Fuel Injection Conversion, Part 1: Why? And, why FiTech?

[@motor_citymuscle288]

I’m doing this to my 95 mustang 302. Glad to find your channel. Crazy this is I’ve looked up FiTech builds and your channel never came up but I found you when I just now searched “FiTech 02 sensor install”. I just finished installing the new trick flow cam, Afr heads, comp cam rockers, trick flow push rods, ford racing lifters, edelbrock rpm air intake manifold, and BBK shorty headers. I drew out my fuel lines, needed connectors and ordered them. Now I’m going to watch your build videos on hooking up the FiTech throttle body.

[@FastMonty]

Awesome! Glad you made over here... let me know if you have any questions, as you move along. Try and watch all the episodes, as there's a lot going on... including me messing it up... ha, ha...

[@mikebarney]

This dude is the Bob Ross of car guys

[@FastMonty]

Happy Trees and Happy Fuel Injection. Let's gooooo!

[@curtalden2223]

Thanks so much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Have a 1970 Chevelle SS now, but had the same car as you, black on black (orig green interior). I bought it from the chief engineer of the Microsoft Flight Simulator Game. His Name is on every box (if you bought the disc's back in the day. Anyway I was always thinking about doing fuel injection.......hmmm. I'd always do it myself, but maybe I'll have my mechanic do it.

[@FastMonty]

Welcome! great story... I think you can do it. just watch my playlist in it's entirety, to give you an idea. Have fun!

[@johnkennedy8452]

Yeah ,I have been anticipating when the first video of this series was going to roll out. Love all your video installments Mike and can't wait for this series thanks again. Hope it is going to go smoothly for you.✌🏁👍

[@FastMonty]

Thanks John! Yeah, this one has been fun to do... you know, never have done it before and all, ha, ha... thanks for tuning in!

[@groundzero4044]

@@FastMonty lame … Do you touch yourself while thinking on Pontiac parts …. Weirdo ….

[@Dirty_Bird]

Im so thankful to have found a pure pontiac guy on youtube. My car is currently in shambles but watching monty gives me motivation lol. AND great ideas as well

[@FastMonty]

Thanks Doctor T Bird! Welcome to the family... Glad I could help inspire. See you soon!

[@Dirty_Bird]

@@FastMonty heck yea and its dirty bird. Its the plate on my firebird (wanted drty brd but I cant get it with the "y" apparently its taken) lol

[@FastMonty]

@@Dirty_Bird Ohhhh Ha! That's what I get for answering comments with only ONE cup of coffee. You in California?

[@Dirty_Bird]

@@FastMonty All good, only one cup of coffee will do that to ya haha. No im in ohio, wish I was in California right now though lol.

[@FastMonty]

@@Dirty_Bird And it's Friday... so, I need at least 3 cups of bean juice before I can get going. HA, ha... Ahhh, yeah, hope your weather improves soon. Feel free to ask questions on any of the videos... good luck with your build!

[@tedgeldberg6498]

I've owned a 1972 De Tomaso Pantera for over 20 years. About 8 years ago, I simply gave up driving it because starting it was such an ordeal. And once I bought my 600hp Jaguar XKR in 2013, I just couldn't put myself through the effort it took to drive the Pantera. About 7 years ago, I decided to make it a more driveable car, otherwise I was going to sell it. Originally, I took it in to my mechanic to just convert to fuel injection but that turned into a full blown restoration/modification. We put in a new built and stroked 351 Cleveland with north of 500hp, new exhaust, new interior, new paint, the whole 9 yards. My joy was nearly unimaginable when the first time I turned the key, the engine roared to life without me having to remove the air cleaner, dump gas into the carb, start the car and then do the reverse order, sometimes 4 or 5 times. It was great until the engine warmed up to about 180*F (certainly cool for a Pantera) where the fuel injection would first sputter for a minute and then shut down completely leaving me stranded in some very dangerous situations. Back to the mechanic it went with each attempt at correcting it failing to do so. It still kept happening so I took it to my regular mechanic for my fleet of cars for many years. And after nearly 3 months of being unable to diagnose the issue and no amount of attempts to reach Holley technical support, he suggested we yank the fuel injection and replace with an Edelbrock carburetor. It has been a month, and I've driven the car a lot during that time, and it has run flawlessly for the first time in 20 years of ownership. Sure, I have to go through the sequence of priming the fuel system, activating the fuel pump, depressing the gas pedal to the floor 4 times before starting, etc., but it works. My words of advice for fitting to an older car that didn't come with an ecu made to handle fuel injection, is to make sure that you purchase the system from a company where the customer/technical support actually exists and where they can help you work out the kinks. I suffered for 2.5 years after a ground up restoration wondering everytime I drove the car where I was going to get stuck on the way home. I hope you don't have any of those issues.

