|
|
FAST EZ-EFI Fuel Injection System - Fast TimesModern Technology Makes Adding Fuel Injection to your Classic Camaro a Snap From the December, 2011 issue of Camaro Performers By David Pozzi Photography by Mary Pozzi
|
|
We love our classic Camaros, but what was considered cutting-edge tech 40-plus years ago is a bit antiquated today. Take the venerable carburetor, for example. It’s certainly capable of running great and supplying fuel/air to our engines, but modern electronic fuel injection (EFI) has it beat in many areas. Now that doesn’t mean carbs are bad or unusable, but there are options that can make our great cars even better. EFI provides quicker starts, better fuel economy, and thanks to computers, the ability to self-adjust on the fly. While all of this EFI tech is great, it’s always been a struggle to get it integrated into our old-school powered Camaros. And with systems costing over four grand, it can also be considered somewhat expensive. But as they say “that was then, and this is now.” Today, companies like Fuel Air Spark Technologies (FAST) are making EFI affordable and easy enough for the average guy to get into. To keep the price and complexity down, their EZ-EFI system was designed to use an existing 4150-style intake manifold. The four fuel injectors are integrated into the throttle body, so there’s no need to buy a new intake or modify an existing one. In fact, you can even use your current carb-style air cleaner. Not much to see here—just... Not much to see here—just your typical small-block Chevy topped off with a good old carburetor. There are several features built into the EZ-EFI system to improve drivability. The key one is what FAST calls "Adaptive Learning." This, in essence, lets the system tune itself. And anyone who’s messed with a more-complicated EFI system can certainly see the benefits. The system also has a “pre-squirt” feature that helps starting by injecting a small amount of fuel into the manifold at key-on. The system also lends itself to letting our Camaro keep their classic good looks—a great option for those who can’t get past the aesthetic challenges of newer GM LS engines. To get a feel for how this kit from FAST installs, we headed over to David and Mary Pozzi’s place to wrench a system onto their ’68 Camaro. It’s powered by a mild 350 small-block, which could use a little love in the drivability department.  Here’s the main player in...  Here’s the main player in the FAST EZ-EFI kit: the throttle body. One of the keys to it carrying the “EZ” moniker is that the four fuel injectors, and most of the sensors, are integrated into the throttle body. On the back of the throttle body is the Idle Air Control motor, and the base of the throttle body also houses three manifold vacuum ports. Also, just below the braided crossover fuel line is the TPS Idle re-calibration screw. Since the throttle body is designed to replace any carburetor that works on a 4150 square-flange manifold, it was a  The wiring harness may look...  The wiring harness may look daunting, but it’s surprisingly easy to install. One reason for this is that all the connectors were clearly labeled, and FAST included several wiring diagrams that made installation as drama free as possible. The harness is included in both the EZ-EFI Base (PN 30226-kit, $1,749) and the Master (PN 30227-kit, $2,137) kits. The Master kit includes the fuel system along with the fuel line kit and saved us about a hundred bucks compared to buying it separately.  The fuel system kit included...  The fuel system kit included an inline EFI fuel pump good for up to 600 hp, adjustable fuel pressure regulator, fuel pressure gauge, reusable filter, plug-and-play relay harness, and several fittings. It’s included in the Master kit or can be bought as a stand-alone kit (PN 307503, $349.95).  The fuel line kit included...  The fuel line kit included 25 feet of #6 push-lock hose, but it wasn’t enough for us to run both supply and return lines. We connected the pressure line from the fuel pump to the factory steel line while using the hose on the return side. Unless you have the muscles of an Olympic weightlifter, you’ll need to warm the hose end with a heat gun before pressing in the fitting. It helps to clamp the fitting in a padded bench vise and push the hose over it. Like the fuel pump kit, these parts are included in the Master kit and also sold separately (PN 307600, $150).  When it came to mounting the...  When it came to mounting the fuel system, we wanted something simple and straightforward. David Pozzi had a piece of steel in the shop that had a slight bend along one edge for better strength. To this we attached the pump and filter using the supplied mounts. The tank in the Camaro was not set up for EFI, but as David explained, “While we haven’t had any problems with the engine cutting out on mountain roads, I would expect to have some loss of pressure if I were to autocross the car with less than half a tank of gas. The stock tank has no internal baffles, and any air drawn into the pump will cause a pressure drop. There are baffled tanks available for the serious track-day crowd or autocrossers, but for a cruiser this works fine.”  We emptied the fuel tank,...  We emptied the fuel tank, pulled the fuel sender assembly and let it dry out. A fuel return was added to the front of the tank by drilling a hole in the flat area above the pinch weld, and then a -6 AN bulkhead fitting was installed. A Stat-O-Seal was used on the inside,and the bulkhead connector was installed with a jamb nut on the outside so the seal would be up against the bulkhead fitting shoulder. The bulkhead fitting was tough to install, but David figured out a trick that made it pretty easy. First, he strung a piece of wire through the fitting hole in the tank up through the fuel sender opening. He then ran the wire through the bulkhead fitting, slid it down the wire and into the hole using the wire to guide it. “Once the fitting was in place, I held it from turning with padded pliers while I tightened the nut,” David explained. “The placement of the fuel return line wasn’t ideal. I would have liked to put the return down low to reduce the chance of forming bubbles in the fuel, but the fuel pump ne  The old mechanical fuel pump...  