The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The HiPo Shop Inline 6 EFI

Gents,

After watching a TV show where they put EFI on a SBC, I was curious if anyone has put EFI on a 235 or 261. Did it make a difference?

Thoughts?

Chris

At least 2 guys on this forum installed Holly Sniper units designed for Ford 200,250 inline six replacing the Autolite 1100 carbuuretor on 216/235 with excellent results.

No major performance increase but no more carburetor issues to worry about.

Do a search on this site to find the threads. Very interesting.

Thanks Otto,

I will go search!

My 1970 Volvo 164 had an inline six with Bosch fuel injection- - - - -you might be able to find one decorating a salvage yard somewhere and scavenge up the whole system. I was never so happy to see any car go to scrap after my daughter wrecked it!
Jerry

Here is a good starting point: https://www.stovebolt.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/1510971/1.html

I wonder if the last generation of Ford 300 inline six EFI could be adapted?

I would assume the Ford could be, but I think it is multiport and not a TB design.

Not wishing to stray too far from the original topic; however the questions were raised about carb to EFI difference, and adapting the late Ford 300 EFI:

Dad bought Ford's for 70 years; starting with a 1912. His late 300 van with EFI was horrible. At the same time I had the identical van, granted that mine was a stick transmission, and his was an automatic that was a couple of years older, and carbureted.

The EFI made much less power from a LOT more fuel, and I think every electronic device in the EFI failed at least once. He replaced the fuel pump relay 7 times in less than 50k miles. The carbureted version would get 35~40 percent better fuel economy when we traveled in tandem.

I would rather have a Rochester B

EDIT: In all fairness, this is my ONLY experience with one of these; it is quite possible this example was merely a production lemon, and not representative of the entire run.

Jon

ndkid275 (Chris), et al: I'm passing this to the HiPo area. I bet it can rather even more steam there.

Peggy,

No worries. I was just curious after seeing a TV show. I have no desire to change. I was just curious others thoughts on if it actually makes a difference. There are claims that it will add 10-20% more HP…. Anyone can make claims and I don’t see spending the $$ on a Stovebolt that won’t make a serious difference.

Chris

What would you do with all kinds of extra power on an AD truck anyway? It's designed to be driven at 60mph tops. Just because it might be able to go faster doesn't make it something you'd really want to do.

Getting rid of carburetor troubles, especially on a truck that sits around doing nothing all the time, can make it appealing to some people.

Just do what I do with my Harley- - - - -shut off the fuel and run the carburetor dry every time you shut down. It can sit for months without being started, and then start and run just fine when I choose to fire up the engine.
Jerry

Carbking has stated that accelerator pump diaphragms that go from dry to wet and back again over and over have a tendency to wear out faster. Keeping the diaphragm submerged in fuel keeps it from drying out and tearing/cracking.

Someone here posted up the many troubles with Ford 300 straight six EFI. They must have gotten a first year lemon, because when I was a mechanic for a decade, I had maybe two Ford 300 straight six EFI problems that weren't a fuel pump or filter. I'm a Chevy guy, and that setup was one of the most reliable things to ever come out of Detroit. The last one I knew would sit for a year and a half at a time, then fire right up with the first turn of the key after charging the battery.

Would be super cool to find a way to adapt that setup to a Stovebolt. Or at least install injector bungs and make a fuel rail for maybe a Clifford intake. Oh, if only I had time, money, and a big garage!!

The Sniper EFI system made for Ford 170/200/250 I6 engines bolts right up to the 216/235 and apparently works extremely well according to a couple people on this forum who have used it.

Well now that would be the easy way, wouldn't it? ;-)

When is a siamese port engine equal to a individual port engine?
When the key is off.

For reference, you can look at the Chevrolet Omega 4.1L that was made in Brazil. A modernized Chevrolet 250 with MPFI. 166 HP at 4500 RPM and 250 lb-ft at 3500 RPM. Gas mileage around 25 MPG. Years 1986 to 1998. The MPFI solved the fuel efficiency problems of the Siamese port. I guess this could be considered the ultimate improvement to a Chevy I6 negating turbocharging (another story). The last time I searched for info, the new designed aluminum cylinder head for the 4.1L had leaking problems. In my opinion, they stopped I6 engine production because there were other more reliable (also probably cheaper) engines available at the time.

It takes a ton of $$$, research and testing to develop reliable fuel systems for engines. Manufacturers of add-on EFI kits do not have the resources that the major automobile manufacturers have. So, I wouldn't be surprised to hear that some Holley (and other companies) EFI kits fail. For example, kits for a Chevy 350 V8s have failed because of faulty capacitors. Heat (typically exhaust manifold), noise spikes from a 12Vdc power source, need for consistent fuel supply (some new 12Vdc pumps fail), wear, on-and-on, are some of the headaches to deal with. Then there is the need to be proficient in setting up the EFI system parameters by computer. A trial-and-error process and if plug-n-play, still need tweaking. To make matters worse, it usually happens that things fail when you are furthest away from home. In that case you need to take all your troubleshooting equipment with you as well as spare parts.

Until enough poor souls have plowed their way forward to creating reliability and can provide empirical information to ease the installation and setup for the rest of us, I'm going to stay with a humble carburetor.

Just an FYI, the Brazilian engine you are referencing does not have a siamese port, but a new, individual 12 port head called the "Brazilian 12 Port" here in the states. The intake runners are raised higher on the side of the head by about an inch. The port spacing on the exhaust is the same as the US siamese head, and most everything else is the same, ie...combustion chamber, valve sizes, etc....