[@FastMonty]

Noooo ! That's a hard pill to swallow. Thanks for sharing that story, Ted. Obviously no one wants to go through that kind of pain, and I totally understand the decision to back to the "way it used to be". I'm dying to know why that would happen... I'm not an expert, yet. :) Thanks for tuning in, and leaving a comment!

[@scotth9881]

Sounds great. Can't wait to see it all come together.

[@FastMonty]

Me too! Thanks Scott!

[@Danno74Z]

Hi Monty, I recently saw that Holley released their Sniper 2 EFI. I wonder when FiTech will release a new version of their EFI system. Like the original Sniper the existing FiTech needs a refresh. It's been in production for about 7 years now. Have you heard if a new unit is forthcoming? Thanks.

[@FastMonty]

I saw that too... I don't know what's new at FiTech... will definitely keep an ear out to find out more. Thanks for the comment!

[@tanner8288]

Oh Mike your instructive videos are gonna help me do so damn much to my pontiac 400 it's gonna be insane when I finally have the down time

[@FastMonty]

Ha! Awesome Tanner! Can't wait to see your build! Thanks for the comment, and see you next week.

[@Tomahawk455]

I can say after running FiTech for over 3 years now, it has been one of the best upgrades I have made on my 462 Pontiac. I did have a few hiccups after the install, and that leads me to giving you a few tips: 1. Run a dedicated ground wire from the corner of the unit straight to the battery. 2. Make sure your alternator is up to the task. My 100 amp Alternator wouldn't cut it. I purchased a Mechman 170 amp 1 wire alternator (the big thing here is the idling amperage. It idles at 150 amps, whereas the 100 amp idled very low and couldn't keep up with all the draw from the fuel injection, fans, pump, etc.) 3. If you have a fuel pump larger than 255 lph, set your PWM to 100% and run a dedicated relay for the fuel pump. Just use the fuel pump wire supplied by FiTech to trigger the relay. You will love it! My car performs so much better after the EFI install.

[@FastMonty]

Nice, Shane! Awesome feedback... thanks for the pointers, especially for anyone about to attempt the the same conversion. Will definitely keep all those ideas in mind, as we move forward. Thanks again for watching, and thanks for leaving a great comment!

[@thedobermangang3503]

got the fitech 30005 and when initial frist start up i got it to run but for some reason i can not turn it off with my key i had to disconect the plug from my distributor..i have my white wire going to my fuse box to ignition fuse and my blue wire going to my green wire from my distributor which is my tach wire... i have a hei dis. and 355 small block 1990 k5 blazer...it wont shut down with the key off...

[@FastMonty]

Ohhh, sorry to hear that. Definitely double check all your wiring. Something is back feeding into the distributor and keeping it running. Let us know what you find out!

[@MuscleCityMadness]

1st Comment YAY! Im watching as im interested in this for my 72 Challenger!

[@FastMonty]

Awesome! You're gonna love it... great job being 1st to comment... enjoy the series. I know for a fact you'll come away with ideas, some of which may by what "not to do". ha, ha... See ya!

[@danielmathys289]

Hey Mike..this is awesome..cant wait for the series..you are thorough to a bone!..theses vids are great..once again touches of humor mixed in are great for the soul..

[@FastMonty]

Thanks Daniel, I really appreciate the feedback. Enjoy the series... see ya!

[@mikemontanari190]

Nice job!! Very informative, clear with practical "Why this Fuel Injection system".

[@FastMonty]

Ha! Thanks, Dad!

[@josephburnham4621]

Hey Monty, since you have had the fi tech system for a while. I have seen lots of bad reviews. I wanted to get your and your friends update…?

[@FastMonty]

Good question... no issues thus far. :) I still have to get it "Tuned", which I will film...

[@LA-ni1jb]

Did you have this set up in the autotopia interview? And due you still have today?

[@FastMonty]

Good question... no, I did not have this installed for the AutotopiaLA shoot. Since that video, I rebuilt the engine, replaced the RPM Performer intake with a Torker II, painted the intake Pontiac Blue, Installed a Tremec TKX, RAM Dual Disc Clutch, FiTech fuel injection, Gen 3 camaro in tank pump, with a Custom Ricks Tank, and an Adjustable PCV valve from M/E Wagner. Filmed all of that too... and, yes, I still have the FITech system installed, and love it!

[@robertkonchan197]

It’s cool that you make these videos, hard enough to make time to work on our rides but to make a video too...bravo buddy! FiTech is getting a bad rap lately, they need this to go well, I’m sure it will. Thank you.