The old mechanical fuel pump was no longer needed, so we removed it and the pushrod, and installed a block-off plate. Free horsepower!  9. Necessity dictated the...  9. Necessity dictated the placement of the fuel regulator. As David explained, “I didn’t have another 45- or 90-degree fitting to turn the hose up from the front of the engine to the throttle body. Instead, I used the fuel regulator to do that, but it required mounting the regulator at the front of the intake manifold. The good thing is that the pressure gage is easy to read and adjustment is a snap. The downside is that the regulator is plainly visible here. If you decide you want to put the regulator in a less obvious spot, make sure it’s not near the exhaust, and it’s easily accessible. Also, an engine vacuum hose must be attached to it, and the longer the hose, the slower the regulator will be to react to engine load changes.”  10.The ECU needs to know water...  10.The ECU needs to know water temperature so the small sender from the FAST kit was installed into the intake manifold.  Under the car, we welded on...  Under the car, we welded on the O2 sensor bung that came with the kit and then screwed in the system’s wideband sensor.  All the wires are well-marked...  All the wires are well-marked and simple to connect. The biggest job was to run a fuel pump wire to the back of the car. We chose to run the wire through the firewall inside the lower doorjamb, back into the trunk and out of the body near the fuel filler where the fuel gauge wire runs, then forward to the pump. We added extra protective sleeving where the wire ran on top of the fuel tank, and taped it down so it wouldn’t get pinched between tank and body. The fuel pump ground wire was connected to the body near the forward tank strap anchor. The rest of the wiring involved mostly plug-in connectors.  The ECU is watertight and...  The ECU is watertight and can be mounted just about anywhere so long as it’s away from “noisy” components such as coils, ignition boxes, or distributors. It could’ve been put under the dash, but it would have required a fairly large hole in the firewall that would need a cover plate. Instead, we chose a good spot on the inner fender that allowed hiding the harness and relays behind the brake booster. Harness clearance gets tight near the throttle linkage, so we took care to fasten it neatly in this area. The instructions were very explicit about connecting the ECU power leads directly to the battery. To do this, we had to extend the leads a little, but it was worth the trouble. Any stray electrical pulses or surges will affect engine idle and smoothness. Connecting directly to the battery avoids this.  We’re using a GM HEI distributor,...  We’re using a GM HEI distributor, which is known to produce a lot of electrical interference at the tach output terminal due to the coil in cap design. Connecting the ECU tach wire required installing the supplied tach adapter/filter, but MSD makes a heavier duty tach filter (PN 8910, $42) that may be more effective on this type ignition. Any stray voltage fluctuations can be read by the ECU as a variation in throttle position, or rpm, so the ECU will add fuel, thinking you stepped on the throttle. This can cause an erratic idle. The last thing to do was to run the communication cable for the hand-held controller. It came up a bit short, so we ran down to Radio Shack and bought an RS232 extension cable, which worked perfectly.  The throttle body bolts on...  The throttle body bolts on just like a Holley 4150 square-flange carb. This also meant that the existing linkage all worked, including the throttle return springs. The fuel supply and return lines connect easily, and we took our time to keep the lines running low for air cleaner clearance. We then double-checked the throttle linkage, insuring it opened fully when the gas pedal was depressed. We also watched for any binding, rubbing, or other contact issues.  A small spacer ring was used...  A small spacer ring was used so that the old air cleaner would clear the new parts.  With all of the parts installed,...  With all of the parts installed, we then set the fuel pressure. This was made easier since the ECU has a wire that can be grounded to keep the fuel pump running. With that done, we started programming the ECU. The instructions were very clear on the procedure to do the programming and set the idle speed screw properly. This wasn’t the place to hurry or cut corners.  In regards to tuning, David...  In regards to tuning, David explained, “I started out with idle speed a bit high, then experimented with lower settings, but we stayed with the default target air/fuel settings for the first drive. Later on, I tried leaner and leaner settings for cruise, eventually going full lean with no surging on this fairly stock 350. Throttle response and power are wonderful, and being able to just turn the key and fire it up like a new car is amazing. As a bonus, we can drive away without having to warm up the engine now.”  And with that, our EFI install...  And with that, our EFI install was done. There are a couple more wires, but if you wanted to go full stealth it would be pretty easy to hide the ECU, fuel pressure regulator, and other items.
|
FAST (Fuel Air Spark Technology)
3400 Democrat Road
Memphis
TN
38118
877-344-8355
www.fuelairspark.com
| |
|
|