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I don't know about the decoupling question. Not sure what happens to the carb when you take the distributor out of the equation. Not familiar with the Feedback System.
That said, the Duraspark 2 is a pretty typical route to take. You will need an ignition module, for one thing. AutoZone sells them for $30 with a lifetime warranty, part number F102. I use Summit for a lot of things, and they have the Motorcraft brand for $62.99. If you're a name-brand guy, that's an option. I gave my spare junkyard one away ages ago to a classmate trying to get a Bronco running that promised to give it back when he got a new one. It never happened.
You will also need a distributor. There again, you have options. Have the parts store of your choosing look up the distributor for a 1983 F-100 with the 300. I bought this Duralast Gold one with lifetime warranty for $76 for my new engine. My old one worked fine, I just wanted the new and shiny.
You may or may not need a coil. I don't know what coil those came with. The 1985 engine I put in my truck had a TFI style coil on a bracket in front of the fuel pump, so I assume yours might be the same? I think that one was feedback carb. There's a difference in resistance, I believe, the old one may work, but the preference would be to swap it out. I put this coil from Summit on my new engine because I liked the color lol, but any of them would work.
I know there's one more plug that goes to the factory harness, but you may just want to wire that one directly. EDIT: Never mind, if you want to keep the warranty on the module, might just want to get the plug...I don't have a part number for it, but it appears maybe an SMP S629 may work? With the third prong not being used? I am not sure on that one....
For the time it would take to build, I would personally buy the more, erm, painless option, but that has more to do with laziness than fiscal responsibility.
There's more in-depth wiring diagrams out there, but that should give you the general idea.
I'm going to start ordering parts for the Duraspark II conversion. I checked the nearest large junkyard, no luck.
I just want to be sure I'm buying the correct parts. So, I need an ignition module, and a distributor, for a 1983 F-100 Inline 6, is that right?
And the 83 F-150 Inline 6 uses the Duraspark II distributor, so I'll need a wiring harness for Duraspark II.
Your list looks good, I clicked on all the links. The only problem I have seen so far is with the painless wiring harness. The painless instructions assume you are working from scratch, like swapping it into a hotrod or something. So they tell you to look for a power wire, hook the resistor up, etc. etc. These trucks were made for the duraspark II system as an option and are already wired for it. The resistor and the resistor bypass are already wired in. So there is some confusion for people and they think they have to do all this stuff to make it work. Once you read through all that and know what pertains to your particular situation, then it becomes clear. It should just plug in, and some of the painless parts you won't use.
Your list looks good, I clicked on all the links. The only problem I have seen so far is with the painless wiring harness. The painless instructions assume you are working from scratch, like swapping it into a hotrod or something. So they tell you to look for a power wire, hook the resistor up, etc. etc. These trucks were made for the duraspark II system as an option and are already wired for it. The resistor and the resistor bypass are already wired in. So there is some confusion for people and they think they have to do all this stuff to make it work. Once you read through all that and know what pertains to your particular situation, then it becomes clear. It should just plug in, and some of the painless parts you won't use.
Great, thanks. Do you think the Painless harness is worth purchasing then? Keep in mind I'm a beginner mechanic/electrician, so I don't mind forking over the $90 if it'll makes things significantly easier.
If you were interested like me on keeping the system first, use a code scanner to see what codes it gives you. I'm willing to bet it is code 23 with 51. Which is likely that your water temp sensor isnt reading properly and TPS sensor is out of adjustment. Being that the sensor is the main sensor which carries the voltage signal back to the ecm from both the sensor and TPS, I'd start there. That's what fixed mine, but I also wouldnt hesitate to check your timing and everything else first as previously mentioned. My truck is more for light farm use and H-D runs so it doesnt get driven much... My goal is to convert the system to run with a 4bbl and Clifford/Offy intake and use an IAC to adjust A/F ratios like the computer does, but that can wait for a while.
If you were interested like me on keeping the system first, use a code scanner to see what codes it gives you. I'm willing to bet it is code 23 with 51. Which is likely that your water temp sensor isnt reading properly and TPS sensor is out of adjustment. Being that the sensor is the main sensor which carries the voltage signal back to the ecm from both the sensor and TPS, I'd start there. That's what fixed mine, but I also wouldnt hesitate to check your timing and everything else first as previously mentioned. My truck is more for light farm use and H-D runs so it doesnt get driven much... My goal is to convert the system to run with a 4bbl and Clifford/Offy intake and use an IAC to adjust A/F ratios like the computer does, but that can wait for a while.
I appreciate that, but it's actually a goal of mine to get this truck 100% computer free. Nice name btw.
