It's an acquired taste.

I used to be picky as well, then I found out what they can do in bed.

 

If your really cheap just find stretch of road where u choose some road side marker 'bout 1/4 mi or less. Get a stop watch and do few pulls before and after. But if u want hp numbers u have to do a lot more science - weight the car etc..

 

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com...ss-fires.2796/

 

I don't want to see a 20 dollar stripper

 

Did you ever do a before and after test...curious what you got.

 

"Give it to Mikey he will eat anything"

 

I agree, this intake was garbage in 80 whatever and it's bigger garbage now,even with this 25 yr too late intake.
They didn't name these things ceasefire for nothing. Even the tuned port system that was light years better than those things is outdated and bordering on useless. If you have an 82 to 84 corvette and want it to look original get a c4 with an LT1. Otherwise send that stupid intake to the scrap yard and start over.you will urinate more money away making it work than a new crate engine with aftermarket F.I would cost. I'm sorry if I'm harsh but those things are garbage at every turn.

 

The renegade intake does look good .To bad so much of it gets covered up with the air cleaners.

 

Not to inflame here, but... Huh! Mine seems to run rather well and can put a C5 to shame and doesn't do too shabby against a 2012 stock GS. I'm pretty happy with my CFI motor...just to prove a point I guess, that they can run well with the right parts. You do have to spend a few dollars, but that's racing no matter what the motor though. With that said, I'm looking for a ZR1 right now and the next project will begin.

 

I find it amazing that people continue to bad mouth the CFI. As like any other vehicle, if it is set-up properly there should not be any problem.
As I have stated in many other threads and posts, my CFI runs great. Bought it March 2012, with 69,000 miles on it, used it for the last four years before I retired as my "dd" and has just over 140,000 miles on the motor, which has never been apart to my knowledge.
Yes, it did leave me stranded within the first year, two different times, where I needed a tow. Once, was a battery alternator combo problem, and the other was a broken coil wire under the cap. Nothing to do with the induction system what-so-ever.....
I learned from other members here on how to understand the CFI, and that helped me a great deal with first start-up of the engine everyday and being patient to let the engine get close to operating temp before driving. After learning that, I never had a stumble, hesitation, or a stall like when I first got the 82.
It has true dual exhaust with the 02 sensor, and no cat. The trans was rebuilt right before my purchase. And other than valve cover gaskets and a fuel filter and air filters, they are all of the mechanical items I have replaced. The fuel pump was replaced before purchase and I am not sure if it was upgraded to the 85 pump.
It has a lot of power and I don't have any trouble with higher numbers on the highway if needed. And it was set-up by an old school mechanic who really understood the CFI. I have no problem using the 82 on any type of trip short, or long.
So when I read posts like this, it is really annoying that people claim the CFI is no good. Yes, people have their opinions, but really.....even if you owned a CFI, make sure it is running correctly before making any comments. JMO......
And to my knowledge, Buccaneer co-invented the Renegade manifold, along with running a business devoted to the CFI, with his experience he knows more about the CFI than a lot of us put together.......

 

The op was trying to get more power than the engine came with.the size of the ports on the intake are about half the size of any other small block chevy intake. You just can't make any reasonable power with that manifold. I'm glad your happy with the performance of your car and hope your success continues, but in the event someone desires in excess of about 250 H.P there are better options.

 

I appreciate your reply, we are all Corvette owners and really enjoy our vehicles...And I am understanding your reply completely. Yes the CFI by no means is the end-all-be-all for top performance in stock form. But IMO the CFI can be (and in my case is) extremely reliable just like a lot of the SB's that I've owned over the years.

 

Theres always another option.But garbage its not .you work with what you have .250 hp to 300hp is a reasonable street hp .

 

I don't know. I like mine.

 

AWESOME! I'm sure you enjoy your CFI and they are rather reliable when setup properly, kind of like the Energizer bunny, they keep going and going... Power demon stock they are not, but fun cars none-the-less.

Thanks for the "CFI knowledge plug", but I never have claimed to know everything, but between Jim and I we have over 40 years experience with CFI. So, I guess we know a thing or two about them. That is not to say there are not others out there that know a fair amount as well. TomEFI is one of those guys and owned a CFI as well.

This is a true statement, but each to their own I guess. Jim's and my opinion was to get a CFI to run better than the typical CF and I think we did a good job. If you loose to a LS3 motor that is expected, but when you don't loose by a huge amount, in a CF... that's just plain awesome. When you beat up on C5s, even lightly modded...That's awesome and to tell you the truth, the C5 guys will hate you.

Like I said, mine runs well right now since I finalized the tune at Horsepower Connection in Havasu, but I plan on changing the cam and heads and tune one more time and then off to the track and we'll see how it runs. BTW, the person that owns HPC also has done tuning on some of the cars for the show Street Outlaws. Also, the owner of EFI University were I went to school for tuning completely did the new upgrade for "Docs" Monte Carlo on Street Outlaws and its badass. Doc now runs an EFI system to be competitive with others. It will be interesting to see Doc's car run this season.

One more thing and I've gotten way off track here now, but... My friend in New Mexico who runs door slammer class beat Daddy Dave's 2.0 car at Amarillo dragway this year.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuNoghGHdpE#t=34.624195
Steve's motor is $60K + and running alcohol. Spent a few nights at his shop with that car and is music to my ears when running. It is truly a BADASS ride.

Doc's car at EFI U.

