EFI to CARB conversion help
 

i have a 1989 ford f250 351w 5.8L and i am gonna do an efi to carb conversion and i was wondering what is needed and what parts i need to make it a carb

a intake, carb, mechanical fuel pump, and some fuel line. why do you want to switch? you might want to search!!!!

i was told i would need a new ignition and distributor to is that true? and i am doing it as a project for my truck

ya that is true. is there something wrong with your efi, because by the time you get everthing for your carb swap it would be better just to fix your efi, and also what trans do you have?

don't use a mechanical fuel pump, use your fuel injection pumps and a bypass regulator. run a new return line that is 3/8ths or -6an i would also reccomend using -an line for everything since there is high pressure. russell sells the fittings to hook your return line to your tank and to run a pressure line off of your stock fuel filter. 3/8ths line (fuel filter) 640850 5/16ths line (return line to your fuel tank) 640860 . Use a toggle switch to provide power to your fuel pumps at the enertia switch (located on the firewall behind the brake pedal). Other than that you will need a new distributor, ignition coil, carb, and intake manifold. The green wire that goes to your distributor is your tach wire so cut it and hooko it up accordingly, the white wire is your power to the dissy so hook that up accordingly as well. I also used the white power wire for my electric choke. If you get a HEI distributor you will need an offset aircleaner base and stud. If you have an aod you have to shop up your factory throttle cable bracket and weld it back together so it will hold your throttle cables and your TV cable. They sell things that bolt onto the throttle linkage on a holley with the right ratio and all that good stuff to use with your TV cable on your aod. If you have an e40d then you will need to find a stand alone computer for it which is expensive-it is cheaper to just use a c6 or c4 or stick depending on what you are doing.

nothing is wrong with my efi just doing all this for a project.. i have a 4speed with drive manual trans.

alright well what would be a good distributor for doing this? and all i would need is a distributor,ignition coil, carb, and intake manifold?

you'll be fine then, you might want to use a lokar throttle cable or some other brand since the original throttle cable is like 2 feet too long to be used with a carb and look nice, if you use an aftermarket throttle cable then you can also use an aftermarket throttle cable bracket that bolts onto the carb instead of having to weld up your own

alright thanks, i was gonna use the msd distributor which one is good for the price?

a good distributor would be an msd one, i have the e-curve because i hate playing with advance springs and shooting them everywhere and losing them. i would not reccomend using a hei distributor they are a pain in the ass to get to clear your aircleaner and then you have to find an advance kit with the correct bushings that i couldn't find anyone who made.

but any of the msd ones are a good shot. i also like mallory distributors but stay away from points distributors the points tend to bounce at high rpms and kill horsepower.

as for the intake manifold you use it depends on what kind of power you are looking for and how well your heads flow...what kind of heads do you have on there? e7 heads? If you have e7 heads don't pick something too crazy since those heads flow like crap even when ported.

For your carb i am going to say between a 650 and 750 if your motor is pretty much stock.

while you are pulling off your fuel injection crap since you already have the motor torn apart all you need to do is pull your rockers off take your pushrods out and pull your lifters then take off the timing chain cover timing chain and the thing that holds your cam in the motor and swap out the cam too, this will give you a big power increase depending on what cam you chose though. Since you are going with a carb there is no restriction on what cam you can run!! it's not like that speed density bull**** lol

with the e-curve distributor you don't need to run an ignition box so you actually save some money by getting the more expensive dissy.

when you add up a msd pro billet dissy + 6al box + ign coil
and add up MSD e-curve dissy + ign coil

the e-curve comes out cheaper and if you want to later on down the road you can always add a box

okay i was gonna go with an msd distributor.. and i have stock heads but i am pulling the motor out and i am putting the edelbrock power package top end kit,451hp and 433 ft.lbs which includes intake, cam ,etc the whole kit.. is 600-750cfm carb enough for that

i would use a 750 for that and i would use a 750 mechanical secondary carb since you have a stick. what kind of heads was that package tested with because i would be suprised if stock e7 heads can produce that much power naturally aspirated

i would also talk to patrick at pro systems he will build a good carb for you, i wish i did that instead of using trick fuel

it comes with edelbrock heads to repleace the stock ones and also i have a c6 auto trans to put in it so what size carb would be needed? also they do not make an e curve distributor for the 351w

like i said i would talk to patrick at prosystems on monday 727-490-5717. their carbs are a little more expensive than a holley but are made to order and come pre tuned so all you need to do is bolt them on and go. They will be able to tell you better what size carb you need than me since they are experts who do this all day.

since they dont make an e-curve for the 351 i think you'll be alright with this dissy MSD Ignition 8478 - MSD Pro-Billet Street Distributors - Overview - SummitRacing.com just get a msd 6al box and blaster II coil, i like the taylor silicone wires they are really nice and you can cut them to length so they don't look sloppy

i think ill get that msd ignition and the msd 6al box and the regualar coil not the blaster 2 cant find it and ill go wiith the summit racing carb and manifold kit 750cfm

