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Has anyone tried the Holley Sniper systems? I used one of the older Pro-Jection systems many years ago and it was an improvement over the carb, but not life changing. I have installed a couple Fitechs for people and they are great when they work, but the reliability/quality of then seems pretty hit or miss.

I have an inherent dislike for carbs, so the 2G replacement sniper looks pretty appealing if the quality is there.

Anyone with experience?

We have used FiTech on at least a dozen rides with no complaints but after using the Sniper I believe we will switch. I don't know about the two barrel unit but the Terminator engine/trans control set up is awesome. Like you, the only place for a carburetor is in a dinosaur museum. Have a FiTech 2300 two bbl kit for my 37 Buick but haven't made the GM to Ford base adapter plate yet. Being a procrastinator by nature probably nothing will happen till Spring arrives and nI get the "drive it" urge.

My instinct is to just LS swap it because I am a big fan of that platform, but I have done a bunch of those and this engine runs great other than being carbed. I might do a swap down the road when I start wanting to make more power, but for now I just want to drive it with the family while we putter on the random projects.

I have a J20 with the 360 and the Carter 2100, so I could move the Sniper over to that if/when I engine swap the 58. I would probably keep the existing 2G in a box to go with the engine when I pulled it.

Ouch!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jon

I'm currently doing a Sniper set up on a 350. I haven't run the engine on it yet so I have no opinion on that, the set up seems really straight forward. With the addition of a return line to the tank and an O2 sensor being the only real modifications. The wiring is pretty basic and the unit is self tuning.

I will have more info on this shortly.

Which repairs can be done on the side of the road 500 miles from nowhere with EFI?
Carburetor: BT, DT.

Not sure about side of the road in middle of nowhere. But with an OEM EFI system, at least the early ones, a normal person can do some level of diagnosis and easily acquire parts from any parts store. Not so much with these aftermarket setups.

I think these Sniper/ FiTech systems are a pretty cool concept, and I suspect they work pretty well when they work. But the whole issue of acquiring parts when something goes wrong......makes me leery.

Which one do you have to do repairs on the side of the road because they just randomly crap out for no reason?

Ya see, the thing is.....EFI removes all of the failure points you might have to deal with. No more vapor lock, no more altitude adjustments, heck it’s even flow bad fuel and still run half decent.
Oh, bit you say all the electronics are filled with magic smoke.....well it’s a GM coolant sensor they’ve been using since the beginning. A well proven Bosch wide band sensor, Did you know the efi will run without it too?

I’ve been looking hard at the Autolite 1100 1bbl version. I have a few more pressing projects on my truck but hope to pull the trigger next spring or summer.

I tried FITech on my 235 and it ended up being a total disaster. My unit turned out to be a big pile of garbage that spent more time being repaired than running. My end solution was an LS swap.

I have personally known 4 people with that experience with the Fitech units. I only know one who was happy with it, but he only drove it about 500 miles before he sold the car. Looking online, I see a lot of people with the same issues that my friends had.

Coilover's comment that he has had a bunch work well is interesting. I wonder if there is something in the installation that is not covered by the manual, but someone with experience does automatically.

Maybe the FITech belongs in a Star Wars Museum????????????????????/

Jon

I know plenty of people with similar carb issues. I also know people who like them just fine. I personally dislike them because all of them I have owned required constant tinkering.

I respect your opinion and your extensive knowledge and I am glad that you have something that works for you. I just don't think that is the solution for me.

Fibonachu - the above post was made in jest, hope you take it that way. A rebuttal to the dinosaur post earlier. But seriously, my carbs do not require constant tinkering. The best went 360,000 trouble-free miles; until the truck rusted out beyond feasible repair. In 61 years of working on cars/trucks/tractors, etc., I have NEVER yet rebuilt a carb more than once.

I think we can probably agree to disagree.

Happy New Year.

Jon.

