EFI question

[cavemanno1]

Can someone tell me how difficult is to convert a 383/440 from carburetor to EFI for improved driveability?
Is it a lot of work or doable at your garage?I know it has more pro then cons but why don't a lot of people convert it!A EFI system cost around 900-1000 bucks but on the long run it's cheaper,isn't it,No jet setting,rebuilding,difficult start when cold etc.

[Cooter]

Better think again if you want PORT fuel inj. Think more lije $4k and up...
A throttle body is nothing more than an electronic carb. You still have distribution issues with T body set ups.


MONEY.... that's why many don't convert.

[cavemanno1]

This is where i got the 1000 bucks price for EFI!

http://www.gmtuners.com/history/vs.htm

[green69rt]

I was actually leaning towards a TB EFI set up till I read a few of the posts on here and as Cooter said, there's not much to gain.   Maybe easier starting because of the computer control and maybe easier to tune but beyond that not much gain.   Cons are that you may need to do a electric fuel pump conversion and mostly will have to be willing to pay the bucks.   Myself, I am now leaning to a nice carb setup and spend some time on the ignition and carb tuning to get where I want to be.  My old charger ran fine on a Holley forty years ago and will run even better today with new technology and tuning methods.

It seem to me that the really good stuff doesn't happen till you go the port injection route and then you next you'll be wanting synchronized injection and on and on. 

[justcruisin]

 I wouldn't change my Quick fuel carb for a TB EFI, can't see the point for the extra cash. Any aftermarket EFI I have seen is $2000.00 plus. Where do you get one for 1K? The only advantage I see is self tuning but then if you are comparing it to a $200 carb with limited tuning its not really a fair comparison.

[cavemanno1]

The Facts:

                                                     Carbs            EFI

Winter Drivability:                         Poor                       Excellent

Summer Drivebility:                   Excellent                 Excellent

Skill Level Required:                  Average                  Advanced

Initial Cost:                                    $200+                        $1000       (typical)

Long-term cost:                            High                      Manageable

Performance:                                Good                          Better

Turbo-compatible:                        Poor                       Excellent

Supercharger-compatible:      Depends                   Excellent

N2O-compatible:                         Good                           Good

Emissions Friendly:                     Poor                        Excellent

"Wow" Factor:                              Fair                        Excellent

Reliability:                                    Good                      Excellent

Fuel Distribution:                         Fair                        Excellent  (Port and Direct)

Intake Configurations:             Limited                     Unlimited (Port and Direct)

                           Pros:                        6                                   12

                          Cons:                        8                                     2

-You be the judge...




This is what i have found on the good old internet!Just wanted to get your thoughts on the subject!

[myk]

Like Cooter says, the prime factor in whether someone converts or not is usually money.  Another reason would be the tuning side of it: tuning a 'carb takes some sweaty work, trial and error but I'd rather deal with that than puzzling over a laptop trying to figure out the proper fuel map for an EFI setup, and THEN having to deal with trial and error on top of it all.  EFI is definitely trick and technologically superior to 'carbs, but you have to really want that sort of a setup....

[c00nhunterjoe]

Dual quad hemis have a pretty big wow factor. Guess we all need to buy one. 

[charger Downunder]

Have a look at this set up.
http://forums.holley.com/entry.php?437-Carb-to-EFI-In-Five-Basic-Steps

[Cooter]

Dual quad hemis have a pretty big wow factor. Guess we all need to buy one. 

EXACTLY.

[68CoronetRT]

With a little machining skills you can take a holley street intake and drill/weld in bungs for a fuel rail, bolt a throttle body to the carb port and do a Megasquirt computer and wire it all up. Would cost probably under 1,000$ and have a fully tuneable computer.

Would take alot of research and time but it can be done, a guy on here has a thread with a 440 that he is megasquirting.

[Cooter]

See the trouble with this is, sure it quite possibly can be done cheaper...its that tuning where you have to spend 2 years figuring out how fuel maps work is where the BS is. Tune-able is great, but when you have to wait until you can pay $80/ hr to some whiz kid to just get it running is where most give up. Carbs are simple...buy, bolt on, drive.

[ws23rt]

See the trouble with this is, sure it quite possibly can be done cheaper...its that tuning where you have to spend 2 years figuring out how fuel maps work is where the BS is. Tune-able is great, but when you have to wait until you can pay $80/ hr to some whiz kid to just get it running is where most give up. Carbs are simple...buy, bolt on, drive.

Cooter speaks very clearly about this.   It can be done---it has been done--- it will be done---

The question one must ask themselves is do I know what I'm doing?   If the answer is less than less than yes than you will need to pay to get what you want. That payment could be just education on the topic.

The systems that are plug and play do go to the 4K range.   One can learn what those folks learned and piece together a system for less money but the expense is the time investment to learn new stuff.   

[Mopar Nut]

Here's a nice six pack EFI system for less than $5,000.00

http://www.fbthrottlebodies.com/

[Cooter]

$4600.00.    Plus tax shipping and set up...over $5k easy.

[68CoronetRT]

I see your guy's point. Carbs are simple and if I didnt have my buddy that is an EFI wizard I would definitely have the same mentality.

EFI is better on every level and worth the effort. Hell my Toyota took 3 dyno sessions and 700$ to get running right... but it was 10000000x better than the old carb setup.

That being said.... my 440 is running just fine on the 770 carb that sits on it and I dont plan on changing it any time soon... Just throwing it out there.

New vs old I guess

[War wagon]

See the trouble with this is, sure it quite possibly can be done cheaper...its that tuning where you have to spend 2 years figuring out how fuel maps work is where the BS is. Tune-able is great, but when you have to wait until you can pay $80/ hr to some whiz kid to just get it running is where most give up. Carbs are simple...buy, bolt on, drive.

Words of wisdom, and well said. Having a "built" ride and having to rely on someone else to tune it sucks. Unless you are capable with a laptop as well as the wrenches.

[A383Wing]

had a friend that put t-body EFI on his carbed car...never could get it to work right..even the manufacturer could not get it right....probably had over $5k in system....I told him to take it off and put a carb on...once he did that, car ran great...still does today

[flyinlow]

I have thought about it several times. Done the math. It just is hard to justify.

My carb runs well. The wideband A/F ratio tells me the only time the carb really dose not do well is during deceleration. It goes rich. (normal). Yea, I have to pump  the throttle a few times in the winter and let it warm up a minute or two. So I guess no remote starter for me.

The biggest problems I see with fuel injection are the fuel pump with a tank that was designed for an engine driven suction pump and when you aftermarket system hick ups  500 miles from home where do you get parts to get home with?  I have limped broken carbed cars home. 

[Homerr]

$2200 FAST EFI kit

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/fst-30227-kit/overview/

http://www.hotrod.com/techarticles/engine/hrdp_0912_efi_system_conversion/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXiX3EBT9dE


Here's the 2.0 Kit, $2900
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/fst-30401-kit/overview/

[Cooter]

Still have the PORT F.I. set up for a 440 on the back burner for now as I'm still collecting parts.
I have the 460 ford truck injectors, Tbodies, homemade fuel rails pirated from a 454 Chevy truck, and 93 mustang EEK4 computer.
Once I decide to finally throw all this into a bowl and mix, I'll give F.I. a try.
As it stands, I have about $100.00 in parts. This way, if somethin breaks, its nothing but a quick trip to the auto parts store with my legal pad and part numbers.