Reply to "FI Ignition"

Ahh yes, EFI fun. I have a multi-port 427 winsor in my pantera. Was it easy, no! Would I do it again, yes!

A carb is great for simple plug and play where as an EFI system takes time to tune. Once you have some experience and understand how the tuning works it becomes easier and more fun. Nothing like plugging in a laptop and changing advance, fuel deliver and the idle speed at the touch of a key from inside your car.

Expect to spend some time on a chassis dyno. A dyno session makes tuning the EFI much faster. Even better if the dyno operator knows EFI systems and tuning. Hint - find someone who know EFI systems and has a dyno. You can tune on the street but it takes much more time and trial and error to get it right.

Most ECU's come with various canned fuel and spark maps. These are a good starting point but they all will need adjustment. Gear ratios, cams, intakes all change the fuel map. Best to find a map that closely matched your engine and go from there.

I got a hint from Jim Murch, I finally listened and I am now sold. Get a wide-band O2 sensor. Most kits use a narrow band, but the wide band provides much better readings for fine tuning. Some ECU's come or have options for using a wide band sensor. If you can afford it, get it. They are not cheap but they read much faster and report true air fuel mixture so it is easy to tell if your are rich or lean.

Having the spark map controlled by the ECU is one more benefit of a EFI system. People like Mallory or MSD have distributors that can be controlled by the ECU.

Many people have used a standard Ford OEM ECU. Sticking with factory Ford parts and ECU's have the advantage of being solid, well tested and easily available if replacement is needed.

Closing remark, if you do not like eletronics and dealing with computers do not do an EFI system. EFI systems requires a propeller head (aka geek squad)but it can be fun. Do your homework, check out various ECU models (Motec, Holley, Ford etc). Some are easier to work on then others.