That is good to know. There has been enough acrimony around here lately, I wanted to make sure.

coilover I would modify your statement by saying any liquid using carburetor should be in a dinosaur museum,my vapor carbs have been finefor a long time. Can buy them new on Amazon any time,everything to use it easily available new,not wore out antique !!

Fibonachu As complicated as the equipment you describe sounds,I don't think I would want to struggle with it along the road 500 miles from home. Our 7 to one compression 235's are not needing some killer fuel system,also our HEI ignition update is a big help for not much,can make your own distributor with tools you have now. I assume I am the only one in captivity who uses propane in an AD truck,(have6) all home built. You trouble shoot with 2 end wrenches and a test light. On HEI keep a spair under the seat 1/2 inch wrench to change it. No sludge,never cold natured,clean and easy ! OH also can buy HEI repairs any FLAPS, on LPG no fuel pump,no rusty tank,one filter access with a screwdriver,one electric valve,can remove it to get home,or carry a spare coil for it. My .02 cents

carbking Ithink maybe you are right FITech (just looked at it) looks like a nightmare especially along the road in hot or cold weather. I like younever worked my carburetors much had a Q-jet that liked a float once in a while,had a few dual fuels but learned straight LPG worked best for me. Important to have a full service LP dealer handy,not for service but for parts,fittings,hose,relief valves. Find that if you follow the safety recommendations you'll be fine,had one bad leak (storage)in 43 years totally my fault.

A question to you 235/261 guru's do you know of a way to increase the compression ratio,worth the money ?? Have heard of pistons from another era, have thought of angle milling the head,intakes will be hit,cut the pistons,big job !! bore increase will help,not a lot, know of any other ways ??

Besides coilover, I may be the only person on this site that owns a FiTech Fi system. It's not on my '51 but the little fast rig in my tagline. I went to Fi after struggling with both a good Carter AVS and a lesser carb, a new Edelbrock 625 Performer (yes I do know how to use insulating carb spacers and header wrap and install hood vents to help cool a small engine compartment that's full of engine). Both would percolate today's ethanol fuel in the float bowls when idling or going less than 30 mph during high 90's, low 100 degree weather. The result was a hard to keep running, bucking almost impossible to drive vehicle. No problem when running non-ethanol gas, but when on the road it was sometimes a problem finding pure gas even with the Pure Gas app.

The FiTech cured all that. With the added benefit of being able to change the fuel ratio, idle and amount of wot fueling, what temp the electric fans come on and when they shut off. All with a few inputs on a small screen. Mine has done all I expected and more. Never let me down.

RonR

MoParGuy - please do not judge all Carter carburetors by the smog-friendly AVS. It was (opinion) the worst 4-barrel Carter ever made. We refused to rebuild them because there was a 100 percent probability that the customer would have issues. The carb was designed for smog emissions. Any performance, driveability, economy, etc., was a secondary consideration. Chrysler V-8's, from a smog standpoint, were dirty, and required special carburetors to pass smog emissions. Chrysler used these from 1968~1971, and then they were discontinued. Chevrolet tried them on one engine in 1966, and later suggested they be replaced with the 1965 carburetors.

By contrast, I have two genuine Carter AFB carbs on one of my shop trucks (advertising, but performance and economy as well). These work with no issues in high 90's, low 100 degree days in Missouri. I can get real gasoline, but have calibrated the Carters to run on the cheaper E-10, which is what I run in this vehicle. I did add an electric fuel pump because of hard starting when the ambient was in the high 90's.

The Carter AVS, along with the Rochester B, might be the best excuses for efi On a more serious note, if I had to traverse multiple altitude "zones" daily, I might think about the possibility of considering efi.

Jon.

Jon, thanks for the reminder. I do have a good Carter Competition 750 AFB on the shelf. I honestly don't recall if I bolted it on while dealing with the boiling fuel issue. However fact is I think it was more a case of heat radiating off the pavement, a lot of engine in a small compartment and heat soak of the carb that caused the issue. As mentioned, no ethanol or go fast enough to keep the engine compartment cooler and no issues.

