Could this motor be build with FI with the same results, and if so what fuel system would equal the carb in this set up

http://www.chevyhiperformance.com/te...ild/index.html

 

Sure it would work. As you mention, however, the intake is the issue. Many carbs intake can be drilled and converted over to EFI, this one might not be, but you could probably get something comparable.

I would not be surprised if you could get a little bit more power out of a EFI setup because you have so much more control over timing and fuel. A friend of mine still swears that carbs are the best way to make the most horsepower, I disagree. Although he might make the most PEAK horsepower very quickly by bolting on a carb, you can do it with EFI and get better area under the curve. The problem is that once you get past accelerator pumps, mechanical and vacuum secondaries and all that stuff, a carb flows X amount of fuel based on X amount of airflow. Any mechanical distributor advances timing based on a set curve. With EFI you can change fuel based on RPM, manifold pressure, MAF, etc. Basically your fuel enrichment does not have to stay linear with your RPM and sometimes you can find more power there. Also timing can be adjusted at any finite point and does not have to follow any kind of curve.

So my thought is that if you take any given intake that can be drilled for injectors and such and you take the time to tune it right, you can eventually make that intake make more power in an EFI configuration than you can with a carb. Most people just either don't have the money, time, or patience to learn how to tune the computer, nor are they typically equipped with a dyno, etc.

 

Well, I purchased a 400 CID out of a 79 Chevy Truck, It is the 409 Casting #. I have taken it apart but have not sent the block to the machine shop yet. I dont want to start building to I have all of the peice to the puzzle figured out.
The formula the magazine article covers is what iI would like to build. I have a auto Tranny with a 3:07 Rear. I see a lot of people on the form Talk about the mini Ram. But I'm thinking that a mini ram would move the rpm To high for this motor. prehaps the super ram would work better with it. What do you suggest?

I will never race it. I just like to Play around on the street.

 

Well I'm an LT1 guy so I'm not real sure. I'd say you're on the right track. A mini ram would probably be better suited for lower displacement, higher reving engines. Maybe some of the TPI guys will chime in with some more info.