[@FastMonty]

Thanks Robert! Yeah, It's not easy... now it's just a part of my hobby. ha, ha... Yeah, I've noticed the bad rap, we'll see how it goes. Thanks again for the comment.

[@pontiaco]

Did you Did anything to the loud fuel pump?

[@FastMonty]

Ha! Yup... check this out... kzbin.info/www/bejne/n6SZkpWLqdeJiKs

[@gang-gang6865]

I just subscribed for this; I have a FiTech on my 68 goat for a few years now but never fiddled much with it. I hope your series goes in depth on the tuning out the bugs so I can follow along.

[@FastMonty]

Welcome to the family... I don't know how in depth I'll be getting yet. :) We'll see what challenges come up. Thanks for watching!

[@johnmilner7603]

My 70 Z28 4 speed is numbers matching Z with the orig List 4555 780 Holley so I can’t go FI. I like watching others wrench on their cars cause in the winter, we have snow here in Ontario outside of Toronto. Looking forward to the coming videos. P.S. it doesn’t take me long to tune my Holley or swap jets. I could rebuild this carb blind folded since I’ve owned the car since 1981.

[@FastMonty]

Excuses, excuses... ha, ha! Nothing wrong with keeping things original. And, you are a rare breed when it comes to Carb knowledge, not many of us know how to properly Jet a carb. Hence my point about having a properly tuned carb, not many of us have one. :) Stay warm, and thanks for watching!

[@clearwax]

I chose the sniper EFI system from holly because they also had the full ignition system with distributor. I purchased those with a full rewirring kit (to modernize the electrical system) All before I found out I had to rebuild the motor. I think I may also get the Sniper digital gauges as well.

[@FastMonty]

Nice! The Sniper set up is awesome too... good call on a new wire harness, and bummer about the motor. But, that's the hobby. Thanks for the comment!

[@armygreenfj3924]

That fi-tech you bought is that the one you can control ignition timing on and if so can you still run a normal HEI distributor and not control ignition timing?

[@FastMonty]

Hey Brother, good question. I currently have HEI, which means you can NOT control timing via EFI. Hope that makes sense... in a future video, I'll be converting to timing control, which can not use HEI.

[@armygreenfj3924]

@@FastMonty looks like you do have the timing control version efi.

[@FastMonty]

@ArmyGreenFJ the throttle body is the same, BUT you need a timing control model which is NOT compatible with HEI distributors.

[@armygreenfj3924]

@@FastMonty got it

[@armygreenfj3924]

Are you running a return line?

[@davidrosenthal735]

Hi Mike, I have a 1964 Chevelle Malibu SS with a custom built 327 and a Tremec 6spd. This was a frame off restoration and looks very nice but still needs improvements and upgrades. I really love your videos, they’ve been incredibly helpful for me. I’m looking forward to your next set of videos covering the Fitech swap. Thanks for doing all these videos, they will come in incredibly handy on future projects. 👍

[@FastMonty]

Thanks David! That's exactly the type of story I like to hear... I'm just passing along what I've learned, and hopefully others take away an idea or two for their project. So, thanks for the comment, it means a lot. Can't wait to see your build.

[@FiTechEFImedia]

Great video! Glad to have you in the #FitechFamily!

[@FastMonty]

Thanks! Glad you guys like what you see... I'm sure others may have some future questions. Thanks for chiming in.

[@briankinnear7461]

Have heard lots about these kits, even watched youtube videos about installing them. Look forward to seeing what you have. Cannot dispute the benefits of a good EFI system.

[@FastMonty]

Thanks Brian, I've seen those same videos... good, and bad. I'm just as curious, cuz, if done correctly, the benefits far out way the risk. Thanks for the comment!

[@ronpeltz8386]

Mike, Make sure you get a new coolant temp sensor. The one that comes with the kit does not read properly (approx. 20-30 degrees cooler). Much talk about it on different forums. I had to buy a new one also for that same reason. Enjoy. Your gonna love all you can do with it, including having it control timing!! I love mine.

[@FastMonty]

Interesting, Ron... thanks for the heads up. I'll definitely keep that in the back of my head when we get to that stage. (I don't have the timing control version, maybe in my next mod!) Thanks for watching, and thanks for the comment!

[@justinsharratt7282]

efi I great I have the summit racing one which is close to FiTech. worst part of the install is the fuel side Mike pretty much had his fuel system done since he had a electric fuel pump.

[@FastMonty]

Shhhh. Don't give it away! Ha, ha... I still have to get creative on changing from a 5psi electric pump, to 58psi... we shall see! Thanks, Justin. See ya next time.