On fuel pressure, I was running a electric pump with 50 psig output and a Holly pressure regulator with a 4.5 or 5.0 psig output. To operate the FiTech I just pulled the pressure regulator and added a return line.

I do love carbs, but Fi does have it's place, at least in my shop. That place would be on a engine that starts instantly no matter how long it's been setting, runs the proper AFR all the time, and gives a easy way to tune a number of pramaters with ease.

Now the 340 Duster hereis perfectly happy with its phenolic body spread bore carb.

Am I advocating Fi for our truck? No sir, not at all.

RonR

I'm not a carb guru , neither am I a mechanic , but I have an old truck for the sheer joy of driving it .
It has a carb with a manual chock that breaths through an oil bath filter because I understand that system .
I do carry a spare functioning carb just incase which I can change in half an hour, but have not had to use it in the 30,000 miles I've driven this truck .
For me it's a comfort zone I chose not to leave for minimal if any gain .
As for the moniker DINASOR , I like it , I might even get a personalized plate with that as it might represent me and my stovebolt .

John

Moparguy On your FITech system is it a 1 barreland what kind of economy will it produce ?? Had to have some tuneup work on my only propane injected 04 GMC with 4.8 engine. It has been fine but once you leave home LPG is always expensive,not hard to find on the interstate. Propane buying is a summer sport and you need storage,so your holding it in hot weather when pressure is the highest.My injection mechanic said when gasoline goes hi he starts getting calls for LPG installations. Get 14 MPG computes to about 28 compared to gasoline. I wonder if lp vapor injectors might be useful on 235/261.

carbking I had one of those AVS Carters on a 66 275 HP malibu ran great the whole time I had it,tuned the secondary air valve for a perfect transition got good economy on sunoco 260 this was in 70-71.

fixite7, to guide our conversion back in a Stovebolt direction, to the best of my knowledge FiTech really doesn't have a unit that's marketed for our size engines. They do have a two barrel unit that's good for 400 hp. Will it work on a sub 100 hp engine. Perhaps, I really don't know. Holly's Snipper division has a one barrel they say is for 144ci to 300ci, 4 and 6 cylinder engines with throttle bore of 1.4375" and good for up to 175 hp. If I were considering Fi for one of Stovebolts with a original engine I'd give the Snipper a hard look.

My FiTech is on a 302 V8 (bored 60 so it's actually a 310) and is a 4 barrel throttle body that the uninformed would think is a 4 barrel carb. MPG hasn't been a concern but it runs from high teens to high 20's depending on how much fun I'm having in the little car.

RonR

As far as trouble on the side of the road it should not happen till at least 200k with an injection unit, I can live with that.
My nephews T-bucket has a 406 Ford that came with three 2bbl carbs---IMPOSSIBLE to live with. Now has three FiTech 2 bbls that start instantly, idle baby butt smooth, and will ruin a pair of rear tires in short order.

Throttle body injection was a temporary fix so the car makers could buy a little time and keep selling cars when the government got serious about emissions and gas mileage in the late 1980's, until they could develop reliable sequential port fuel injection systems and variable cam timing to replace EGR valves. The aftermarket guys jumped on the TBI bandwagon to offer a system that could replace a carburetor with a minimum of modifications and a somewhat rudimentary computer. TBI is neither a carburetor nor a fully developed fuel injection- - - -it's sort of a "good enough" halfbreed to attract the attention of people who want something different to play around with.
Jerry

coilover Can agree with you on dinosaur museum for LIQUID carbs,now vapor carbs which are highly responsive rule the loading docks !!

I did this adapter for a 292 guy to add the Holley Sniper 1100 to his 292 build.

https://scontent-iad3-2.xx.fbcdn.ne..._b_yuEH_dnUc2B3Bc3PkusPg&oe=6202506E

I have also built my own system based on the FAST EZ-EFI.

https://scontent-iad3-2.xx.fbcdn.ne...nLRpEUutW8oti7wGLlbJvL7g&oe=62216E8D