efi to carb

i decided to make a huge change in my bronco. call me crazy. i want to ditch the mpfi system and go to carb setup. i was thinking a edelbrock torker intake and a demon 650 cfm carb......if i go about getting that, what else will i need for the conversion? egr and all that is not necessary, its strictly mud truck. 89 bronco 351w. fully rebuilt block and heads too. block also has a stock cam. any input would be awsome. suggestions or whatever it may be. thanks in advance.

If you're crazy, I am, too. I converted my 88 460 to carb when I swapped it into my 84 Bronco. You'll need a low pressure (4-7 psi) electric fuel pump to replace the in-tank pump and frame-mounted pump. i'd also get rid of the rest of the fuel sytem junk except for the filter. I installed a 15-gal fuel cell in the bed, since the 33-gal stock tank hangs so low underneath the frame. As for the ignition, you can install a DuraSpark II set-up, or go with an HEI dizzy to make things alot simpler. I found an HEI dizzy for my 460 on ebay for $70 shipped, JSM84

Justshootme84 said:

If you're crazy, I am, too. I converted my 88 460 to carb when I swapped it into my 84 Bronco. You'll need a low pressure (4-7 psi) electric fuel pump to replace the in-tank pump and frame-mounted pump. i'd also get rid of the rest of the fuel sytem junk except for the filter. I installed a 15-gal fuel cell in the bed, since the 33-gal stock tank hangs so low underneath the frame. As for the ignition, you can install a DuraSpark II set-up, or go with an HEI dizzy to make things alot simpler. I found an HEI dizzy for my 460 on ebay for $70 shipped, JSM84

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is it a must that i change my distributor? and i got my in tank pump running on a toggle switch, would a fuel pressure regulator do the job?

CSM_Bronco said:

is it a must that i change my distributor? and i got my in tank pump running on a toggle switch, would a fuel pressure regulator do the job?

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regulator should work fine & it's probably no more hassle to install than adding a mechanical fuel pump would be, come to think of it you probably don't even have the eccentric to *run* a mechanical pump so you'd be looking at a LP electrical pump anyways. Just out of curiousity does anyone know if fuelie engines come w/fuel pump eccentrics I somehow doubt Ford spends any extra pennies or minutes installing legacy parts for backwards compatability /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

The injected motor I tore down for another project did not have the eccentric... If I might add, you might want to change the cam if you are going to install a torker and try to get more high end power out of your motor. The largest you can go with stock converter and push in studs in the heads will be a 270 duration with a max of .501 lift. I chose to run a Competetion Cams High Energy 270 cam and it worked great for just this type of application..

Just my $.02

2NDTOUR89 said:

The injected motor I tore down for another project did not have the eccentric... If I might add, you might want to change the cam if you are going to install a torker and try to get more high end power out of your motor. The largest you can go with stock converter and push in studs in the heads will be a 270 duration with a max of .501 lift. I chose to run a Competetion Cams High Energy 270 cam and it worked great for just this type of application..Just my $.02

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thanks on all the info. helping me out alot. but i mainly want to know if the stock distributor will work or not? the info on the cams was great, really helpful.

I was wrong, it was the Magnum series cam that I used not the High Energy. As for the Distributor, I think that it is controlled by the ecu and if you are not going to run the ecu, I dont think that it will work. I would check into either a points distributor with a Pertronix style pickup in it or go with a complete distributor from Pertronix or MSD or someone of the like.

2NDTOUR89 said:

I was wrong, it was the Magnum series cam that I used not the High Energy. As for the Distributor, I think that it is controlled by the ecu and if you are not going to run the ecu, I dont think that it will work. I would check into either a points distributor with a Pertronix style pickup in it or go with a complete distributor from Pertronix or MSD or someone of the like.

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I could be wrong, but I don't remember my distributor having any "computer" control when I did the EFI to carb swap on my 90. The only additional wires that I know of probably go to your tach. As for the fuel pressure regulator, I had some serious issues of the fuel pressure getting too high after the engine warmed up, causing the truck to stall. I would have to wait about 15-30 mins before it would start again. This led me to switch to a frame mounted electrical pump, and haven't had any issues since. Just my 2 cents.

I am pretty sure the stock TFI (is that right?), will not work, but if you went to an older Duraspark distributor you can get it to run with the stock ECM of the same vintage. Otherwise you can run the stock distributor off of an MSD or similiar ignition box. That might be a cheaper route. I have seen a few guys who have done this (converting to carb set-up), and while I never paid too much attention to how they did it, I do know it seemed to be a pretty straight forward bolt on installation. My Grandpappy always told me that as long as the engine has fuel and spark, it will run, it does not need a computer to tell it how too. I hope this helps you some. If you get it to work, I would like to know how, that way I can store it away for a later date maybe. Oh, and if I gave you a bum steer on my info, let me know also, I hate to talk sideways out of my mouth.

