Hi:
New kid on the block here. I have a 460 in my 86 E350. (21' class "c" RV) I am the original owner. I want to repower. The 460 has been a good motor, but it is carburated. Would upgrading to a later 460 with fuel injection be a simple job? What would be required to do this? Would it be better to go diesel. Any info along these lines would be appreciated.
Thanks

 

There are a few companies that make FI conversions that advertise themselves as simple. Holley is one of them but there are others. If you swap in a newer engine, your looking at doing a lot of electrical work and finding the right computer, harnesses ect. Swapping to a diesel engine is going to be super expensive and again, it's not going to be simple.

With that amount of time and money invested you could do a cam swap, ignition upgrade and exhaust upgrade which would give you more power and mileage and still be a reliable engine. Something to consider.

Welcome to FTE!

 

Going to any EFI setup will require, at a minimum:
1. A better fuel pump
2. Better plumbing for higher pressure lines
3. A place to mount the ECM
4. Lots of wiring.

I'd go with an aftermarket setup that either lets you run a set of rails on the intake manifold and a throttle body in place of the carburetor, or something like FAST's EZ-EFI which is a carb replacement. Pro-Jection makes a system as well, both will work with the stock carburetor linkage.

I personally would vote against the OEM setup, because it's not particularly good and will force you to stick with stock EFI heads and intake. The EFI heads have special port shapes.

 

A well tuned carb is just as efficient as EFI. And god for bid you break down at least you will find off the shelf parts for a carb. Good luck finding part for an aftermarket EFI system.

I would just rebuild the 460 back to stock, with a mild cam, and port job. It will be the most cost effective and simplist

 

I agree with all the guys here - converting to an EFI will not be simple nor worth it IMHO.

My dad has the Holley Pro-Jection (sp?) stuff on a 302 in a 70s Bronco, it was problematic to the point that a Holley factory rep out flew out to help the factory-authorized shop figure it out. Something to do with the fuel pumps burning out after one month, I don't remember the details.

Brad brings up a good point - if you break down in Green River, Utah with one of those aftermarket EFI things, you're gonna be there for a few days as you wait for parts to be shipped.

Even changing the entire engine to a later OEM EFI variant will still require new gas tanks & fuel delivery system as well as the computer to run it.

I'd agree on the cam, timing set, maybe some head work on the original engine would be the best bang for buck.

 

WOW, Great responses, you are all great guys and smart too. I am going to stick with the carbed 460 I got and some aftermarket. I bouhgt some doug thorley headers and I`ll get an RV cam. On the 302 in my 77 bronco (uncut) I went to an Edlebrock carb and intake man and it was excelent, so I am going to do the same on my 460.
I have another question specific to the 460. Just about every motor has its "most likely to fail spot when overheated". It may be a blown head gasket, cracked head, or cracked block. What is most likely to fail on a 460. It loses water very slowly with none in the oil. Block seal worked for a couple of years but after an hour on the road its running hot again.
Thanks again

 

Just as an FYI - the EZ EFI system (no, I'm not trying to sell it, but if CompCams is reading this and would like to send me one for free, PM me ) uses mostly off-the-shelf components. I can't speak for the others as EZ EFI is the one I've done the most research on.

The MAP, TPS, IAC motor, ECT sensor are all off the shelf GM stuff, off an early 90's TPI setup I believe. The ECM & throttle body are the only things you'd have to go to the aftermarket for.

Agree on the updating of the fuel system... however, I've come up with a solution in my head that will mitigate the need to do a big portion of this work, and once I've implemented and tested it, I will illustrate more. Expect a thread in a few months.

 

If you can find one, the Holley 735 cfm carb from the 69 428 CJ runs real good on a 460. On the Lincolns with the Motorcraft 4300, it would improve throttle response and fuel economy.

I am in the process of converting my 86 F350 to EFI, I will end up with a Mass Airflow controlled Sequential EFI system. As for the tanks, check with Archion, if you have the in-trank low pressure pumps, a lot of times the tanks are actually the same.