Big Motor, Little Truck. The BBR... aka "Tooth and Nail"

[BBR]

Re: Big Motor, Little Truck. The BBR... aka "Tooth and Nail"

Did quite a bit of thinking this weekend......



Say "hello" to the new fuel distribution unit, a Holley 950HP. :lol: :lol:



with the fashionable purple billet base plate.

lmao @ me


Here's the freaking hilarious part... I'm going to leave the MS in the truck to operate the fuel pump/vacuum pump/electric fan, etc.

:P :P :P :P :P :P :P :P

[SuperBuickGuy]

Re: Big Motor, Little Truck. The BBR... aka "Tooth and Nail"

You're a brave man. ;) do drop us a line or two every few months to let us know that you're still alive

[BBR]

Re: Big Motor, Little Truck. The BBR... aka "Tooth and Nail"

now.... will the real 'dieselgeek' please stand up?

:D :D :D :D

Ok, I'm done with my moment of weakness. EFI stays. I can't let this POS beat me!!! Besides, I don't think I can get a carb & a filter under a flat hood!

;D ;D ;D

[dieselgeek]

Re: Big Motor, Little Truck. The BBR... aka "Tooth and Nail"

I think it would have been a better idea to tackle the EFI on a combo that was simpler and less burly, so that you could later easily discern between what was an EFI learning curve issue, versus an issue with non-EFI things.

It's why I always tell people who ask me "howdo I learn EFI the easiest possible way" I tell them, go get a $200 junkyard car that already has fuel injectors, hook up your megasquirt to that, and tune it with the stock cam and intake. It's easy to tune, and you'll learn all the noob EFI stuff the first go around, THEN go out and build a monster and EFI it. Otherwise, you're going to always be asking yourself "are the problems I am having EFI related?" I've had a few people who got rid of their EFI and went back to a carb, on engines similar to yours, only to find out that they are still breaking stuff.

Put EFI on the go cart, put the carb back on the BBR. Although it sounded like it ran really good on the EFI once you figured out the proper length plugs to go in the heads you have.

Randall has a good method: break it in on the carb, then go EFI. It's a bad idea to combine two steep learning curves at once.
From experience, if you went back to a carb, you'll be overly obsessed with the tune on that, and end up wishing you could make the same changes with a keyboard instead of shutting down, spilling gas, taking an hour to try a new change, etc.

[milner351]

Re: Big Motor, Little Truck. The BBR... aka "Tooth and Nail"

Cool
the more of you guys that figure out all the ins and outs of the EFI DIY game - the easier it will be for me when I convert over the 54 292 inline...... yea - that'll happen sometime in the next decade, if I'm lucky....

[BBR]

Re: Big Motor, Little Truck. The BBR... aka "Tooth and Nail"

The EFI or tuning really hasn't been a problem. All the engine problems I have had were brought on by mechanical idiocy on my part. lol

I may very well keep it all... especially since I just bought some bigger injectors (52lb/hr) a few days ago.

I have considered changing the elbow stuff around a bit and maybe running a traditional air cleaner element.

[TheSilverBuick]

Re: Big Motor, Little Truck. The BBR... aka "Tooth and Nail"

I still say your problems have been with the engine not the fuel delivery system. Sure it's a pain in the rear while having to tear into the engine, but once you stop tearing into the engine I bet you'll wish the EFI was on there. I did as John suggested, broke the engine in with a carb, made sure the mechanicals were good, then swapped over to EFI. My case I found I could pull the intake and put it back on in just under 2 hours, and my engine bay is the definition of cluttered (your's is the definition of undersized). Keep the EFI and assemble an engine a little less on the edge, it's not like you'll ever have traction, it's a truck!

[cantvalve16]

Re: Big Motor, Little Truck. The BBR... aka "Tooth and Nail"

I guess this goes back to the plan for the truck. What is the intended purpose? Going for mileage (LOL)? Taking trips in it? Just a weekend tire fryer? Did you set out to conquer EFI? Wanna drive it daily? Your purpose, budget (time and money), and maximum enjoyment should help you determine what to do with it.

You built a 500+ c.i. combo and put it in a Ranger. You have already thrown popular opinion out the window. Do what YOU want. Forget everyone else (except your family).

[milner351]

Re: Big Motor, Little Truck. The BBR... aka "Tooth and Nail"

I'm an engineer - therefore - I like details, plans, and fall back plans to the plans I have planned.

So -

How's this:

set it up so you can swap between the EFI and carb as easily as possible.

Break in the engine on the carb, run it a while tweak it a little - make sure the engine is in good shape with the carb....

then - when the urge strikes - begin the EFI tuning -- confused? put the carb back on.

I have no idea if this is even a feasible possibility - but - the theory sounds good.

TGIF!

[BBR]

Re: Big Motor, Little Truck. The BBR... aka "Tooth and Nail"

keep 'em coming.... I'm still on the fence.

BTW my local hot rod friends so far are 5:1 in favor of the carb. lol

[hauen]

Re: Big Motor, Little Truck. The BBR... aka "Tooth and Nail"

...I just don't have the cubic time to fart with getting the tune nuts on...At least with the carb I don't think I will be obsessing about the tune being 100% spot on all the time. lol

Nothing is 100% spot-on...ever. That said, EFI will get you closer to it more of the time than a carb, but you knew that. Now get a wideband controller, fire up the megasquirt, and get to it! :P

I've gone just the opposite way, I'm to the point to where I absolutely hate carbs, especially when dealing with tuning an old one for pump gas and the wildly fluctuating ethanol content.

[milner351]

Re: Big Motor, Little Truck. The BBR... aka "Tooth and Nail"

I haven't been brave enough to tackle any DIY EFI stuff myself.... on a project like this - I'm agreeing with your latest statements - simple is good.

However - sometimes I do miss the simplicity of being able to drive my EFI 5.0 Mustang any time anywhere in any weather and not worry about tuning anything... while getting 20+mpg on the highway.

[TheSilverBuick]

Re: Big Motor, Little Truck. The BBR... aka "Tooth and Nail"

To paraphrase Dark Helmet, "So, BBR, now you see that efi will always triumph because carbs are dumb" ;D

Besides, you're problem is your ford engine has gotten too big for it's own good :P

[BBR]

Re: Big Motor, Little Truck. The BBR... aka "Tooth and Nail"

Been really flip flopping between keeping the EFI or going to a carb like a 1050 Dominator or really big 4150.

The simplicity of a carb setup is really tempting... getting kinda tired of all the wires and the "what ifs" that come with EFI...

Just seems like there is too much electronic garb going on. Too much for my stupid little brain to have to worry about for a truck I hardly get to drive. It's got more electronics than the first lunar landing and it never gets off the damn pad.

Don't get me wrong, I like to tinker with the MS, but I just don't have the cubic time to fart with getting the tune nuts on. That will eventually bug the hell out of me I'm sure. The thought to plopping on a 1050 or 1150, hooking up a couple of fuel lines, and a throttle cable like i used to do is starting to sound nice. At least with the carb I don't think I will be obsessing about the tune being 100% spot on all the time. lol

Counsel me o wise cracking ones!

[silverado 5.3]

Re: Big Motor, Little Truck. The BBR... aka "Tooth and Nail"

:oi have a brass hammer at work that looks just like that piston, bad ass truck, just bad news