FI Advice Options

[1bad914]

I cannot believe that I am going to ask this, (big carb guy) but here I go. I just finished building a 1911 motor, it is based around an EA motor with 96 mm pistons and cylinders, the only other aftermarket thing is a Webcam 86 cam. I currently have dual DRLA 36 carbs on it now. I am thinking about putting fuel injection on this motor, I have access to a lot of FI components and really would like to give FI a try, I want to drive this everyday and thought it would be nice, I have a friend that is very familiar with Type I FI and has offered to help.

With the motor specs above what FI system would you recommend, I need specs like what brain box, injectors, dizzy...i

Is this even possible with this cam, I would like to use stock FI, and not mess with a Mega squirt. Any advice would be appreciated. I really just want to learn about FI and this is one way to do it.

[toon1]

I am not sure if the stock Fi would hanle the cam you have.

This is my .02, if you want to learn about FI and have a running car, go with an aftermarket system. You can still drive the car, set up the FI and have minimal down time.

They give you much more tuneability(the stock has none), are more reliable and not all that hard to setup. There is a ton of info avail. here and other places.

My MS will be in soon and of all the projects I've done on the car , this is the most fun. Many have told me that it is a world of difference from the stock system.

The price you will pay for all the stock FI components(especially the MPS),won't be much less than aftermarket. One thing you have to consider , the stock system is 30+ yrs. old, untunable and parts are becoming NLA. A new MPS will cost you about $1200 rebuilts are $300 used, about 75-100.

An aftermarket will run about $5-700 complete, depending on what you get. It will also open doors for different distributorless ignition options.

Just my .02

[krazykonrad]

I've had good luck with stock D-jet FI in several different applications. I'm not knowledgable enough to know how that will work with your cam. Jake would. If you have a stock system availible, it may well be worth a try. Mega squirt is way more adjustable, but sometimes wide adjustability is a easy trap to fall into.
Konrad

[yarin]

Stock FI doesn't give you any considerable amount of tunability. If you are the kind of person that prefers to adjust things to the tee, then carbs would be the way to go for you. Any standalone engine management system is going to require tuning. If you aren't interested in soldering a few boards, you can buy Megasquirt fully assembled. However if you have the money and just want a semi-plug 'n play system I would buy SDS from a vendor that gives you everything you need.

I bought an entire used 2.0 injection system for about $120 and built my megasquirt on it.

I'm not a carb guy, initially the car had carbs and after 6 months of fumbling around I sold them. Still have a few bugs with my megasquirt, but overall its a great system and it has certainly been a learning experience.

[Brando]

Go with L-Jetronic from a 1.8. Use a 2.0 intake/plenum and get some appropriate PVC or aluminum tubing to make a runner from the flapper box to the plenum, or you can just use a complete 1.8 setup. The L-Jet is somewhat 'tuneable'. Alot of the guys who had 1.8s and upgraded to 1911s just used the injection and it was good. It should be fine with your cam choice as well.

[1bad914]

I have access to just about any FI component, I have an almost complete 1.8 setup and I also have a 2.0 intake/plenum. I'll start to collect parts. Any other advice, brain box, dizzy, or just go with all 1.8 components and use the 2.0 intake/plenum? This should be a fun weekend project, if it does not work I'll put the carbs back on and tune them up.

[Bleyseng]

What heads and valves sizes?

I would run the 2.0l runners, bus plenum (its bigger) and the 1.8L 914 injection stuff. You will have to tune the AFR on the AFM buts thats easy.

What exhaust? header?

[1bad914]

They are stock 1.7 heads, with 2.0 HE's and a Bursh exhaust.

Any links to adjusting the AFR/AFM.

Any suggestion on what brain box and dizzy, my friend has a box full of these things and I want to make sure I choose wisely.

[ClayPerrine]

The L-Jet is tunable to a certain point. If you get too much cam overlap, the flapper will start to occilate to the point where the computer can't keep an accurate mixture.

But it is by far more tunable than the D-jet.
Use a 2.0 914 or bus plenum. Use the 2.0 throttle body because it is bigger and will flow more air. put the 1.8 throttle switch on it (you will have to change the switch to get it to work).

Use the D-jet fuel pressure regulator. That way you can raise the fuel pressure to accomodate a bigger motor without monkeying with the air flap spring tension.

Personally, I would use a megasquirt or similar if I was going with a hotrod motor.


Or you could be REALLY unique, and put the MFI pump off a BMW 2002 Tii on it and have the first MFI 4 cylinder!

[anthony]

I would just go with Megasquirt for fuel only built on top of the factory FI parts. Just stay with the stock ignition for now and then eventually upgrade to a Mallory distributor. There are lots of threads around her that will get you started and I'm sure there are people who will share maps to get you started on tuning.

You'll learn a lot!

If you want everything to be relatively easy get an SDS setup (about $1300 with a WideBand O2 sensor setup).

[sean_v8_914]

wow you guys are mixing and matching all kinds of variables. Of those who comment, who has done it?

I will not speculate on any of these combos but...

I did build a 1.8 with 96mm pistons, stock cam and stock L-Jet injection. the only non stock thing was the 96s and the CR was 8.5. the engine ran great

1.8 heads have bigger valves than 1.7

[Brando]

With the 1.7 heads you can bolt everything from a 1.8 L-Jet system directly on. Includes the intake manifold/plenum. With a 1911 you won't require the larger flow of air a 2.0 intake would offer, and you won't have to fab an intake hose from the plenum to the air flow sensor.

[Bleyseng]

With 1.7L heads just use the 1.8l stuff and be done with it as ya ain't gonna gain anything else with them small ass valves.