Just a Thought.. EFI on a Flathead???

This is something that I’ve been bouncing around for a while now after a buddy of mine converted his 66 Ranchero. He bought one of those self learning EFI kits from Holley and loves it, so much that he said that he may never go back to dealing with carburetors on a street car again. I’ve seen a few Hilborn (sp?) mechanical injection set ups swapped over to EFI but I was wanting something that would look more stock with an oil bath air filter on it. True the stacked injectors would look completely *****in’ but I would like to keep the car as close to factory as I can get even with a/c and a one wire 12v generator. I have looked at the self learning set ups and most are for 300+ hp and my flattie is putting out a hefty 100 horse on a good day and most are for a 4 barrel intake which is not that big of deal to swap out for an 8BA and paint it the factory color.
So what about it guys have you or anyone you know has done something like this or so I need to put in a small motor Ford that looks like a Y block???

 

There is a thread on here somewhere, it has been a while since I last saw it, where a poster took either a flathead Ford or Lincoln V12 and converted it to EFI by putting the injectors in the valley, under the intake and used a Stromberg body as the throttle control. The setup was extremely well thought out, looked correct, and apparently ran very well. If I find the thread, I will post the link.

Found it, but it looks like the images are gone...

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/fuel-injection-for-flathead.687171/

 

Autotrend EFI comes to mind. I can't get his website to work, but here's his IG -
David Ehrlich, Autotrend EFI (@autotrend_efi) • Instagram photos and videos

 

Doesn't the Poteet/Main liner have an EFI Flathead?

 

There is a very good friend of mine that did put EFI on a flathead. In fact he built an entire car to mimick a t bucket but skinned it with copper that he folded up and hammered then unfolded. The entire car was hand built. He even built the leaf springs from spring stock.

Anyway, he built the manifold too, the EFI company thought he was teasing until he sent them pics of the car, the flathead with homemade intake and their fuel injection unit on it.

Long story short, they had him bring the car to their test facility then their techs spent a day tuning and playing with it until it run like a top. He got to stay and BS with them while they played. He said they had a blast...

..

 

View attachment 6054493
Here’s the Mooneyes EFI on my banger. If you squint when you’re looking at it, it kind of looks like a 97. I think that it is now called FiTech

 

I saw this whenever I was looking around and was wondering if that would do the job. I think they said it was a popular thing for the jeeps so if it can power a 6cyl it should be able to handle the flattie.

 

So it sounds like it’s a very doable project because I am really wanting to drive this car on long trips and reliability is key.

 

I have this Flat Attack unit I bought years ago, never used it.

 

lost51, not a flathead, BUT! I have had a throttle body EFI on my avatar since 2012. Like your friend, no going back.

Ben

 

Now that looks great and I would love to run something like that but not on this car I’m working on right now.

 

That’s what I have been hearing

 

I ran a 2300 holley sniper on a flathead straight 8 pontiac if that counts. Ran AWESOME!!! I then swapped in a 350 pontiac v8 and went carb. I loved the sniper but hated the thought of the electronics dying on me.

 

I've installed eight Holley Snipers, 1,2,and 4bbl versions on different customer and personal projects.
Holley Sniper 2bbls have two 100lb injectors which make them a little much for small engines. They deliver too much fuel and you have a hard time getting a short enough pulse at idle.
They should be ok on a flattie V8 but if not, 42lb LS injectors can be swapped in. We did that on an MGB project and managed to get the little 1800cc engine running pretty well.
The 1bbl versions use a single 100lb injector but can only support about 150hp.
If you go with one of the snipers I recommend downloading the desktop software. You'll be able to do so much more than the handheld allows and data logging is a lot easier to view.
All of them can be used to control ignition timing too.

 

Not much to add, as it's been covered pretty well already that it is possible. Just happens that I installed a Holley Sniper 2 throttle body today on a 350ci Chevy in a '68 Corvette. When everything was said and done, we fired the car up and went for a short drive that included some freeway time. If I didn't know that we just installed a brand new EFI system, you couldn't tell as it started, idled, and drove like it had been tuned specifically for that car. The EFI systems have come a long way and the self-tuning stuff is pretty awesome.

I've done a few where we "dressed up" the throttle body and they've turned out pretty nice. Here's a couple...

 

Now this is what I am trying to do and these look great especially under the factory air cleaner. And I’m really digging the Procharger sneaking into the mix

Thanks for all of the information about this but now comes another question, do I need to change the distributor to an electronic one? They offer kits that resemble the Mallory Unilight that I can put in the factory distributor or I could go to a Chevy style distributor since this is an 8BA. What’s the recommendations for this?

 

Thanks for this information I think the Sniper is the way to go for the application and that’s nice that I can swap injectors to the LS so it will work better.

 

All distributors ,
when it comes to magnetos that's a different combo ,extra wiring / module then the typical (Holley Sinper)

Holley Sniper leading the way For replacing a carburetor,,, If you know how to tune & understand a carburetor the sniper really is no different just a touchpad, that runs off electric.

Two of off shelf best , Holley & FuelTech worth the Extra $ then others cheaper brands,,

More advance systems
Holley Dominator & Terminator & all Fuel Tech is for More Advance users and Race systems.