Its a 333 stroker motor but i have a 302 carb.. thats has idk about 350 horses with just some aussie heads and edelbrock intake manifold stuff like that that im considering just because of gas because i drive this truck every day to school, work, etc so what do i need to convert it over to carb?

ok so the motor is a 333 stroker has just a little work done to it like aussie heads edelbrock intake,etc nothing major but i also have a plain jane 302 with just some aussie heads and eagle piston (i think) with about 300 and something horses so do u think that will do good on a conversion because my 5.0 is just a piece oil leaks all the time now about every week or so something else is wrong with it like distributor caps, the starter, the alternator, battery is dead, U joints, brakes, it just is costing alot out of my pocket so please help me out on this i really need it

If you get in touch with Edelbrock, they can let you know what they recommend for their package. Any updates on this?

I say get a HEI distributor. They can be found a broncograveyard.com. All you have to do is hook up one wire, the the brain box for electronic ignition and coil is built into the distributor. Looks very nice cause it cleans up the motor.

I would go with a HEI distributor frme broncoraveyard.com. They clean up the engine bay, and still give you high performance electronic ignition.

i would get the msd 6a box with simple 2 prong plug in dizzy and you can bypass alot of wiring....

yes the i's something wrong with my efi I've changed iignition system and still no fire that's why I'm wanting to change to carburetor

I recommend using Ford's duraspark ignition. You can keep your original coil, plugs, wires, and cap. All you need is a duraspark distributor (1983 5.8) and module. which can be had for less than $100.

You can make your own wire harness or grab one off a pre-1986 truck, car or random 1975-1991 ford, AMC, or Jeep product. It is HEI and basically plug n play. Looks stock if you do it right as some heavy duty Fords up until 89 or so came with this from the Factory.

Must be some time travelling going on here!

Yeah same here, Like the idea of EFI for so many reasons, Sure carbs are fun but when I want to jump in the truck and go EFI is no brainer. Will be going with edelbrock's pro flo 4 EFI in spring almost everything is in the box as well (minus your coil and fuel system ie pump hoses ans regulator but still alot more complete then most of the setups like FITECH and Holley's Sniper EFI which is basically an electronic carb.)

Yeah I feel the same way, but I understand some people don't have the money or tools/equipment and knowledge to fool around with kaput EFI system. It's just easier for them to revert these 1960's design engines to carburetor. For a show queen or daily driver? --No way, but honestly not a bad option for a clapped-out farm truck.

Well i own a 96 and a 86... one with efi and of course the other with a carb. What are the issues with having a carb motor?

I'm pretty sure it is stock from the factory but not 100% on when ford switched over. I had a 86 with a 351 and it was carbed. I think it was the next year or two as i also had a 88 with a 302 and it was fuel injected. Back to the carb though, on trucks back then i had very few issues, yes i eventually took them off and did a clean/rebuild on them but then they were foolproof for a long time after setup. The 90's fuel injection is totally foolproof though i get what you are saying there. The biggest problem is it is attached to the whole computer system and associated smog garbage on these trucks that take time to figure out what is going on and what to replace. This forum here and a number of members who have incredible knowledge of these systems are invaluable. Before the internet it was a crapshoot to find a mechanic to solve issues like that.

Keep in mind this is an 8 year old thread...

EFI to Carb conv..
 

Doing the same thing to my 94 EFI because my 84 block cracked..Thank you, I was wondering about the fuel delivery ..

You’re taking the EFI parts off of a ‘94 engine to put it in the ‘84? Sorry just trying to figure out what you’re saying.

I can certainly answer the question as to "why" somebody would want to swap their EFI to a carb. It's because our EFI computers are getting old, no matter where you look (junkyard, eBay, etc.). These old computers start exhibiting very strange behaviors due to cracked solder joints, dry/burst electrolytic capacitors and so on. To go even further, our sensors that support the EFI system are getting old, and the aftermarket replacements are hardly worth exploring, let alone putting on the engine. They are just really junky. So when your computer is going bad with no new replacements (other than spending enough money to buy yourself a new truck), along with worn out or cheaply built sensors that give faulty information, carbs start sounding like a real good alternative. EFI is great, but when the parts to maintain that system just aren't there or any good, the EFI is just as unreliable or worse than the carburetor...

Having owned a couple of these now and unable to diagnose their "possessed" behavior, I now agree. On the other hand, I still don't think you should throw up the white flag and resort to a carb at the first sign of trouble unless your EFI system is truly cursed.

all well and good, until you try doing swap with truck having E4OD

I have both EFI and carbureted trucks. My biggest problem is remembering which one I am in and do I need to pump the gas or not. HaHa!
I will say my plow/yard truck, 89 5.0 has EFI and it sits the majority of the time. But it sure starts nice when I need it.

Well put Loud. EFI is wonderful when it works. Primitive 30-year-old EFI with mystery gremlins and limited parts availability is not. My dad's '87 has a carburetor or two in its future.