I'm wondering what kind of opinions are out there on putting fuel injection on my 390 or swapping it out for a crate. Looking for the reliability of fuel injection on the daily. Let's leave money out of the equation for now.

 

If money is no object then yeah, get port fuel injection. I don't think it will be more reliable than a carburetor but it will balance the fuel to each cylinder for better engine longevity and it will make cold starts much more convenient. EFI will also make cold starts nicer but it won't balance each cylinder the way port injection should. The one thing nice about a carburetor setup is you can have an identical carb and pump ready for a quick swap if you need it for not a ton of money. Same goes with the ignition system..you can have an entire spare ignition system for not a ton of money.

Don't know what crate motor you're thinking but any will have teething issues for a while until you get it all sorted out. Whether staying with a 390 or going with a crate engine swap it will likely be totally on you for any repairs or adjustments.

 

I swapped to EFI on my 390 with a Holley Sniper and a USShift unit to control my 4R70W. I initially started with standard ignition and then swapped= to timing control with a Holley DualSync distibutor (they now have the less expensive Hyperspark distributor). I carried this on to my 447 stroker. Concerned with having a computer on top of a hot manifold and to also have transmission and engine controls in one box I swapped to the Holley Terminator X Max Stealth. It, as well as the Sniper, runs great. I had in-cab and a frame mounted tank. I removed the cab tank and installed an in-tank pump and full return back to the tank. Given the option between and external pump and and in-tank pump I think it is well worth the trouble to go in-tank. If you don't need transmission control, the Terminator X is all you would need. Either the Sniper or the Terminator X Stealth will work well on a Performer RPM dual plane manifold but could even run on a factor 4 barrel. Depending on your welding and machining skills it is not too difficult to run MPFI with the Terminator as well by welding and machining a Performer RPM or similar for injector bungs. The Edelbrock MPFI manifold looks great but is pretty spendy. I almost pulled the trigger but decided to go MPFI with the Terminator I'm installing on my Mustang. The way the 447 runs with the Stealth I have no regrets.

If I was doing a swap today, and money was no object, I'd figure out a way to get a crate Godzilla motor shoved in there. For what I spent on the 447 FE I would have been money ahead but I really like FE's.

If you ultimately do want to figure out what FI will cost you, make a spreadsheet and I'd be happy to go down the list of everything you'll need. Take the price of the Sniper, for example, and multiply but 1.5 or even by 2 to figure out what it will really cost you to do the swap.

 

‘65Ford, You don’t think a Holley Sniper setup would be more reliable than my stock carb set up?

 

This sounds like the way I would like to go. My limited skills will not allow me to do it all myself therefore I would be at the mercy of a local shop. Thanks for the info and opinions

Money is kind of a point of contention. But not so much if that makes sense. I would put the $$ into a crate swap and I know I would be spending about $10,000+ on that. But if I can get a reliable running option with my 390 for less than1/2 as much then maybe that would be the way to go. .

 

When properly installed, mounted on a 1" phenolic spacer, and a using an air cleaner that doesn't shroud the Sniper it will work quite well - many have had great success. Compromises with wiring or fueling will make the EFI experience frustrating. Until circumstances changed for me my intention was to use my 1970 tow a travel trailer across the country. The longevity of the Sniper on top of a hot engine concerned me so that's why I swapped I was probably being a little too retentive.

My initial reason for swapping was trying to run a carb at Denver's altitude. On a hot day I'd hit a bump and the fuel in both bowls would boil and spew gas. Instant starts and good running hot or cold was well worth dumping the carb.

 

I’m looking for easy starts definitely. SoCal weather isn’t that hot or too cold most of the time. Right now I’m having an electrical issue. Drive it for a bit. It sits for bit and when I attempt to start it again it will not. The lights on dash come on but nothing as far as engine turn over with no “clicking" or anything. It’ll sit for a bit longer and then it’ll start up. Coil? Distributor? More than likely.

 

Edelbrock Pro Flo 4 is MPFI as a kit. Add the fuel sump pump and you can probably install it yourself. $3000 total.

My son put this on his 71 F100 FE390. Runs great, gets better gas mileage and excellent throttle response.

if your engine needs work, then you get to the point a swap may be easier.

 

Could just be the starter solenoid - they can be intermittent. For EFI, another thing to add to the list is an upgrade to a 3G alternator. EFI doesn't like noisy power and it needs full voltage at idle. The old 1G alternators that were stock on these trucks are often pretty noisy and can cause electrical interference. A 3G swap is also a pretty good idea anyway. Better voltage at idle and able to handle any added loads with ease.

 

Engine runs strong now. That’s kind of what my thinking was for a swap. Clean slate. I’m the second owner of the truck. Well 3rd owner if you count the guy who had it for two months while he probably stole it for almost nothing from the original owner then sold it to me.

 

Thanks, hopefully it is. That would be great instead of the coil or distributor.

 

Todays replacement coils don't like to lay down and need to be mounted vertical. Do you not have a fuel filter in the pump?

 

The filter probably hasn't been changed in a long time.

 

Correct. And by reliability, I mean the ability to move the truck from A to B on a regular schedule without failure. That's not to say a sniper is less reliable, but I wouldn't swap out the carb in hopes for more reliability. The EFI systems have their benefits over carburetors for sure though it's tough to beat a good carb for reliability.

What the EFI offers is convenience in cold starts and theoretical better mpg. They should also help with significant elevation changes if that's a possibility.

 

I would do efi but a swap could be beneficial if you want overdrive. My truck screamed going down the interstate before I did a swap. Could not hear yourself think and it didn't even have loud exhaust.

The other problem with fuel injection is fuel delivery. You have to have one of the small standalone high pressure pump surge tank(I could be wrong on the tanks nomenclature) or fit your fuel tank with an electric pump which can be challenging depending on you tank setup.