My son and I were talking last night and he starts to mention fuel injection for his 1962 Wildcat 401. So I listen and when he mentions the thousands of $$ I say hang on --- you can buy a lot of petrol for that kind of money, especially since the car is basically a weekend cruiser. So, what are the experiences with fuel injection and what alternatives are there for better starting / running ? We discussed a carb change from the AFB with a MSD blaster coil.
To answer your question look no further then how your every day car starts and run’s! If you have a hot Cam’ed cruise vehicle that does not start right away then your carb needs work/ adjustment period! race cars running well into the 9s in the 1/4 mile start right away if the air temp is above 60 degrees even with no choke because the carb is set up right. Yes once started you will need to feather the throttle for a bit to keep it running, but that’s to be expected with no choke. Isvit worth it for a weekend cruise vehicle, or even one that might go on a long drive once a season, to me no!
I have the Holley Sniper on my 66 401. Easy starting in any weather, crisp throttle response, nice drivability. No change in overall performance of milage
with no change in performance or mileage. my edelbrock has easy starting in any weather,crisp throttle response, nice drivability for a lot less money and headaches and not always saying the computer has to learn the curve. the bad is if it sits for a while you should prime it with a little gas down the carb.
Something else to consider is adapting the dynaflow linkage to the fuel injection throttle body. That could be a real pain.
I wouldn’t bother personally. If your carb is running well then leave it alone. I like the propane idea.
My main consideration for the swap was it was supposed to be my wifes car. She is not a carb girl. Typical get in, turn the key and go with no fuss. kind of woman.
if i bought a car and it came with it, hooked up right, done right and ran good i would definitely keep it on. just wouldn't change over to one.
Thanks for the feedback. Basically what is said here is what I told him. Either get the carb overhauled or put in a modern replacement -- Holley or Edelbrock. Instal an electric prime pump also. As for LPG, it's not far from the cost of petrol, plus there's the extra cost of fitting and certifying by licensed gas fitter. Very popular 10-15 years ago when the Govt. was throwing money around for almost covering the cost. That's all gone now.
Those "EFI" units are basically electric carbs. They're throttle body injection. The OEMs moved away from that years ago. It doesn't seem like there's much that you could gain from these systems that you can't get from a solid understanding of carbs.
I would add in that if the engine is not too radical, the factory carb works fine too. The key there is to get it rebuilt by someone who know what they are doing and will tune it to your application. Do not buy a rebuilt one from a big rebuilder company. They rebuild them for generic applications to save money and thus likely it will technically work but it won't be ideal. There are a couple guys here that do it, though you probably want to try to find someone in Australia.
When I put EFI on several decades ago, I think I calculated a financial payback of 350k - 400k miles from my anticipated fuel cost savings. There are some good reasons to put EFI on, but the financial aspect is not one of them. -Bob C.
I think a lot of times there's this tendency to think that auto makers change because of what's best for the car technically. Certainly they will paint their changes in those terms. But I think the truth has more to do with either external regulatory pressure or cost savings.
My favorite recommendation is to buy a new aluminum intake (I used an SP-1), send it to a shop to machine injector bungs (I used a place in Miami, Florida which appears to be closed now but I think TA can do this), and I would use the XFI controller. I do not believe in self-learning systems. They will get you in the ballpark, but I highly recommend that you learn how the system works and how to really dial it in yourself. I've actually been running in open-loop for over 10 years now. -Bob C.
Thanks everyone for your input. I will discuss with son and recommend he just stick to carb. Just one more question ---- how many CFM are those early 60s AFB ? Will a 600 CFM Holley suit , I have a near new one sitting gathering dust.
If that's what you have, you should use it. I don't think you risk having "too much" carburetor with a 600.
The fuel injection they sell at speed shops is the same as a carburetor, the fuel goes in the same place, and follows the same path. The only difference is a computer decides how much fuel and when, same thing a well set up carburetor can do. There’s usually no performance gain, and very little gain in MPG.
