Chevy cross fire intake questions-stupid thought

I just picked up a chevy cross fire injection intake that I was thinking of modifing by changing the top plate and making a dual carb intake. I started looking at it, and had a dumb thought. What all would I have to do to this intake/or my car to run this on my car? How do you wire the injectors, do they just need power run to them? Would I need a higher volumn fuel pump? My motor is a 86 350 in a 28 Ford. I know they weren't known for their performance , but it would be different....Fido

 

I also have a Crossfire TBI from an '84 Corvette. I intend to run it. From what I understand, the problem with them originally was the computer (ECM). The technology at that time wasn't great. Since then I've found out that an ECM (part no. 1227747) from a later Chev pickup can be used, with some tweaking, with this unit. From what info I've been able to gather, you're best off using the 'Vette distributor and you'll need a matching in-tank fuel pump. I found all the components on eBay and don't have much over $100 in all of it.

There is a message board devoted to improving the Crossfire TBI. I may have it bookmarked. If I find it I'll post the URL. Lots of knowledge there.

 

As I recall, they were two single injectors, rather than the single TWIN injector used on 'normal' 305s and 350s.
I also believe that they were wired to fire like the twin injector units.
And my last ***umption is that they were configured like that to LOOK different, as they certainly didn't WORK too much different.
Ahhh, back in the days when a diesel Merc was almost faster than a 'Vette...
Cosmo

 

Here's the URL to the Crossfire discussion board and a ****ty photo of my engine with the injector sitting on top.

http://www.crossfire.homeip.net/

 

My Son had an 83 Camaro, 305 Cross Fire Fuel Injection, 373 Posi and turbo 350 with a shift kit. We eventually swapped in a 350 long block, the car ran exceptionally well. For all that I had heard about cross fire horror stories, I was really pleaed with how strong it was.

john

 

If you do a google search, there's a site called Project Blackbird or something like that... the dude converted a cross fire intake to carbs. It isn't too complicated...

I would like to try it myself.

Jay

 

Well if you're serious about converting a crossfire to run dual carbs, you'll need something like this - see the attached picture. I didn't make it & have no other info - any idea what carbs it was designed for?

 

If you go ahead and run carbs on it, here's an interesting link, with some decent pics and info: http://www.bacomatic.org/~dw/engine/intake2/intake2.htm

 

Geez, I must be living under a rock. I've never seen that and it's been around since 83.
2-4's, 4-2's. you could do anything with that, and still stay nice and low.
Almost looks like a Smokey cross-ram. I like it.
And it's for the old style heads, the bacomatic story says.

Frank

 

I have one of these thats about ready to go on. My thoughts were that my car could not handle two x 4's so i just went with inline two Rotten chester 2 bbls..There doesn't seem to be enough room to use three x 2's and the 4 bbls would only work if you made them like the cross ram.
I hope it runs alright but like was said ,not much invested and you can always hang them on the wall.

 

hell I got chewed out for talking FI 2.3 in my 59 Rambler...be careful, the thought police my be watching!!!

 

"designed"?

 

Hows about a picture, I always liked the 2G rochesters, couldn;t get them side to/by side?

Frank

 

I could not get three of them in a row ,they could have been run 2 on one side and 2 on the other but I didn't want to put that much CFM on with a stock engine. Two AFB's would barely go offset side by side but once again a little overkill even if the secondaries were blocked.4 GC's or WCFB's may have been smaller and may be an alternative.
I am doing it cheap because I am cheap and the 2GC's were $5 each.
I will try to get some pic's tomorrow.

 

I'm not planning to use it & I have no idea what carbs it was built for. Someone put a fair amount of work into making it & it looks like its been used, but was then discarded so I'm guessing it didn't work too well.

 

The ports in the bottom part of the intake are really small, so it's not a performance intake.

The injectors look way out of place on a traditional car, but you can probably hide them under some spiffy air filters...or use two smallish carbs on it.

The cross fire is pretty far down on the list of intakes I'd run on a small block. I have put one on an engine in an old truck and played with it...so I have a small clue what I'm talking about.

 

I know they are not for performance intakes, I took one off and threw it in the trash when they where new. I went in the attis got a torker, a mallory dizzy, a 650 double pumper, and replaced the fuel pump. The car came alive and i never looked back. I think they **** IMHO.

 

I am not doing this for some big performance advantage,I just want it to be different. Heres some pic's for those interested.
This was offset with both floatbowls out,linkage may not be easy though.
This is the way I will run it, in-line I think it will look OK and linkage will be easy.Both float bowl's forward and carbs offset.
sorry about the picture size.