Not much bigger then coolant overfill reservoir,,,,
This offered by Edelbrock (& others) makes things easer & cheaper by $500-1k , Then New Efi gas tank & other lines , regulators,

Stock fuel pump outlet line of engine to Sump Efi pump in sump fuel line over to fuel rail / Throttlebody then a return line back to EFI Sump , Less then 3 ish feet Total

 

Wonder if you could deactivate an injector by blocking the fuel to it and just run one injector in a 2 barrel throttle body ? It could move so it operated normally and didn't set a code and be a spare if you ever needed to change a clogged one. The O2 sensor is going to tell you when the mixture is correct and it should support 100 hp......or see if smaller injectors could be installed as replacements.

 

Yes, you could disconnect two injectors if the fueling was too much. The ECU would simply adjust to suit the engine. It simply takes the MAP, O2, IAT, and TPS sensor readings and figures out how much fueling is needed. If it were me, I'd probably look at swapping out to smaller injectors instead, this would bring the duty cycle back up to something more ideal as opposed to restricting the pulse rate of a larger set of injectors to something less than ideal. Changing injector size is not uncommon, we've had to do it on some supercharged applications as the duty cycle maxed out at high rpms (basically, the engine ran out of fuel at the top end).

Stock distributor or aftermarket, the EFI system doesn't care, UNLESS you want the ECU to control timing, then you need a specific model. Not sure if there's one that would work on a Flatty, but I bet there is. As mentioned, a magneto will interfere with the EFI ECU's electronics.

Those fuel sumps work, but I would go with an in-tank unit. Holley makes a retrofit deal where you use a holesaw and their jig to drill the hole in your existing tank. The pump uses a fuel mat as a pickup so the swarf that ends up in the tank won't be picked up. An in-tank pump will run cooler, last longer, and operate quieter.

 

And...Holley makes an in-tank fuel pump that is internally regulated so there is no return line needed. Makes installation simple. Add an MSD distributor (Holley owned) and the sniper will control timing as it learns. They are truly amazing but seriously ugly and should not be viewed by anyone on an old car. Hide your tech.

 

There's usually a Jeep CJ2A at the Des Moines GG that has EFI on the little 134 Willys engine. Not sure what breed it is.

 

I agree, that's the best way to go, however, some EFI throttle bodies are of the p***-through variety and require a regulator AFTER the unit. The Sniper 2 I just installed did. Annoying, but something to think about when shopping around.

Both those engines I posted are running a distributor where the EFI is controlling timing. Their look doesn't bother me.

 

And if you have to run a return and an external reg, that's cool. But I like making sure the world doesn't know what I am up to. There is art in illusion.

 

Not knocking the OP or anyone else, but my instincts run in the opposite direction: lots of cams, lots of valves, lots of light alloy, but with carbs and mechanical distributor.

 

That’s the quest that I’m on. It’s just an idea I’m bopping around with seeing if it’s worth the expense and effort. This is for my family heirloom ‘51 and the goal Im shooting for is to have all modern underpinnings and the benefits of a new BMW without looking like it. When I pop the hood I don’t want an LS or a Coyote staring you in the face and looking like a cookie cutter restomod. I’m wanting to run a Y block (or SBF dressed that way) in it and want all of the benefits of a modern motor but neatly tucked away. No extra chrome, trim, aftermarket wheels, just a simple “if Ford did it when it was built new” kinda thing. I’m planning on keeping the interior the way it is (bone stock LeBarron Bonnie) just updating everything to look like Henry did it that way. So if I can experiment with it now running all original drivetrain including the factory overdrive and make it work then I know that I can do it with the new aftermarket ch***is and driveline. Barry Lobeck always told me that if you can alter the car and you have to really look for it then you did a good job. Some things will automatically stick out but it’s the work in the small details that you would never know about unless you have a stock one sitting next to it. Just think of it as a modern version of the Thunder road ‘51.

 

Friend had a flatty with a cool EFI setup.
Looked like similar to a tunnel ram with a throttle body the the front (not on top)
All GM pieces. Injectors, wiring, ECM, throttle body ….
The aluminum intake had injector bungs welded into the intake.
Ran great

 

DJ (Flatdog here on the HAMB) had a 34 Ford with a blown flathead that his son built an EFI system for, slaving a couple of strombergs as throttle bodies. It ran well, and I remember the car being very fast for what it was. I think he had time slips for high 12s p***es in the 1/4, damn fast for a steel 34 with full fenders, and a mountain of a guy driving it. His son was a super smart kid, went to MIT, and just put it together on his own.

 

This is the Desoto hemi in my 41 PU. Under the oil bath air cleaner that I converted is a Holley Sniper. I disguised it with a fuel bowl off a junk Holley that I had lying around and stuck an electric choke on the right side and even "wired" it up. The coil placement is also to hide the view of the Sniper. The 90 PSI fuel gauge is a bit of a giveaway. Just art. But it runs like a bat out of hell and doesn't care about ethanol blends.

I customized my dash around the sniper LCD screen and the switch for the electric vent motor that I didn't want to look at.

Hidden behind a hinged door and factory emblem. I had to make a larger backing plate for the emblem to cover the screen.

The eye sees what it wants to see.