[@FiTechEFImedia]

So much good information 👌👌

[@FastMonty]

Thanks! So far, so good!

[@eastin6868]

Is FiTech better then the older Holley one if so that's phenomenal. Because the Holley one I almost bought 10 years ago had so many problems

[@FastMonty]

Good question... I have no idea? So far so good with this one. :)

[@eastin6868]

@@FastMonty that's great to hear your answer is yes then and didn't even know it 🤣. What's your mpg with your HP if you don't mind me asking

[@FastMonty]

@@eastin6868 My MPG is around 7, before FiTech. :) I haven't had it on long enough to realize any improvement... because the engine is now out due to a oil pressure issue.

[@eastin6868]

@@FastMonty lol I'm abit behind on videos but I'm catching up.

[@bilbobaggins4710]

Down to earth geniunley nice guy 😉👍

[@FastMonty]

Ha! Thanks Gringo!

[@SidewaysTA]

Great Mike, can't wait to see this series. I will be doing this to my Firebird someday. Not sure if I will go FItech or something else so this will be good to see how you like FItech.

[@FastMonty]

Thanks Brother! Yeah, I love doing projects I know nothing about... ha, ha... we'll see how it goes. See ya!

[@puddleduckist]

Ive been considering swapping efi on my 69 gto. Interested to see how it turns out and your thoughts on it.

[@FastMonty]

Sounds good Bane, we shall see how it goes... thanks for watching, and for the comment. See ya!

[@donaldbishop7550]

I've got fitech street for my 1955 Chevy truck Johnny Cash project , I've hit like & subscribe to your chanel, its going to be a nice project , back in the day we didn't have you tube Thanks & subscribe to your viedo

[@FastMonty]

Great to hear, Donald! I hope it goes smoothly, feel free to ask questions, and double check my FiTech playlist as I have a couple of addendums to it. Have fun!

[@superduty4556]

I'd probably go with a FiTech but people keep giving me free quadrajets haha

[@FastMonty]

Ha! If it's free, it's for me! My favorite saying... thanks for watching!

[@rw1160]

After 6 months of working great, problems started. Small ones first and then many and major issues with this system. Fuel pump, Fuel pump driver, etc. Failed ECM was the latest. Sent back for repair. Not happy.

[@FastMonty]

Ohhhh No! Sorry to hear that. Let me know how it works out...

[@firebird70]

oh, and use the weld-in bung(s) over the clamp-in deal which have been proven to be the cause of issues many times over.

[@FastMonty]

Totally agree. Thanks!

[@omgbbqcia911]

yeah sorry the whole "easier cold starts" will never sell me on any fuel injection. hmm.. let me see. spend thousands of dollars on the conversion kit, supporting fuel system mods. possibly redo all my fuel lines and a new fuel tank, modify my exhaust for 02 sensors and spend countless hours wiring........OR take a flat head screwdriver and 15 minutes to properly adjust my carburetor. also no carburetor is "tuned for wide open throttle" no clue where you pulled that from. my edelbrock AVS2 carburetor is properly tuned and in my Pontiac with a 400 V8 starts right up first 2 revolutions in any weather and you can stand right next to the tail pipe with no raw fuel smell. bottom line is these fuel injection kits are big money...ONLY result in better start ups for people with no clue how to properly adjust a carb (which isnt that hard to begin with) and in the end you spend thousands of dollars to get a 90's TBI setup on your muscle car.

[@FastMonty]

As I said, nothing wrong with loving your carburetor. Yeah, a properly tuned carb needs to be jetted, while taking the data from a dyno, at wide open throttle. Glad to hear you got that handled, cuz not many people take the time to do that. (I did, and it still wasn't quite 100% optimized) Ohhh, and when you put it on the dyno, what do they stick in your exhaust pipe? Yup, an O2 sensor. Thanks for the comment!

[@HastyRhombus760]

I have been working on, rebuilding, and remanufacturing Q-Jet carbs since high school in the mid-80s. If you can only set up your carb for WOT then you need to pay someone that knows what they are doing. Your opening statement is ridiculous.

[@FastMonty]

Thanks for the comment... I'm glad we have a carb expert on hand. Would you mind elaborating on exactly how to tune a carburetor, for a modified engine? Thanks!

[@HastyRhombus760]

@@FastMonty I have a factory Q-Jet from my OEM 400 out of a 1975 TA on my current 647hp/627 torque stroked 400. To set the carb up right you have to know the different circuits of the carb and how they interact with each other. Then you have to be willing to completely tear down and remanufacture/modify the casting and most of the brass parts. About 15 years ago I came across Cliff Ruggles and his book which taught me some new things and some different ways of looking at the Q-Jet. I strongly suggest buying his book to anyone who wants to get the most out of their carb. He is also the best supplier of replacement parts and rebuild/reman kits.

