New EFI has promise for Studebakers...

[Gunslinger]

MSD now has an electronic fuel injection unit that fits onto any square-bore intake manifold and may well be a great addition to Studebaker V8 4-barrel engines. Appearance-wise, it looks to be more of an electronically controlled carburetor but I'm no expert on that. I have no connection to MSD (my '70 Avanti has Edelbrock EFI), but it looks to be a great alternative to anyone wanting EFI for their car. It looks to be far more self-contained than most aftermarket systems I've seen, and you can use the stock 4-barrel intake manifold, distributor and coil, a great feature for Stude engines. It does appear that all of its features aren't available unless you use an MSD distributor, but that can be dealt with by manual setting of timing.

Retail cost seems to be about $2000-$2300 depending on which kit is used. That's not insubstantial, but it does give an alternative to those tired of dealing with carburetors or want something different.

I'm not endorsing the system...just throwing it out for consideration and discussion. It just seems to me to be a good thing for non-GM/Ford/Mopar make cars.

http://www.atomicefi.com/

[scott.rodgers]

Interesting - the unit can be installed on an engine as small as 100ci. It's still a bit pricey but it looks bolt-on and hassle-free. I would be really interested in a thread on this if someone out there decides to install one.

[PackardV8]

EFI has the greatest benefits on cars and trucks which have to meet emissions standards, start and run in sub-freezing temperatures and drive enough miles per year that small fuel economy advantages can save enough money to pay it back. Today, it is the rare Studebaker which can see any payoff of a $2500 EFI system. Your car, your money, your decision. http://www.jegs.com/p/MSD-Ignition/M...18909/10002/-1

jack vines

[Gunslinger]

Jack...

I appreciate your thoughts and agree that it's generally not cost-effective from a strictly economic viewpoint. I drive my '70 Avanti maybe 1500-2000 miles annually...the cost of EFI likely won't ever pay for itself. When my car was rebuilt after I purchased it, I could have saved a good amount of money going with a carburetor for the crate engine I chose, but I simply wanted to get away from a carb and get the advantages of EFI. I chose the Edelbrock EFI and have never looked back and never regretted it. If the MSD unit was available at that time, I would have given it a good look...I like its compactness and that it makes for a very clean installation. I do admit I've seen no real world feedback on the MSD yet.

I posted this just to make everyone aware there is a new option that looks more or less a bolt-on installation. That's a big plus for a Studebaker V8...you can use the stock 4-barrel intake (or maybe a 2-barrel with a 4-barrel adapter) and install EFI without modifications...and it's reversible as well.

[DEEPNHOCK]

The MSD Atomic unit only has a 1 MAP sensor, so you can't use it on an R2 or R3.....Or E-85.
(Same with the F.A.S.T. unit)
I am enamored with the Powerjection III right now.
http://www.professional-products.com/EFI_3.php
You can run boost to/through it, and you can run E-85 if you want.
All self contained with no separate box.
Self learning and you can store 3 programs in it, and still tune with a laptop if you want.
$1555 (polished!) on Amazon , and if you have a Chase rewards credit card you get an extra 5% off this quarter.

MSD now has an electronic fuel injection unit that fits onto any square-bore intake manifold and may well be a great addition to Studebaker V8 4-barrel engines. <snip>/

[JoeHall]

Looks like the main advantaqes would be no more vapor lock, and slightly better fuel mileage. I definitely like it, but the buy-in price is a bit much. I'd be too chicken to be the first to try it. Would prefer to let someone else climb a possibly expensive learning curve.

[DEEPNHOCK]

Looks like the main advantaqes would be no more vapor lock, and slightly better fuel mileage. I definitely like it, but the buy-in price is a bit much. I'd be too chicken to be the first to try it. Would prefer to let someone else climb a possibly expensive learning curve.

Here's one over on Sonny's site:

http://www.racingstudebakers.com/foo/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=2352&hilit=Powerjection

All tuning issues fixed!

by xman_di Engine Bay without Carb Hat
In case anyone here recalls me asking/complaining/wondering about getting the carburetor to work right on my R2 Avanti, here is an update.

I tried everything I could think of to get this car to lose the high RPM stutter. Nothing worked. New plugs, wires, rebuilt distributor, MSD box, I even went so far as to purchase a Paxton Power Hat to cure any potential carb hat turbulence. Nothing worked.

I decided that for whatever reason, my motor just did not like the carburetor. So, after some internet searching I found the Powerjection III. It is a Throttle Body Fuel Injection unit, shaped mostly like a Holley carb. Four injectors, and the computer is built right onto the throttle body, so there are not a ton of wires running around.

I had to machine the intake manifold for the mounting bolts, and open up the primary bores a bit. I also had to ditch the fuel rail that came with the unit, and run my own -6AN plumbing to clear the low rise manifold, but it fit.

I already had a fuel cell in the spare tire well, and -6AN fuel lines, so I easily added the EFI fuel pump and filter inline.

Fired right up, and after a little driving, and a couple tweaks with the laptop, the Avanti runs like the beast I knew it should. This was by far the single best thing I have done to the car since I got it. For anyone who isn't afraid of changing the Edelbrock carb look to something more like a Holley, this is a huge deal. One hundred thumbs up.

I'll attach one picture, and take some more pictures soon if anyone is interested.
R4983 Avanti
- Supercharged 289 R-2 clone. 4-speed T-10. 3.73TT

[pdrnec]

Wow - gotta say I like that.....