New TBI choices

[FirstEliminator]

   Hey guys,

     Today, I saw something online somewhere that sparked the idea of putting TBI on one of my cars. So, from back in the day I remember there being Holley Pro-jection and that was about it. Now, as I started looking around I find a bunch of alternatives. The FAST looks pretty good and the MSD Atomic looks nice too. Holley's Commander 950 doesn't look as nice as the others, but under a stock air cleaner looks don't matter much.  Then reading about the Mega-Squirt DIY systems. With so many projects on my list, I kinda prefer something that drops in without a ton of research and assembly.

     There are a few different applications I have that EFI might be nice for:

     The first is a 1975 bucket truck with an FT330. This truck doesn't drive a whole lot. But, it does idle and work at fast idle quite a bit. It currently has a Holley 2 barrel carb. Or, I have a 4v intake for it too. It seems the EFI would help the low rpm efficiency and the sometimes eye-watering emissions.   I think an older Holley Pro-Jection with closed loop might be a good choice for this.

   Next is one of the old full size Mercs. Mostly 390 cars. Stock engine for driving around. Perhaps a little above stock cam.

     The last situation is I have a 70 Cougar that might be receiving a 460 to 545 stroker. Not a top effort engine. Probably a mid performer with 240 or so @ .050 on the cam.


     I like that MSD system best so far from the light reading I've done.

    Any comments of pros and cons of these systems?


     thanks in advance,

          Mark

[jayb]

I have experience with the FAST, ems-pro, and Megasquirt systems.  Of those I like the Megasquirt best, for versatility and low cost.

[cammerfe]

I've noted here before that I've done a number of EFI TB installations. And always used one of the Holley systems.

That being said, I'll only speak to the driving characteristics of EFI.

1.     Starts easier
2.     Idles smoother
3.     Creates better low-speed torque
4.     Provides better mileage

The very first installation I did was on Brother Lon's 427 TP '67 Mustang. We put on a side-by-side set of Pro-Jection systems with fuel delivery siamesed and everything else individual.

We'd previously tried everything from a pair of 652 center-squirters to a pair of 600s to a pair of 850 DP carbs. Testing from 1500 to 6000 in second gear, the EFI set-up was almost two seconds faster. I simply believe the mid-range torque was that much fatter.

I don't ever expect to use any carb again for any purpose.

KS

[chilly460]

Interested to see where this goes, I've been considering some of the "self learning" TBI based systems.  Everything I've read is that they're all "good" systems at this point, and do what they're supposed to do as far as a newbie being able to bolt them on and immediately have the car running decent, with good "self learning" tuning going forward. 

For most intents and purposes, the kits do the same thing, although there are a few key differences:
 - HP capability.  Most cap around 600hp which is plenty for most applications, but as stroker kits and better heads become available this will be a tight ceiling.  The FAST EZ 2.0 has 8 injectors and supports 1200hp if this is a consideration
- Timing control.  Would be nice to control timing curve with the ECU vs mechanically. 
- Custom tuning capability.  Some provide access to timing/fuel maps, some don't, would be nice to be able to fiddle with the tables perhaps if you want to. 
- Control panel.  Some of the kits definitely provide better/nicer screens than others, and some can be used with a laptop if that is a desire.  The Edelbrock kit actually comes with a Tablet.   It would be nice to be able to clearly view AFR and such as you run. 

Again, most of this is "bells and whistles" but may be important to some guys.  I'm still researching, most important thing for me is durability/customer support and the timing control for now. 

[FirstEliminator]

   Both the FAST and MSD have TCM's that appear to hook up and work with their TBI systems.  I could only find a GM 4L60 and 4L80 for FAST.  MSD has a TCM that will control Ford's 4R70w and E4OD trans. Which is good since the F-350 project will have an E4OD trans. 
     One question I have is if either of these systems have an output for the TPS signal so you can use another brand of stand alone computer without having to install an addition TPS on the linkage.