Carburator To Efi Swap

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sanman1948

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:wacko: does anyone know of a conversion kit to change a 79 351M from carburator to EFI (electronic fuel injection)? I am sick of trying to get this wonderful old '79 Bronc to run good with Motorcraft reman carbs.
 

biggreen78

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i know of 2 offhand holley has a universal kit - commander 950 ecu and edelbrock has a kit, but make sure your sitting down when u chek prices on that. im sure there are more, but these are just off the top of my head. i just started researching this idea myself. let me know how it goes if u decide to do this. thanx- matt

 

Billz4x4z

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I say add a 4bbl intake and carb.the injection ain't worth the money,unless your gonna swap in a injected 460

 

highboy73

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carbs are the past and the sooner you get rid of it the better,so that means get rid of the old 351m or 400 you got too,for the money to convert a a underacheiver anyway you would be better off with a 302 0r 351 efi.

and just in case you don't like 302's bang for your buck the 302 will smoke a 351m or 400.

another option is to try and modify the early 80'2 tbi off of lincolns,don't know just kinda thought of it.

i have a 73 highboy f-250 4 wheel drive with a 302 and it eats up my 400 and 351m.(bang for the buck my friend)

 

battered_bronco

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ok first the 78/79 with the 400 is a TRUCK period not a car not a fru fru sport truck or mini-truck but a truck

sure a wheezer will go fast but look at the flow bench on the heads(there is a reason we call them wheezers lol) a 2v 335series(351c(only diff its not emmisions) 351m/400) out flowsat .1"/.2"/.3~~~~~~~~~ but the gt40 heads everyone is ******* after does finally out flows the 400 at .6 inch valve lift the 400 stock valve springs bind at .516"~

a bigger stock valve than the big replacement valves for a 302

sure its still a small car motor the 400 was breed to pull period and it will pull wheezers any where anytime

even though the 400 is american ya know they use to make v8s in the states?

and build dollar to dollar with a wheezer with the same goal speed or bottom end it will whop the wheezer

remember this it sooo much easier to make 400hp with a 400ci motor than a 351ci lol

the computer estimates on my build(yet to find money) is ~460hp/583lb ft on a 400

can your wheezer do that for under 5000?

oh ya i had a point there is kits available from simple ecu or computers or i can't recall the name

and again there is a company wi can't recall the name you send them a torker and you get back the whole thing

both EFI big help with the names

but i concure rebuild it to a 400 or 427ci and use a 4bbl (better milage if you don't tromp it much)

 
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BLUEovalBELIEVER

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if you can afford to build a outdated motor than weighed more than power it made than go ahead.i drive my truck everyday with aod 4.56 gears and a efi302,and 35"tires it's a fullsize 3/4 ton that get's 15mpg with me driving that's pretty good.it's not stock but i don't have a whole buch in it either,i found a donor efi truck for $200 with a blown motor,put mine together with an bullet proof bottom end and have building slowly onto that.heads are next been porting and gaskets matching a set of 289 4bbl heads i got for 100 at a bone yard.it's a great truck that drives great gets good gas mileage parts when i need them are fairly reasonable and i have a/c,cruise,tilt,pw,pwdl,pwr seats,decent stereo and really nice interior.

i saved my money by not building 351m's and 400's

build what you want but i will gauratee you will not enjoy an outdated boat anchor as much as i do my efi 302.

why throw away money man,enjoy your truck who cares if the motor isn't factory,are your tires?

 

BLUEovalBELIEVER

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how much money do you need to get 400hp out of 351M OR 400?

BET IT'S MORE THAN A 302 OR 351W.

ever seen a stroked 302 run?i grew up drag racing and i've seen it alot times,not for fru fru cars,or sport trucks.

i would also like to know how you get 400 hp out of a 351m or 400,

and as for your comment about easier to 400 hp out of a 4oo than a 302 you are nuts,do some more research next time i would like to see something to back your crap.

me i have nothing to prove every man and woman here knows what a 302 is capable of.

 

Txquadhunter

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Do some searching you'll see it';s not hard to get HP from the 351m/400's. Thee down fall was due to Smog laws wihich lowered the comprestion ratio and such. Just slap a good set of 351c or assie head, 4bbl intake and headers The 351m/400's will roar to life. In stock forum the 351m/400 has more down low TQ then stock 302/351w's. IMO if I'm going to swap one of my 400's out. I'd go for the ease of the almost bolt-in 460. Just need motor mounts since they share the same tranny bolt pattern. Then I'd have the choice of factory EFI or Carb'd already. For round $500 I built my stock 460 pushin right 500hp lil over 475TQ it gets right at 15mpg. You can't get that power from a Small block. Don't get me wrong i like my 302 and 351w. But for use in a Truck it takes $$ to built a small block to handle the big low end TQ a truck or 4x4 needs.

