Author Topic: Factory EFI on a 318 (Read 3789 times)

quapman · « **on:** November 29, 2008 - 08:36:41 AM »

I just bought a 73 Challenger 318 project. This is still miles down the road, but I'd like to put EFI on the car for better dirvability and just to be a little different. I have no experience with the aftermarket stuff and it looks a little pricey. Has anyone here put factory stuff (like from a 5.2 truck) on their old car? I would think a junkyard setup wouldn't cost too much and it would all be there including the computer stuff.

I'd assume that the magnum heads would have to be used so that the intake would bolt up, but after that, I'm a tad lost. I know I'd have to add Oxygen sensor(s), but would I need catalytic converters for it to function properly?

Sorry if this subject has been done before, but I'm very interested in doing this conversion.

Only being a 318, non-rallye car, I think I have a great candidate for experimentation.

Thanks!

Steve

Chryco Psycho · « **Reply #1 on:** November 29, 2008 - 11:36:01 AM »

I am sure it could be done, no cats needed not sure what else the factory computer controls , the earlier system would be the best for simplicitiy
I doubt the factory computer can be reset for better performance though

quagmire · « **Reply #2 on:** November 29, 2008 - 01:01:39 PM »

You'd want to grab all of the EFI hardware (throttle body with IAC, fuel rails and injectors, etc.), sensors, and harness if possible from the donor. And you'd need the Magnum heads and intake too like you said. The fuel system would have to be upgraded to handle higher pressure along with a high pressure electric fuel pump. You could also use a stand alone controller like Megasquirt to run the system. That would probably be the easiest and cheapest route to retrofit EFI and still have the capability to tune it for power and mileage. You can get them unassembled for under $250. I will be ordering a Megasquirt soon for my car, there are other units out there too.

thedodgeboys · « **Reply #3 on:** November 29, 2008 - 06:47:04 PM »

I would use the block also its a little better than the old one IMO roller cam comes to mind.

Take all you can from a 90 something ram and wire it in to your car and enjoy it.

you could use an aftermarket computer or the stock one mopar use to offer a hotrod PCM but I dont know if they still do...

Good luck and have fun keep us posted please.

quapman · « **Reply #4 on:** November 30, 2008 - 08:47:59 AM »

Yeah, i forgot that the lifters, rockers & pushrods are totally different, too. It's starting to make more sense to just swap in a whole motor.

I can repaint my engine bay while I've got the old motor out also.

Will my 904 bolt right up?

How much trouble is using the wiring/computer from the donor vehicle?

My friend's sons in Rochester are thinking of doing this in a first gen Cuda also.

Thanks!

Steve

thedodgeboys · « **Reply #5 on:** November 30, 2008 - 09:08:07 AM »

Will my 904 bolt right up? Yes

How much trouble is using the wiring/computer from the donor vehicle? It�s not so bad the swap I did was from a newer 94-8 something ram to an 85 crew cab ram so it may have went a little easier than a car but a lot of the Chrysler stuff is so similar. What I did was wire the new harness into the old firewall plug that way it was 100% efi ram under the hood, the code scanner even worked at the dealership.

dive in and have fun.

73EStroker · « **Reply #6 on:** November 30, 2008 - 11:47:14 PM »

Can't exactly remember when .... but Mopar Action did an article on using fuel injection on a small block and used a modified JTEC (Jeep Truck Engine Controller) controller from a Jeep I believe. They reburnt the EEPROM and all that fancy stuff and it was on a 360 if I remember correctly. I would contact Ehrenburg from their tech department and ask him. Probably the most cost effective and easiest way to go as all the R&D is done.

HP2 · « **Reply #7 on:** December 01, 2008 - 07:12:48 AM »

Can it be done, yes. Is it easy, depends on your skills. Is it cheap, it depends on your perspective. Factory efi set ups are fairly complex and not tuner friendly. They will not tolerate a broad range of modifications to the engine before they get lost.

You could probably tune an Edelbrock to get within 2-4 mpg of the efi set up for a quarter of the cost.

mach3107 · « **Reply #8 on:** December 16, 2008 - 02:22:19 AM »

I'm also very interested in doing something like this. Is there certain year motors that works better? I know some guys doing these kinds of swaps are concerned about which sensors the motors have (MAF sensors or MAP sensors). Is there any reason to not go with fuel injection over throttle body besides $$$ ?

Chryco Psycho · « **Reply #9 on:** December 16, 2008 - 03:44:01 AM »

the Only downside to EFI is cost IMO
you get better fuel distribution under All conditions , idle quality even with big cams is unmatched & fuel metering through the whole range is better controlled

miketyler · « **Reply #10 on:** February 14, 2009 - 12:06:42 PM »

I know it might be considered taboo but I was always interested in using a Ford setup because they were so cheap and plentiful. There are some obstacles like adapting the Ford distributor but it is certainly interesting and according to the post below it has been done.

http://www.cuda-challenger.com/cc/index.php?topic=7247.0

Chryco Psycho · « **Reply #11 on:** February 14, 2009 - 02:09:40 PM »

I believe multi port is far better than throttle body injection just because the fuel distribution to each cylinder is superior , where Tbody is still using a wet intake & has similar distribution problems that carbs suffer from . The MAF / MAP is 2 different ways of doing things as well , the MAF measures total air flow into the engine while the MAP measures pressure [vacuum] which can be more difficult on large cam low vacuum engines although I got around that by switching to a base idle program & map feedback from 1500 rpm up

HP2 · « **Reply #12 on:** February 15, 2009 - 09:23:12 AM »

...and within the multiport configuration sequential injection is better than batch fire, although batch fire is still better than throttle body. Not sure which the stock mopar unit is.

You might actually be better off using a Megajolt, Electromotive, or Megasquirt set up that can be set up with a variety of ford or gm parts than trying to adapt the stock mopar setup to a car. I know you can build a Megasquirt controller for under $100, then you just source a variety of new or used sensors to round it out. Could be possible to get it all put together and running for $500 to 1000 depending on how many new parts you use.

quapman · « **Reply #13 on:** February 15, 2009 - 08:22:27 PM »

Thanks for all the good info guys..........

Keep it coming!

Steve

Author Topic: Factory EFI on a 318 (Read 3789 times)

quapman

Factory EFI on a 318

Chryco Psycho

Re: Factory EFI on a 318

quagmire

Re: Factory EFI on a 318

thedodgeboys

Re: Factory EFI on a 318

quapman

Re: Factory EFI on a 318

thedodgeboys

Re: Factory EFI on a 318

73EStroker

Re: Factory EFI on a 318

HP2

Re: Factory EFI on a 318

mach3107

Re: Factory EFI on a 318

Chryco Psycho

Re: Factory EFI on a 318

miketyler

Re: Factory EFI on a 318

Chryco Psycho

Re: Factory EFI on a 318

HP2

Re: Factory EFI on a 318

quapman

Re: Factory EFI on a 318