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  1. #1

    Default 94 5.0 swap to 1983 6 cyl coupe questions...

    I have a 1983 coupe I recently purchased. I am negotiating the purchase of a 1994 5.0 donor car (running but rough body and interior condition and seller is desperate to sell) with an auto and suspension components that I can use to swap onto the 1983 coupe.

    My question is, which is easier, swap the engine and retain the '95 EFI system or put on a carb intake and go with an aftermarket EFI system?

    I have seen people saying the FItech efi is pretty nice and could be had for 1k or so. I am concerned that I may spend so much time adapting the '95 EFI to the car that the 1k for the aftermarket EFI would be worth the money. I am not doing a junkyard build but I do want to keep it a low budget vehicle within reason.

    Thanks in advance!

    Don

  2. #2
    FEP Super Member
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    Using the 95 donar car setup sbould cause you no real problems.
    clowns to the left of me , Jokers to the right

  3. #3

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    So which is easier, the carbed version of the 5.0 or getting the original EFI setup up and running into the '83? I have a working knowledge of what it takes and getting the wiring done for the original EFI seems a little daunting to me as opposed to the aftermarket EFI setup.

  4. #4

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    Carb is way you easier

    Sent from my F8131 using Tapatalk
    1981 Mustang Hatch 3.3 "Orange Juice"
    1983 Mustang GT Convertible "Triple Black"
    1994 Ford ThunderBird SC
    1987 Firebird T/A
    1984 Firebird Forumla
    1988 Mazda RX-7 Infinity
    1987 Mazda RX-7 Turbo II
    1994 Eagle Talon TSI
    1991 Eagle Talon TSI
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  5. #5
    FEP Super Member 84StangSVT's Avatar
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    It's really a matter of personal preference and skill set.

    A carb setup is by far the easiest way to go as far as install, but you have to factor in the setup afterwards which can be a pain to tune and stay consistent. A bonus is that basically the sky's the limit on adding power mods down the road as they can be adapted quite well.

    Retaining the factory EFI can be a wiring nightmare but it can reap major benefits as far as tuning, reliability and overall driveability. Like the carb setup, they can handle power mods quite easily with minimal effort and tuning.

    Aftermarket EFI kits (Holley, FiTech, FAST) also have their benefits but they also have their own issues/limitations. Mounting the ECU, routing harnesses, splicing into some factory wiring and additional parts that may or may not be readily available if something fails. They are also very particular to fuel pressure, vacuum leaks, exhaust leaks, voltage spikes/drops and so forth. Most of the kits are designed for a certain horsepower level, so if you plan on modding past that point, a new system may have to be purchased to attain that goal.

    My 84 GT was a carb car that I have since converted over to EFI by using the FAST EZ-EFI kit and while it has not performed flawlessly, it has been easy to troubleshoot and repair its issues. With 100 miles on it, I had to change out the MAP sensor as it quit functioning but that has really been the only thing that has failed so far. It is a bit temperamental in regards to fuel pressure and also sudden changes of throttle depending on the load of the car. This seems to be pretty normal for this system as it is an Adaptive Learning system, so the more driving and variables you do with it, the better it learns and responds to the changes. I now have 350 miles on it and it runs way better than it did when I first installed it.
    I believe it was a very good investment and one I will be happy with for many years to come as long as it performs as intended.
    Last edited by 84StangSVT; 05-24-2017 at 12:25 PM.
    Brock
    1984 Mustang LX Convertible 3.8L V-6/Auto (SOLD)
    1984 Mustang GT Hatchback 5.0 V-8/5 Speed

    I'm an FEP Supporter and proud of it. Are you?

  6. #6

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    Thanks, Brock. I am 52 and have a history of keeping things stock. Guess I need to look up exactly what I need to do to get the stock 5.0 engine and computer happy in the '83 to decide. I will go EFI one way or the other. I have restored a 1970 Mach I and a '68 coupe that I restomodded some, so I have some ability to do the work.

  7. #7
    FEP Super Member 84StangSVT's Avatar
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    If you decide to got the route of the 94's factory EFI, you might shoot Shane (2nd chance cobra) a PM with any questions you might have. He is a great guy and has just done this to his 79 Cobra. He can probably give you a pretty good rundown of what is needed for the conversion.

    http://vb.foureyedpride.com/showthre...79-cobra-build

    As for aftermarket, so far the only hands on experience I have is with the FAST system so far, but I'm liking it for a few reasons. Besides its minor hiccups, this car has been amazing to drive after it. It runs smooth as a top, has better power on hand, no longer have any hot start issues, cold starts are a snap and even with no smog equipment on my car, I can park it in the garage after a long drive and absolutely no fuel smell whatsoever. I think the thing I like the most is the fact that I could retain the factory air cleaner. So minus the addition of the fuel pressure regulator and a few wires, the engine bay still retains an almost stock appearance.

