To all

Just recently picked up a 1985 F150 with the straight 6..Still has all the smog stuff installed and the dreaded feedback carburetor. I am currently looking to get rid of all the smog equipment ( I do not live in an emissions area ). My question is that though I have done a bit of research the last week on the conversions, I believe I have come down to the HEI conversion. I believe that is the way I am gonna go. Reason is part availability and expense. I do not really trust junk yard electrical parts and I can get a distributor for like a 100 online. I have a pretty good grasp and can follow the posts I have found about doing the swap, my question is how is everyone getting the Oil pressure, Water Temp, and Volt gauges to continue working after doing the HEI conversion. My plan is to completely remove the so called computer from my truck.
I assume that wiring for these gauges all runs through the computer. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I have not found anything on any forum going through this part, would really like to continue to use the factory gauges.
This is not a restoration, or even meant to be a pretty truck, it is a cheap truck that I purchased to drive back a forth to work...I just want it to be as reliable as it can be.

 

The most reliable vehicle is one in factory configuration. Does it even have a problem? A lot of times people with feedback "issues" really just have a engine so out of tune that issue is really just a tune up. Carb rebuild , spark plugs, wires, cap rotor, and vacuum leaks must all be addressed (under $100) Basically the same cost as gutting it and whole lot less work. The only things that make it worthwhile to do the conversion is if the system is so badly hacked or missing or you need to get to work the next morning.

Anyway, the GM Hei distributors are mostly china made and of dubious quality. It takes about the same effort and cost to use Ford duraspark components. GM HEI came out first and Ford engineers improved it. Just putting that out there.

The oil/temp gauge sender wires can be separated from the rest and retained.

 

I agree with jackietreehorn: The most reliable vehicle is one in factory configuration.

Why would you want to get rid of all the smog equipment? There is absolutely nothing wrong with the "dreaded" feedback carburetor, as long as all of the emissions components are still installed. It is actually a good system, and you will not gain anything by doing a DuraSpark II conversion or an HEI conversion. In fact, you will probably make it worse. Most people who do the conversion either have numerous missing components or they wish to modify their engines for better performance. Since there isn't much performance to be had with a straight six, my opinion is you already have the best system and would be much better off to leave it stock.

 

I understand completely what you are both stating...If I was restoring this vehicle to original or better then I agree with you....How ever, This is just a to and from beater that I do not wish to spend a bunch of time or money trouble shooting or learning about. I am not familiar with the feed back system nor Fords smog equipment..I also do not want to learn at this time about it. By doing the duraspark or HEI conversion it will simplify the system and from what I have read so far be FAR more reliable..Which is what I am looking for..This truck has not been well maintained up to the time that I purchased it. I have rebuilt the carburetor that is on it, have replaced plugs, cap and rotor..The current problem is that coming to a stop at a traffic light it tends to idle down and stall out. Even on first start up and when it does not stumble down and die it idles well below 650..This is a manual transmission truck.
I understand that there are most likely several components withing the Feed Back system that are causing my problem...Again at this point I do not wish to spend the time and money to trouble shoot the problem..
My plan is to get rid of the computer and feed back carburetor and make the truck like an early 80's to late 70's truck.
I appreciate your advice...truly I do, as I stated above my question is "Do the gauges in the cab run through the computer harness, if they do how do you get them to work properly with out the computer. If they do not then any help is where the wires are located or routed would be greatly appreciated.

 

I converted my '84 to Duraspark with mostly used components except for reman. distributor, mainly because it was almost impossible to get to idle well. The professional shop that rebuilt my engine told me " we can make it run but with that system we may not be able to make it idle" and they were right. Several very good shops tried to adjust the idle and failed. I was told that Ford originally used very specialized equipment to set idle and no shops had that equipment any more. After conversion and a non feed-back carb it idles well.
The gauge sender wires do not go through the computer. Oil pressure and water temp. wires are red/white and white/red but I don't remember which is which. I will check tomorrow if no one posted that info before then.

 

Whisler,

Thank you very much for your information, it is GREATLY Appreciated.

 

I did the DuraSpark II conversion on my own truck and it runs very well. My truck also originally had the feedback system, but I was the third owner and it was mostly incomplete.

If you can find a DSII harness from a junkyard, it will have the oil pressure and coolant temperature wires as part of it.

 

Actually they both released them at about the same time. GM's unitized ignition in 72 Fords Electronic ignition/Duraspark in 73, GM's HEI for 74 , Ford's Duraspark II in 76 and finally Fords HEI Durapark I in 78

 

On the sender wire colors, coolant temp sender wire is red with white stripe, and oil pressure sender wire is white with red stripe. They may run in the harness with the computer wires but exit that harness before the computer.

 

I bought my 84 351W this year and it had most of the smog already gone. The wires to connect the smog stuff to the computer and a lot of vacuum lines were just disconnected. The truck started and idled well with the but ran like crap above about 1500 rpm. I think i was getting no timing advance. The bottom line is I put in an HEI (I got the one from summit) and a non-feedback 2150 carb from a'79 bronco with a manual choke. The swap was easy, although I was also a little nervous about it. The new distributor works fine so far. My only issue was that the HEI distributor is huge and looks like something from a cartoon. It takes up a lot of room on the front part of the motor and caused a little fitment issue with my fuel line vs the vacuum advance diaphram, but it did fit with my air cleaner. The truck doesn't idle as well now (I think that is a carb/vacuum issue) but runs fine and reliably at all rpm.