MPFI Conversion

From TBI to Multi-Port EFI, with Ignition Control…

Objective of this Article

This article will focus on the process of converting our 1977 Chevy Nova test vehicle from the
very functional and affordable GM TBI fuel injection hardware to a much more modern multi-
port fuel injection (MPFI) design utilizing a Holley Stealth Ram MPFI Intake and the same
MegaSquirt-II EFI system we’d previously installed in Part 1 and Part 2 of this Carb-To-EFI
conversion series of articles. If you haven’t already viewed those articles and the videos that are
a part of each then they’re a good place to start particularly if you’re new to EFI and looking to
convert a carb’d vehicle to EFI, whether it’s a SBC or not. The first article covers taking control
of the fuel system and the second covers taking control of the ignition for a fully computer
controlled engine. The goal of the first two articles was to get you up and going on a setup using
as many junkyard available parts as possible, keeping the total bill as low as we could and
showing just what can be done, what gains could be made not only in power but also in mileage
and in drivability, which is where the biggest gain was in the TBI setup over the previously
tested carb configurations. But we didn’t want to stop there, we wanted to continue on in an
attempt to show you just how good it could be. With the conversion to multi-port fuel injection
we should see a bigger improvement in fuel economy, along with more power potential. It
should also be as just about as well mannered as any new vehicle on the road, definitely a far cry
from a typical 60’s or 70’s era carb’d motor. So here’s what we did, and what we found…
We chose a 1977 Chevy Nova with a 350 small block as our subject, but with the proper intake
the principles laid out here can be used just the same on a big block Chevy, or a Ford or Dodge
small or big block engine, inline engine, a foreign motor… a motor is a motor is a motor. The
SBC has the benefit of a large aftermarket making off the shelf aftermarket MPFI intake systems
readily available, but truth be told we could have gone back to the junkyard to find a modern
MPFI intake system that would have fit our motor with minimal modification (a couple bolt
holes on the intake manifold need to be modified to fit the early Chevy heads). So yes, you can
do this cheaper than we did it, your driveability and economy results should remain much the
same if you do, though ultimate power potential is likely to be higher on the aftermarket unit we
chose, and we have some plans for this car when we’re finished with these articles so we went
ahead and went for the higher dollar induction setup. We will likely continue on in this series of
articles, in fact very soon we have plans to add forced induction to this beater of a motor to see
just what we can get out of a 70’s smog era 2-bolt 350.
As always, we highly recommend you dig into the MSExtra.com in addition to these
articles. It’s a big read, but it’s a valuable resource that our guides are meant to supplement and
not replace.

What we did: Holley Stealth Ram

MPFI
Ordering ‘The Big Kit’
So no digging at the junkyard this time, we ordered up Holley part#81504001. This is a direct
bolt on Stealth Ram MPFI setup. Two piece intake with lower manifold and upper
plenum. Comes with the fuel rails regulator which directly attaches to the rails for easy
mounting. This kit came with 30lb-hr injectors which is more than enough for our extremely
mild 350 Chevy at this stage. It will give us a bit of room to grow and we can always swap in
bigger injectors when we’re ready. FYI They do offer the kit with several different injector size
options though. It also came with an LT1 style 58mm throttle body complete with TPS sensor
and Stepper Motor Idle Valve (IAC)
Now, as this is Holley’s ‘big kit’ it also comes with some items we didn’t really need, and
depending on where you are in your EFI adventures you may or may not. For one, the fuel
pump. We already had this in place from our previous EFI conversion and since we used an
MPFI capable pump with our TBI conversion it was already ready for MPFI action now. It also
came with IAT and CLT sensors which we would be reusing from the TBI conversion. Lastly, it
came with a GM 3-bar MAP sensor, which though we could use with the MegaSquirt EFI
system, there’s really no need to as the MegaSquirt has it’s own internal MAP sensor that does
the job just fine and simplifies things a bit.

So what didn’t come in the kit?

• K&N Air Filter p/n RC-5050 which — with little effort slips right on the inlet of the
throttle body and clamps down.
• Spectre Alternator Bracket p/n 47293 — needed because this intake moves the
mounting point forward from where the stock intake bolted.
• Lokar TPI Throttle Bracket p/n TCB-40TP2
• Lokar TPI Throttle cable p/n TC-1000TP
• Lokar TPI + TH-350 Kickdown cable p/n KD-2350TP

We could probably have gotten away with junkyard TPI cables and bracket, so to save a few
bucks you can likely go that route. But the Lokar cables are sexy, move incredibly smoothly,
and didn’t cost that much.

Installing the Stealth Ram MPFI Setup

This is basically a bolt on affair. First we removed the GM TBI setup we had on the vehicle and
the wiring that was run to this we simply stuck out of the way for now. We managed to reuse the
coolant temperature sensor and IAT sensor wiring. The IAC wiring needed to be extended, and
of course the injector wiring had to be redone from scratch. The TPS on the Stealth Ram also
needed its own connector.
The manifold drops into place with very little drama. It’s a two piece design, much like a classic
tunnel ram. In fact, the lower section is closely related to a Weiand Hi-Ram. The upper section
is a boxy plenum with several pipe thread ports. We used the two small ports on the back for the
MAP sensor and fuel pressure regulator, used one of the large ports on the back for the brake
booster, and plugged the other port. We installed the IAT sensor in the port on the underside of
the plenum. We were able to reuse our small cap HEI distributor; a cap-in-coil distributor would
not have worked with the upper intake. The Stealth Ram kit included a TPI type throttle body
with ports for PCV on the throttle, so you don’t need to use the ports on the plenum for your
PCV valve. The package even included a built in fuel pressure regulator on the fuel rails.

The one area where this package is not a straight bolt on, as we noted before, is the alternator
bracket. The stock bracket mounted to a hole next to the thermostat housing. The Stealth Ram
moves this hole forward about an inch. We solved this using a Spectre bracket that bolts to one
of the main manifold bolts. It’s also nice and shiny ;).
We used a Lokar kit for the throttle cable bracket, transmission kickdown, and throttle cable.
These need a bit of trimming to fit, being universal cables. The throttle cable fit our accelerator
pedal after removing the clevis, while the transmission kickdown cable is a direct fit but took
some finesse to install because of the headers.

How do I wire it up?

We ended up making a new harness that used the temperature sensor and ignition wiring of the
old harness, combined with new wiring for the IAC, TPS, and injectors.
Pretty straightforward setup here– it’s much the same as the setup used for Part 2, where we
converted to computer controlled HEI ignition.The only major difference is that there are now
eight injectors instead of two. Even the IAC valve wires up with the same connector and pinout.

Starting the car for the first time

If all you have changed is the induction system and your ignition system and timing are
unchanged, then chances are the car will fire right up, or at least try to, off of your current
map. You may find that the idle is rich or lean, so be ready to adjust the tables for this
quickly. You’ll also need to adjust your warmup enrichments, and your afterstart enrichments,
for the new induction system. Generally speaking your new MPFI setup should need LESS fuel
for both Warmup Enrichments and for Afterstart. This is because the fuel enters the cylinders
better atomized, as it has not had to travel the length of the intake runner mixed with the air like
it did with the TBI. Less of it will stick to the walls and puddle, and more will enter the
combustion chamber, allowing you to start and warmup the car on less fuel than before.