Ron R

Anyone have any experience with Holley's EFI conversion for Chevy smallblocks? I'm trying to decide between a holley 750 vac, or the efi for the 383 stroker.

Naturally the price difference is huge, making me lean more towards the carb, but since the car is being built for motorcross and will be driven hard, I wonder if it will be worth the extra dough for the efi.

Any input will be welcome, even if you're not familiar with commander 950, any info on personal experiences with ANY EFI vs. carb will be appreciated.

Roughrider

I don't have the Holley EFI, but I do have the Edelbrock Pro-Flo EFI, which is a similar system (speed-density). This car (not a Vette), has the GM Performance 350HO. I couldn't be more happy with it and how it runs...responsive, plenty of power. I don't race the car, but if you decide to go EFI, even with it being more expensive, I don't think you'll be dissatisfied.

Ron R

How much is the Edelbrock setup? The Holley is just over $3k

jimvette999

I have it and like it. I've read that they're going to release a new system in early 09 that is likely to have enhanced features. See link below for some info. I would never go back to a carb.
Jim

http://www.chevytalk.org/fusionbb/sh...rch/1/#1367277

Ron R

I wonder if that "early 09" projection was made before or after their bankruptcy/reorganization filing? I don't mind buying the carb now and upgrading to FI later if something better is going to come out in a year, but with their reorg in process if it gets shelved (or dropped from the line, you never know once the creditors start putting dipping their hands in) I might be better off grabbing it now or looking for another brand.

Bullshark

Trying to stay current with the latest EFI systems is much like trying to have the latest and greatest mobile phone. You'll go broke trying to do it. My advice is to stand back and ask yourself what capability you need, what you think you will need in the near term with planned or desired mods and what your budget is. Make sure you also consider how it will fit in your application ( fits under hood?).
I have both a Holley 950 Commander and the Accel Gen 7. Holley is a great company and has provided me with excellent support, but contrary to the referenced chevy talk thread, it is long in the tooth. I would wait for the new one next year if Holley is your preference. Meantime the others like Accel, Fast, Big Stuff, will probably meet all your needs in spades. Especially if your considering sticking with that old school carb.

Bullshark

P.S. I also have a Megasquirt. I purchased that one used just to learn all I could about it. Nice learning option, but not in the same league as Accel, Fast, etc......or even Holley for that matter

Roughrider

The Edelbrock is about $2500, or maybe slightly more depending on where you buy it. Since I got it, Edelbrock has also released an enhanced version of it, but as Bullshark said, you'll go crazy trying to keep up with the technology and broke at the same time.

The enhancements for the Edelbrock simply have no bearing for my use...I'm more than happy with it as is.

If you would go with the Edelbrock, get the Mallory distributor that's designed specifically for this system. It has the ability to retard spark advance automatically if knock is detected. The other distributors available don't have that, no matter how good a distributor they are. The Mallory is not the Unilite system that has a reputation for blowing when a voltage spike occurs.

OzzyTom

I also have been looking at EFI systems as a future upgrade for my 383.. The Edelbrock Pro-flo uses a victor style single plane manifold with multiport injectors, whereas the Holley uses a mini-ram style manifold....as does Weiand with their stealth ram setup.

Is the ram intake better? What differences would there be?

shafrs3

I have experience with the Holley 950 and couldn't be happier with it. Since it's capable of nearly everything one could want from EFI it's the logical choice from a cost/benefit point of view.

Bullshark

I do agree Allan, Holley does meet the needs I have on the blue 69 and I have no plans to do any upgrading. I was just saying, that if it were me today, and I wanted to go with Holley, I would wait for their next upgrade. It will probably be price competitive with the others and the bottom will fall out of the 950 price. With RamJet I needed some of the bells and whistles Accel has to offer. As you know, Electronics has a short life cycle and there is an optimum time to buy before it obsoletes.

I know alot of guys swear by the old GM ECMs and their limitations like prom burning, Tuner Pro etc. etc. and they do the job better than a carb, but for my money and required effort, time has passed those by.

Bullshark

jimvette999

Projection was after filing for bankruptcy. Looking through that thread link I posted for you you'll see where Doug Flynn who works for Holley (for a long time) posted reassurances that the Company is alive and well after the filing....for what that's worth. I think their current system is quite adequate and Doug points out, 90% of users don't even use the systems current capabilities. I suspect the new system is self tuning to some degree. I really don't know what kinds of things could be added to a system that already controls air, fuel, timing, timing retard under boost, custom tailored A/F ratios depending on MAP and RPM, not to mention the ones I'm forgetting like data logging. Good luck on your project.
Jim

Bullshark

Jim, Again, it is fine for the basics, but like any product evolution, you get more capability as technology expands. For me, I needed the additional flexible inputs/outputs that the newer systems provided. i.e Dual Spal fan control, theft security, selectable fuel maps...one for economy, one for performance. I haven't moded for nitrous yet, but I might. etc. etc. I am not trashing the product, I like it, It was king in its day, but technology, competition doesn't stand still. I am sure Holley's new system will regain the thrown

Bullshark

zwede

Small correction: Holley never filed for bankruptcy, they filed for bankruptcy protection (chapter 11). They did it because they have bad loans with high interest and the lenders refused to refinance. Filing for ch 11 allows them to force refinancing.

theandies

Personally I cannot see spending $3000 on a fuel delivery system. I'll stick to a carb and deal with carb problems.

Z-man

I'm very pleased with my C950 - they're pretty darn reliable...especially for cars that aren't driven every day. It's worth it to know that your car will start under any conditions.

jimvette999

Important distinction....thank you for that correction.

Good points, I'd forgotten about some of the features you mentioned although I think C950 will turn on fans and those dual maps also could be handled if you had a laptop with you but not selectable by a switches like the newer systems. I'm guessing the Spal fans control you speak of is also more sophisticated than on/off though. I'm interested in seeing if the new Holley sytem will retain any of the old wiring harness for those of use that simply want to unplug and plug in the new ECU.....unlikely but I can always dream.
Jim

shafrs3

Check out http://www.chevytalk.org/fusionbb/sh...uel_Injection/

There are some Holley Engineers who hangout there that will answer any questions you may have (unless you're asking about something proprietary). One of them posted a thread to the users of the current 950 what their wishes would be in a new ECU, an opportunity to give the engineers a "wish list" of features so to speak. I asked the question about using the old harness and was led to believe "in so many words" that you will be able to use it.

You might consider becoming a member there and posing the question again, membership is free.

Bee Jay

I'm in the process of installing a Holley 950 TBI. It's an older unit I bought off of a friend. It's up and running, but I am still making fine adjustments. Even with this older unit, the tuneability is fantastic. I only wanted a simple fuel injection replacement for my Quadrajet, and I got that and more. The low end power and throttle response is so much better than I ever had with the Quadrajet, and at 950cfm, it can handle any future mods. There are so many things to adjust, but you do all of them with your lap top. No dirty hands or gas smelling clothes. I can buy a later ECU that will plug into the older harness and control the older throttle body, but this is just fine for me.
Bee Jay