I would say any where on a head or the middle of the block.... I would think on the back side of the engine where the water manifold bolt holes are.... mabey...
Yeah, I don't want to drill anything that I cannot replace. That way if it doesn't work out, or I decide later on that I want the carb back, I can always just swap it back over.
Most OEM locations are in coolant dainholes in the block. Not sure if the Nailhead has one (I'd have to go look at mine since its out of the car). It's got to be in the block not the heads, too much mechanical racket going on in the heads to make it worthwhile. I'd drill a 1/4in pipe hole in the water jacket on the side of the block or if you have to in the webbing over the bellhousing.
I like the idea of TBI - can be hidden under an air cleaner, and lots of parts out there for several different systems. After doing a lot of online reading, I decided to go with a Holley TBI system, either the Pro-Jection 4Di or the newer Commander 950 system. Watching ebay for a couple of months, you can pick up a used but complete (or very nearly so) Pro-Jection 4Di for $500-700, or a Commander for $750-1000. I bid on several, and ended up with a 4Di system for $550, and I've got an additional $150-200 spent for an oxygen sensor, carb adapter, and some misc bits. The GM 454 bits look good, but the drawback is that it's 'just' a 2-bbl throttle body, and even with 95lb injectors it'll only support something like 330hp. On the other hand, it shouldn't be that hard to put two of the throttle bodies on a 2 X 4 intake manifold and have the one ECU control both. I'd think a Megasquirt controller would do it, or maybe even the Holley Commander box, since it can be set up as a progressive 4-bbl. That Affordable Fuel Injection setup looks interesting, but I'm a bit leery of an ACU that somebody else setup - every engine is different, and one size doesn't fit all - even moreso with something different like a Nailhead. I'd want something that I could tune myself.
Ran into another snag. I was going to make an order for the MSD HEI distributor and decided to send them an email first confirming that I can set the distributor up with the ESC from the TBI. Response was: Anybody know of any other Nailhead distributors out there that will work for this? I don't know enough about distributors to understand what I need or if I can use the 454 distributor and have someone convert mine to match. I can pull one out, put one in, and change points. I assumed that the HEI would have some wires that would need to be tied in with the TBI, but I really have no clue how it works at the distributor.
Dave's Smallbody I believe can put a 7pin module in the conversion and give you the same accesss that the 80's TBI units they were used with had.
Are you meaning that he can convert my existing distributor to HEI and add in the 7pin module, or add the 7pin module to the MSD distributor? Thanks for the info.
Can convert your existing to HEI with a 7pin module. Updating MSD stuff might be possible but unknown.
As an update, I have decided to abandon this project. I've listed everything I collected up on eBay. I'm going to hunt for a dual carb setup and keep my Riviera more true to its natural form.
you know theirs always professional products (retrotek) powerjection 3 for 1495 w/o fuel supply +plus will be out in a few months
