasm for FI. But there is more than one way to skin a cat. You like EFI. Great, more power to you. However, this is an FMJ bodies board. The 707 HP Hellcat is a great engineering masterpiece, and the Chrysler (sorry FCA) engineering team deserves all the accolades that they have received for this engine. However, it is only of academic interest, has nothing to do with FMJ bodies. And, outside of third party fuel injection systems, neither do multi-thousand dollar diagnostic systems, OBD II, or factory fuel injection systems, because (with the exception of the ill-fated Imperial system) our cars didn't come with them. My daily driver 2006 Monte Carlo SS has factory fuel injection, and I enjoy driving it. But I also know that if something does go bad with the fuel injection system, I will probably need to visit the dealer, with probably $2-3K in my pocket, or don't bother visiting. My J bodies on the other hand, all have carbs. If I have a problem with them, I buy a new carb (a $350-450 carb, not an $800 carb). It may take a while for me to figure out, but they are not depended on for daily use. I also don't fear them breaking down; at worst, I will have to replace an engine ($179 at the Pick-N-Pull) or a transmission ($139 at the Pick-N-Pull). If I have a serious engine or transmission problem with the Monte Carlo, I need to seriously think about scrapping the car; no replacements at Pick-N-Pull, so a new engine is ~$10K, a new transmission is ~$6K, and this assumes that the dealer doesn't spend a day or two "diagnosing the problem" to the tune of another ~$2K. We have cars that are 25-38 years old. They will probably go another 30 years, or longer. Where do you think today's wondermobiles will be in 20 years? I think they will be at the scrap heap, decomposing, while the FMJs drive by.
So, my major point is, this isn't the right board to be talking ODB II, multiple thousand dollar diagnostic systems, and small displacement gazillion speed transmission type cars. Like the Hellcat, they are of interest, but that is pretty much where it stops. If that is what people are interested in, they would not be working on, and driving FMJs.