Bear76 said:

I am pretty sure the stock TFI (is that right?), will not work, but if you went to an older Duraspark distributor you can get it to run with the stock ECM of the same vintage. Otherwise you can run the stock distributor off of an MSD or similiar ignition box. That might be a cheaper route. I have seen a few guys who have done this (converting to carb set-up), and while I never paid too much attention to how they did it, I do know it seemed to be a pretty straight forward bolt on installation. My Grandpappy always told me that as long as the engine has fuel and spark, it will run, it does not need a computer to tell it how too. I hope this helps you some. If you get it to work, I would like to know how, that way I can store it away for a later date maybe. Oh, and if I gave you a bum steer on my info, let me know also, I hate to talk sideways out of my mouth.

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WHY? I dont get it. I have tried to figure out why anyone would take a fuel injected motor and make it carberated. Its cool if thats what you want but really why?

n2spd said:

WHY? I dont get it. I have tried to figure out why anyone would take a fuel injected motor and make it carberated. Its cool if thats what you want but really why?

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One word. SIMPLICITY. Less bull$hit, *much* easier to understand, diagnose & fix on the trail. With a Carb'd engine I don't need to drag a freaking oscilliscope with me when I go camping or goofing around. Fuelie engines are nice and I think we can all agree that they generally perform a bit better and get better mileage but it's hard to beat a dead-nuts simple carb. You need 3 (read it again my friend, THREE) wires to the distributor and your engine will fire, try that $hit with EFI. Yes, yes, yes, EFI is all part of the Great Leap Forward but there's something to be said for some 100yrs of carbs. Believe it or not some of us folks actually resent having to deal with milisecond timing and injector pulsewidth issues. Put a stinking carb on it, run 3 wires to the dizzy and it will start & run every time. It's easier than changing a diaper & Lord knows I'm done with THAT $hit too. My 88' is fuelie and I'll probably deal with it long enuf to teach my son but chances are good it won't *stay* injected, my patience has limits. an electric choke is usually about as exotic as I get, it may be convenient but I can sure run & drive my truck without one. When John Force goes EFI let me know.

Bear76 said:

My Grandpappy always told me that as long as the engine has fuel and spark, it will run, it does not need a computer to tell it how too.

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Damn straight. Air, fuel & spark. If it's doesn't fire figure out which one is missing & work backwards from there. What could be simpler ?

Broncobill78 said:

Damn straight. Air, fuel & spark. If it's doesn't fire figure out which one is missing & work backwards from there. What could be simpler ?

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finally!! some people that understand. thank god. very amusing comments by the way. well put. i just ordered a edelbrock performer intake and a demon 650 carb. i did decide to go with the in-line fuel pump. and the cam i'm not sure about yet. i'm in the army and my bronco is my transportation to and from work. it **** having to bum rides every day. wich is the only reason i'm questioning wether or not to put in a new cam. take more time to order and install. however i'm a male. my testosterone is nearly at it's peak when it comes to my bronco. i keep hearing voices saying.....Bigger IS Better. and well, as long as the engine is pulled, i might as well..... the only thing is that i need it running for work. testosterone already made do the switch. well, any further input is greatly appreciated. thanks

I was just wondering would you also have to change the intake manifold?

bronco_83 said:

I was just wondering would you also have to change the intake manifold?

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going from mpfi to carb? if so....most definately

bronco_83 said:

I was just wondering would you also have to change the intake manifold?

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Most likely, unless you have a *real* early throttle body EFI in which case I think (that means I'm not sure) that you can just swap it out for a carb but there were probably only one or maybe two years of throttle body injection before multiport became all the rage. Somebody who knows their years & options check me on this one

CSM_Bronco said:

i keep hearing voices saying.....Bigger IS Better.

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Yeah, yeah, I know that voice, he's the one who told me a 950 double pumper would be really cool on my stock 302. That guy can cost you a lot of money. He sells a lot of 40" tires.

Broncobill78 said:

regulator should work fine & it's probably no more hassle to install than adding a mechanical fuel pump would be, come to think of it you probably don't even have the eccentric to *run* a mechanical pump so you'd be looking at a LP electrical pump anyways. Just out of curiousity does anyone know if fuelie engines come w/fuel pump eccentrics I somehow doubt Ford spends any extra pennies or minutes installing legacy parts for backwards compatability /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

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I have my 1990 351W torn down now, doing a rebuild. I was surprised to find it has the fuel pump eccentric on the end of the cam. As you point out, why would Ford do that, especially with no way to mount a mechanical fuel pump.

As for the mechanical fuel pump, while the cam may have the eccentric for one, the timing cover hole for the pump is usually closed off or left uncut when being made. And when doing research on my 460 efi to carb swap, I found that the TFI dizzy will not work and you need to use the DuraSpark II version or HEI. Aftermarket units like MSD, DUI or PEtronix will also work but are alot more expensive. And I'm also an old school carb guy that doesn't like fuel injection. I can tune a carb on my older rigs and troubleshoot any problems. When my 98 Z-71 gives a code or runs bad, I have to take it to a shop and pay at least $100 for the visit. I know several Cheby truck owners that have also ditched the GM EFI (throttle body injection) for a simple carb set-up. Lastly, I was able to use my lower EFI intake on the 460 with a carb adapter from Price MotorSports. Might check with them to see if they have one for a 351W V8. I had to plug the injector holes and remove one sender. JSM84