Started placing orders for parts today... The next stage of development is in the works.
It is strange to be pulling the car apart in April while all of my friends are just now getting their season started...but I've raced hard for the last 8 months and wore out a brand new set of tires since Sept 2018. It's time for a bit of a break...and to take a step back and take care of some things that need addressing.
A couple of events ago an old problem reared it's ugly head once again, the seal between the top plate and the body of the carburetor failed and now has the engine running VERY rich at the most inopportune times. I first noticed the delay in throttle response at the Good Guys event and then the last SCCA race of the year Keith and I struggled with keeping it running at idle and dealing with a slight delay in corner exit throttle. I watched him idle at the start line with black smoke just pumping out the tailpipes and made my decision. It is time to add EFI.
The Quadrajet has served me well, Bob built me a beautiful carb and in a perfect world...I'd leave it on. Operator error caused this issue the first time and it worked well for two years after the band-aide fix by Bob. With my new location here and the ability to race at elevations from Sea level up to 4500 feet within hours, I need a fuel delivery system that will comply with different oxygen levels easier.
Here is what I've chosen, starting from the fuel pump. After a LOT (and I mean a WHOLE LOT) of deliberation, I've decided to try the Holley EFI Muscle car tank (actually a Tanks Inc setup) that comes with a deeper cell, separate holes pre-drilled for sending unit and fuel pump\pickup and a 4.3 lt sump for the pickup to sit in.
https://www.holley.com/products/fuel...s/parts/19-144
This will attach to my stock fuel line in a returnless type setup headed to the throttle body and the vent will attach to the vent line that runs up to the charcoal canister. The pump being internally regulated lets me dead head the fuel line at the throttle body and allows for a more plug n play install.
For the throttle body itself, I chose the Terminator EFI 4 bbl Throttle Body kit. This will sit on top of an Edlebrock Single plane high rise intake manifold. The main reason I chose the Terminator is because of the separate ECU which I can mount in a safe place and attach a laptop to for very fine tuning once I get it all up and running. The Sniper setup was a close second but I think I'll like the Terminator setup a bit better even though it's a bit more involved to install.
https://www.holley.com/products/fuel.../parts/550-405
Lastly, I spent the last day or so watching videos and researching ignition setups...trying to find the best reliable easy to setup ignition that the Terminator ECU can control the timing on. I was looking at the Holley Dual Sync and Hyperspark distributor setups and during one install video I noticed that setting up the dual sync is almost exactly the same as what I went thru to set up my MSD Pro-Billet Distributor that my 6AL-2 controls the timing on now. After a bit more investigation I discovered that I can in fact use my MSD Pro Billet distributor and 6AL-2 with the Terminator. This made me happy as I KNOW it works plus I don't have to lay out the cash and spend the time setting it all up once again.
I have found a local tuner with vast knowledge of this software and access to a dyno, so I'll most likely have him fine tune everything once all of the self learning is done and I've got some miles on the setup. It'll be interesting to see how a leaner WOT and that single plane intake will help my top end power.
So, the parts are ordered...hopefully most will be here before the end of the week and I can prepare to start laying things out. I am going to make some other changes as well like moving the O2 sensor up into the header collector and adding V-Band connectors to the header flanges and exhaust as well as trying a new better header gasket for between the flange and the head. I am also going to move the MSD and coil out from under the dash back into the engine bay to try to stop the interference with my Dakota Digital Dash that makes it read 15 MPH while sitting still.
My goal as always is for this upgrade to not take the car down for more than 2 weeks...which will require a lot of pre-planning. Wish me luck!!