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    Brock
    1984 Mustang LX Convertible 3.8L V-6/Auto (SOLD)
    1984 Mustang GT Hatchback 5.0 V-8/5 Speed

    I'm an FEP Supporter and proud of it. Are you?

  8. #8

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    Quote Originally Posted by 84StangSVT View Post
    If you decide to got the route of the 94's factory EFI, you might shoot Shane (2nd chance cobra) a PM with any questions you might have. He is a great guy and has just done this to his 79 Cobra. He can probably give you a pretty good rundown of what is needed for the conversion.

    http://vb.foureyedpride.com/showthre...79-cobra-build

    As for aftermarket, so far the only hands on experience I have is with the FAST system so far, but I'm liking it for a few reasons. Besides its minor hiccups, this car has been amazing to drive after it. It runs smooth as a top, has better power on hand, no longer have any hot start issues, cold starts are a snap and even with no smog equipment on my car, I can park it in the garage after a long drive and absolutely no fuel smell whatsoever. I think the thing I like the most is the fact that I could retain the factory air cleaner. So minus the addition of the fuel pressure regulator and a few wires, the engine bay still retains an almost stock appearance.

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    Brock, that is exactly what I am looking for. An aftermarket EFI that is easy to get started and has the ease of install the factory EFI doesn't seem to have. Thanks for all the info. Now to do some research on the FAST system.

  9. #9

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    Fast is essentially a carb setup to use injectors instead of boosters, really is quite a nice piece of tech. If I didn't love carbs so much it's how I would have gone. Had way too many fuel injected cars lol. The computer tech didn't catch up too performance until the mid 90s.

    Sent from my F8131 using Tapatalk
    1981 Mustang Hatch 3.3 "Orange Juice"
    1983 Mustang GT Convertible "Triple Black"
    1994 Ford ThunderBird SC
    1987 Firebird T/A
    1984 Firebird Forumla
    1988 Mazda RX-7 Infinity
    1987 Mazda RX-7 Turbo II
    1994 Eagle Talon TSI
    1991 Eagle Talon TSI
    2003 Pontiac Grand Prix GTP

  10. #10
    FEP Super Member 84StangSVT's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Texastang View Post
    Brock, that is exactly what I am looking for. An aftermarket EFI that is easy to get started and has the ease of install the factory EFI doesn't seem to have. Thanks for all the info. Now to do some research on the FAST system.
    Not a problem. There are a few things with FAST that I will throw out there to help aid the research.

    1) Their reviews are all over the map. It's almost a 50/50 split between good and bad.

    What I have found by most of the research I have done, is that most of the bad reviews boil down to 1 of 2 things. Either it is the old systems that have the issues, which FAST has since corrected in their software or the main one is installation error. These systems are a bit touchy in regards to electrical noise bleeding into the system and causing some goofy symptoms. From all of my searching, it seems the HEI style distributors are the largest culprits of this noise. They claim that the MSD boxes are the way to go with this system as supposedly their tach out signal is "clean" as opposed to the little black "RPM module" they supply. I think this is a bit of a grab as MSD and FAST are owned by the same company. In my factory Duraspark ignition setup, running the black RPM module, I show a 00 - 02 IRM which is about perfect. The other common culprit is not following the manufacturers install recommendations in regards to power/ground hookups or fuel pressure.

    2) Their tech support can be a bit lacking.

    I found that for 95% of the questions I have had, I have gotten better response and results by visiting their forum than I have calling their Tech Line. If it has happened to the system, it has probably been hashed out on the forum many times over.

    3) All of their service parts, except the RPM Module, are readily accessible GM parts.

    There is no need to buy high dollar cheaply made parts from them when you can grab some genuine parts for cheap at U-Pull It for spares. In fact, the general consensus is to chuck the MAP sensor that comes with it and replace it with a genuine GM junkyard MAP before even running the system, as it WILL fail and leave you stranded. I can attest to that as I lost mine in the first 100 miles.

    4) The ECU fits well in our Foxes. They are small, compact units that fit almost perfectly behind the P/S kick panel. They have a "diagnostic" LED that glows and flashes if there is an error in the system so mounting them behind the kick panel blocks the view of that. I use the handheld which displays all necessary information so it doesn't bother me any. Once I get the system the way I want it, it will probably not even use that unless needed.


    Starting about here is where I started the EFI install on my 84 GT:

    http://vb.foureyedpride.com/showthre...=1#post1830587

    If it had not been for all the bad wiring in my car, this would have been a simple and quick install. Had it of not been for that, the hardest part was upgrading the fuel system to support the EFI as I wanted to do it close to how the factory did it, using factory parts and not use the kit that FAST sells. I did it that way as it makes getting parts easy and allowed me to add an inertia switch into the circuit, just for a little extra piece of mind as I plan on driving this car a lot.
    Brock
    1984 Mustang LX Convertible 3.8L V-6/Auto (SOLD)
    1984 Mustang GT Hatchback 5.0 V-8/5 Speed

    I'm an FEP Supporter and proud of it. Are you?

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