Another one...
I know of one 84 with a 383 CFI setup that runs 12.20s. His 84 hauls *** for sure and willing to bet that Ben will get into the 12.00 mark soon. No power adders either.

 

Great reply Tom, they are some great You tube videos....and some hot machines for sure!!!
You and Jim deserve the "CFI knowledge plug" especially with all of the experience between you. I have nowhere the knowledge of the system as you and others do, but wanted to put something together with a common sense approach, rather then replacing parts just for the sake of replacement trying to correct problems that were not effected by just changing parts.

Up in the C3 Tech/Performance Section above I started the "sticky" for the 82 CFI's back in 2013. I thought it would be a good place for 82 and 84 owners to reference to, with any problems we might have with our CFI. With all of the info posted at the time, I wanted (along with other owners suggestions) to use the most logical and practical approach in regards to solving any problems that may arise. The goal was to have a "guide" so anyone could follow or show their mechanic (if they choose not to do it themselves) so that it may help the newer techs understand the CFI when doing repairs.
I have not updated in awhile, as my other projects are keeping me busy.
But if you get some free time, read the "sticky" and let me know if you feel any changes should be made or could be added for better understanding to diagnose the CFI.
And that also applies as always to any other CFI owner who like to contribute.

Here is the link which is also in the above section.
Thanks.................................. ..............................Tom

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...solutions.html

 

Yep, read some of what you did and was a lot of work putting that together, nice job BTW. WOW! lots of views and lots of posts. I was surprised on how many variations that where posted regarding fuel pressure...my head was spinning. Some where great and some slightly misleading a bit. I guess it's more on how the posts are worded, but that is important for sure.

Fuel delivery is not expressed in PSI from the fuel pump, it is "xx" amount of gallons per hour (GPH) which is volume. You then take that volume and regulate it at "xx" amount of pounds per square inch (PSI) at the TBs. A 85-87 pump is rated approximately @31 GPH and can support approximately 43 PSI. You have plenty of volume with that pump and its just a matter of regulating it down to the PSI you desire. A stock CFI runs best at a steady 13 PSI under load in our experience.

There are other things that come into play with pumps, fuel used, pump heat-up, line size etc... I won't go into all that, but it does play an important roll in the overall scheme of things. Hope this clears a couple things up on this.

Anyway, sorry for the HiJack to OP and back on track with this thread. With that said, to either htown81vette or DRAWMAIN, did you ever get a comparison with our manifold? I was wanting to see your results. I saw that DRAWMAIN was a topic in your list, but didn't see any results.

 

Correct!

No one is talking about reliability with the CFI...I am sure that it is quite good and drive ability is probably superior to many Carb cars. The issue is trying to make big power from a CFI is not easy and takes more money than it is worth versus starting over with a revamped engine...that is just the facts and the reality of the CFI. Can it be done? Sure, anything can with enough money and time. Is a stock 82/84 with 200 NET HP going to make 400 NET HP with a manifold change and some other minor modifications...not a chance. That's like saying that my stock L-82 with 220-225 Net HP would make 400 NET HP with the same 882 heads and intake change..no way and that with an engine that had much more go fast parts than the CFI..intake, cam, etc. Just like any SBC Gen 1, of course, if you change the heads, intake, exhaust, cam, reprogram the CFI PCM then yes it can make 400 GROSS HP but you are changing basically the whole engine.

 

Hey, hey, hey! Where are we going with this power improvement topic? Smokey Y. (RIP) said over 25yrs ago the difference between a 500hp sbc and a 560hp sbc is 3 times the cost for that extra 60hp. Most owners want bolt on hp. The Renegade does just that. It takes the CFI to the next level. No you wont get 560hp w/o turbos or supercharging, But it adds RPM and increases VE by just swapping intakes - something most owners can easily handle. Add cam and heads you have a fun daily driver - something most owners want rather than a 560hp trailered race car or even a 500hp big cammer. No a 500hp big cam motor wont be fun in stop and go traffic. Stroke the motor for more fun but that is by no means a bolt on. Sure the new LT1 Corvette is 460hp but variable vlv timing aint an option for us.

Give the Renegade its due, something CFI owner needs to move to the next step in performance and keeps the CFI system intack.

 

Just spoke with my builder on the phone to get some real insight into modding the crossfire. He said that sure the renegade would help a bit with power (maybe 20 hp) with no other changes since the stock intake is ridiculous with runners the diameter of a quarter (25cent piece). He also stated that the factory rating of 200 NET HP is VERY generous from the factory...190 NET HP on a good day and that the CF is a torque maker up until 4,500 RPM...no higher. He said to make 275-290 HP NET you need more compression, better heads, and cam as well as a custom PCM tune along with LTH headers and 2.5 duals. Bottom line as was stated previously, to make serious GEN1 Hp from an 82, you would need a GM crate 383 Fastburn along with a carb or aftermarket FI which is good for 425+ Gross HP easily..throwing money at a crossfire is not the best way to make real power......He in years past had modded MANY crossfire Camaros and corvettes...probably knows a bit more than most of us........

FWIW-The 85-96 tuned port C4's have the same issues and power restrictions but were vastly superior to the CF's and still reached a Zenith of 330 Net HP with the LT-4 in 1996....which is easily surpassed by a 350 GEN1 SBC with moderate mods.

Builders comments echo what 7t9l82 said earlier...he was pretty much spot on

The bottom line is that making serious HP from a CF can be done but only if you have the time and resources ($$$) to surpass power levels much more easily achieved with a Gen 1 SBC carbed engine.