In drag racing thats a whole other world. Just need enough high RPM TQ to get ya off the line, HP takes over to pull ya thru the finnish line.

Back to topic: Your cheapiest way to convert your truck to EFI would be to find a cheap late model donner truck with a EFI 460. It'll bolt right to the 351m/400 tranny. Just aftermarket motor mounts from like L&L. You'll have all the power you need in stock forum, Lots of aftermarrket support and good MPG for the added power you'd gain. You could bolt one of the Holley units or others to it. But for the ptice of these you could built power house EFI 460 to swap in for the same price or cheaper. If you use a donner truck just part out what you didn't use from the truck to cover some of the price of the swap and may even cover full price an add a few extra $$ to your pocket.

 

highboy73

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i agree that they can be built but why?like the man said 460 goes right in and you won't pass any gas stations

 
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79SUPERCAB

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Go with a 460 efi, if you must have an efi, but dont put 302 or 351w in, because it require you to find a 300 I6 trans. The 302 was never offered in a late 70's 4x4 because the factory knew it would never handle the stress of full size 4x4 truck, ones made with cast iron and steel. The fact that a 300 produces more tq than the factory 302 reinforces that fact. Also, the factory rated tq for a 400 is higher than a 460, due to a 4.00in stroke, compared to a 3.85 stroke. Just my two cents worth of off the topic info.

 

4xfan78

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Hey guys I thought of the idea of installing a 302-351w in my 78 bronco. After calling around I found that you will have to make yes make you're own motor mounts, because they never came with a small block in them. Headers are another problem, you will need to get them made, because again nobody sells small block headers that will fit in a 78-79 bronco. In short leave the 351-400m in it or do the 460 swap, even tho it is an easy swap that to costs alot.

 

Broncoholics

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I might be off here but the 78 Bronco that I pulled a NP435 out of had a 351 and I bolted the NP435 right up to the 302 I have in my 68. Should all 78-79 Broncos have 460's?

 

Rick78EFI460

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I have in fact done the swap to an EFI 460in a 78 Bronco. I did some basic research and found that the very best donor vehicle for this swap is a van. the Vans come with the rear sump oil pan, high output large case alternators, and Saginaw PS pumps. I used 390 motor mounts and the motor dropped right into the factory frame perches, no modification at all needed. new 390 mounts were about $11 each, or you can buy a set of aftermarket ones for $100 US, your choice . There are a lot of extra tasks to the conversion such as the fuel system plumbing, hooking up kickdown linkages, adapting AC compresssor to work, modifying cruise control linkage etc. but all are managable. My EFI 460 Bronco has all working accesories AC , Cruise et al. my Carbed 460 in my 79 does make more power, but its a crude power, the EFI comes on very smoothly, and if you want to add just a touch more power you can, its very responsive, which more than makes up for gross power IMO. The 400 in my other 78 is still a decent power plant for DD use, its pretty bullet proof and starts well in any weather. There is no point in even trying to compare power output of a 460 to a 400 though, the 460 (carbed or EFI ) will whoop a 400 any time. I pulled a good 400 out of my now EFI Bronco and sold it for more than I paid for the donor van.

 

asgeir81

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You can also just go to affordable-fuel-injection.com, choose ford, keep your ignition, end with a $895 bill when you add the tach sensor and tell the wife it saves in fuel bills... I see no problems here.

But!, you need a fuel system  :glare:

Edelbrock has a sump fuel system that can be fed of your mechanical fuel pump ($565.87 at summitracing) and comes with it's own little tank. That way you don't have to modify your tank to keep your fuel pump wet at all times.
if you opt for a standard tank and a high pressure fuel pump on the frame rail, you are still using the original pickup in the tank. That is not a problem with a carb because it has it's own sump aka the fuel bowl. With an EFI the engine will stall the moment your pickup goes dry. Like on an incline or a slope where you really want the smooth running the EFI is suppose to give you so that you have power steering and can avoid hitting that one single tree stump on the whole hill..... damn it to ****.

 
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