 

Well there is a dual carb crossfire conversion on Ebay right now http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=270353969480<ahref=">, sellers name is svowagon. He claims to be making them to sell but he hasn't sold any yet (</ahref=">http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=270348637650<ahref=">). Here's a couple of pics in case they disappear:
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What thickness top plates are you guys using? 1/4"?

 

Here's a funny cross-fire story, My dad was moving and "discovered" a cf in a box he had forgotten about. The Rocket was in pieces at the time so I was driving my 55 Chev daily which was a low 12's sbc car, he gave me the cf suggesting I run it!

Of course I did not run that thing I sold it on ebay which brings me to the next funny part, pops thought I'd get a grand for it.. I think it went for $160 and it appeared to be in perfect condition. My ol man is a sharp fella just out of touch.

I do think look kinda cool though.

 

Cool looking intake but the ports are pea-nutty. Tiny little ****ers.

They're an early attempt at what became the tuned port system. And trying to tailor a specific torque curve for powerful driver feel without real WOT power. And if you know anything about tuned port, you know the first step is to throw it all out the window if you are stepping up power significantly. Cause the small torque tuned runners ain't ever gonna feed a beast.

In the last 2 years p***ed one up for a hundred bucks. Complete with loom, ecm, and fuel pump/sender. Had a nice looking linkage. Seller wouldn't take $75 and for his $100 price I wanted a ride to my truck in his golf cart. It was late, my legs were tired, it was a 45 lb box, I didn't buy it. Looking back, I think he's the fool for letting that deal slide

They're a fuel puddle waiting to happen

good old thread though

 

Why was he a fool? I buy these all the time, pull off the injectors and the Vette guys on Ebay buy them up and I keep an almost free intake. Last injectors I listed closed at $125 and change. I have 5 of them on the shelf right now waiting for mods.

 

Wild looking? Yes. Bad flowing? Yes. There's a reason they're such a bargain.

It is important to note the intake is designed around a high pressure injector that atomizes fuel much better than a carburetor. They're a fuel puddle waiting to happen when you look at the plenum geometry differences from successful carbureted intake designs. When you run one of those free intakes on a performance engine, don't be suprised when it negates $400 worth of head and cam improvements. That's how I got the better end of a "bargain"

Just depends if you're building for looks or performance I guess. Even then, it's not a graceful intake like a cast crossram, it's just wild looking. And when some of us realize what we're actually seeing, we'll know it's a skin-deep performance car. Where's that leave ya?

 

Howell engineering makes a wireing harness to run the cross ram F.I. You can get all the sensors & computer from them also.

 

Has anyone ever converted these intakes to a pair of small 1 or two barrel carbs in the original cross ram setup? They have a funky mixer underneath that might work well.

I am thinking of dropping one of these wild looking intakes on a a basically stock 305. I don't think it could hurt the performance much.

 

Hey guys, I just ran across this forum talking about the crossfire, and I thought I would share some info with you guys. Back in high school, I had an '82 T/A with the crossfire on it. At the time, (1991) there was a company called California Turbo that knew how to tweak these. The original TBI's flow at 650 CFI. There used to be some aftermarket higher output versions you could buy, and spacer plates to put beneath them to let better mixing, (I never bought either of these, just used the stock injectors). That swirl plate underneath the TBI's is crucial, do not remove it.

The intakes have very big pickups inside, but are very narrow where they meet the heads, but this narrowing only goes in about two or three inches. I traced the opening of my intake gasket on the mating surface and ported that out, (under CT's recommendation), and it made a huge difference. Another thing I did, was I countersunk the bolt down holes inside, and used countersinking flat allen head bolts inside. This removed the bolt heads inside out of the airstream.

My original 305 was rated at 170 HP, I changed the block to a 350, with slightly bigger cam, the intake porting, and a stage 1 chip for the ECU from Hypertech, I was making over 300HP.

 

don't aweat the injectors with carbs, there will be no injectors to worry about wiring.

race on!!!

 

Only been five years and change since he posted what you're replying to. Think he's still deciding to run it or not?

 

OK you want to run carbs or injectors?

If you are changing it to a 2x whatever setup you don't have to wire anything at all. You loose all the electronic injecttion **** and bolt a pair of carbs on it.

What so you ahve to do to your engine? Build it like any other twin carb engine. done deal.

Oh obvoiusly not a dumb question you clearly didn't know what to do.