[@FastMonty]

@@HastyRhombus760 Yessss! Now that is a Value ADD comment, right there! Thanks for the added color and insight for those who want to keep their carb. (Like I said, nothing wrong with that, as long as it's tuned/built right) Thanks again!

[@firebird70]

Hi Mike, just wanted to add that i have been following along with your project, watched all your vids, great work, keep it up ! Also need to add that both Edlebrocks and Quadrajets carbs offer the ability to tune all regimes below WOT, period (not just wot or based around wot). Learning how to read plugs correctly and use an o2 sensor helps and guides along. I realise easier said than done, but very much do-able. Bypass the road tests and use a local hub dyno and ya done. Repeat once a year to check and adjust if you're keen. Nevertheless, i appreciate you're going down the path of trying FI. Check out the channel called "Nashville Early Bronco", he's done dozens & dozens of videos on his fitechs, all containing good feedback. I've also been following others etc, it seems to be a very controversial topic. From my experience in following others with it, i'm not sure it is really worse the hassles over a carb, more goes wrong with it than with a well built and tuned carb, But i will follow along and hope to be proven wrong lol. Cheers, JB in Australia.

[@FastMonty]

Great comment! Like I said, properly tuning a carb is not that easy. :) You have the skill set of about 1% of the carb owning population. Which is awesome. Totally agree this is a controversial subject, as I've seen from all these comments. We shall see how it goes... I'm positively optimistic that if installed correctly, the first time, it should work just fine. Only time will tell... thanks for "tuning in", ha, ha... and thanks for leaving a great comment. See ya!

[@springwoodslasher79]

I'll stick to my single plane and carb. Muscle cars not driven in winter do not need injection. Most people don't have money to flush down the toilet.

[@FastMonty]

To each his own... like I said, nothing wrong with loving your carb. Curiosity has gotten the best of me... we'll see how it goes! Thanks for watching!

[@lylepoland1117]

I thought that too. My car sets more then it drove, then the carb flooded over one too many times. I got the fuel injection and it was a good send. It starts easier all kinds of weather, drivability definitely improved. Now for the vintage air a black car isn't as fun to drive in the summer heat.

[@FastMonty]

@@lylepoland1117 Thanks Lyle! Good testimony to Fuel Injection. I have a Vintage Air system... you're gonna love that too!

[@derekmcdougal262]

Had mine for 1 year worked good then it's shitting out on me so looks like they make it work for 1 year and that's it

[@FastMonty]

That's terrible! Can you explain the symptoms, as to what happened?

[@mattvorhees6055]

Return it while you can

[@FastMonty]

OK Matt... Why?

[@mattvorhees6055]

@@FastMonty the iac always screws up, struggles to tune any cam with a healthy lsa and boost applications go lean under wot. I've experienced all of them and these are common widely known problems.

[@FastMonty]

@@mattvorhees6055 Great comment, Matt. I don't know how this operates, yet... but, will definitely add the topic, and see how it behaves. Thanks for the heads up!

[@markjackson6829]

You lie!!!

[@FastMonty]

About what?

[@markjackson6829]

@@FastMonty Sorry, I was looking up info on converting carb to fuel injection. I see now that you just misstated what carbs can do because you didn't necessarily knw better. I thought you were just saying wrong things to sell FI-TECK, to ignorant people. I am now in the middle of watching your series on installing a TKO, and realized you are just a young guy trying your best and learning as you go. I have been a master ASE certified mechanic, and have built many custom cars, again sorry and good luck

[@markjackson6829]

I will watch that one again all the way through!

[@FastMonty]

@@markjackson6829 No Worries Mark... thanks for the comment, always nice to have an expert around to chime in. See ya!

[@markjackson6829]

@@FastMonty OK, I just watched a few more of your vids, ya you were sand bagging some with being a mechanical engineer. But ya I started out as a physics major, and got about 3/4 of a mechanical engineering degree, and 20+ years senior design experience in several industries, including supervision of major projects. But, I was originally taught carbs in auto shop when I was 14, and that was 47 years ago, I still have couple of classics with them and they run well. With custom builds, It's all in the setup and adjustment and they can run as well as fuel injection in most situations. The reason why I was looking at fuel injection conversion kits, is I picked up a Mercedes 450slc recently, and the only unnatainables that I may need Is the old d-jet FI stuff. So now that I understand more, of where your coming from, I''ll watch that series also, thanks.