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tunnel ram motor converting to Alky inj

2K views 9 replies 5 participants last post by  Morg 
#1 · (Edited)
thinking of converting to Alkie inj few ???'s

Just currious with 110 race fuel sky rocketing the way it is where i live to 10 a gallon its hard to afford to take the boat out any more .. was thinking bout switching my motor to a Injected alky motor .. what i have is a 13to1 maybe just a hair over 13to1 BBC 470 (.070 over) with a set of Merlin 2.30 valve 345cc runner heads GM steel crank eagle h-beams KB fordged pistons cam is a .722 lift int / ex dur @50 276 in 284 ex advertised dur 312 in 320 ex lobe sep @ 110 . right now im running the motor with a pair of 4150 950 holleys and it runs good up to 7000 and hits a brick wall . was jsut wondering am i gonnna have to change a shyt load of stuff to run on Alkie or with my set up could i pretty much slap a hat on with injectors and change my fuel system to handle the flow requirements? ... right now im running a Carter 172 gph manual fuel pump on the block .. someone mentioned ring gap is different on alkie motor and maybe couple other things .. so any input would be appreciated , Bill
 
#2 ·
... so any input would be appreciated , Bill
I know of a guy that runs a similar engine with injection. He uses two 55 gallon drums of alcohol a weekend. If mine actually ran well enough for a weekend (similar engine on 110 gas) I think it would use a little less than one 55 gallon drum of race gas. I think comparing race gas to alcohol on a cost alone standpoint is not a valid comparison. The tuning window of running alcohol definately has it's advantages, but so does race gas have it's advantages. IMO
 
#3 ·
yeah i know alkie is about twice the consumption but from what im seeing alkie is around 3.50 a gallon so double that your still around 2/3rd the cost .. i keep being told that its easier on a motor in the long run and its more forgiving to a tune up and the power increase is another reason why im concidering it . was told i would see more rpm more power and a crisper throttle responce .. this is why im asking i dont know anything bout alkie besides what ya drink lol ..
 
#5 ·
Hey Bill. Can't you just convert the Holleys (Gaskets, seals, and new hoses)to run alcohol and re-jet?

I've thought of running alcohol too, from the same standpoint... $$$ But I've ruled it out because I like to cruise and it would only be able to go half the distance/time on a full tank. Just not worth the trade-off for me.

Might be le$$ in the long run to just add some cubes and drop the CR, just a thought.
 
#6 · (Edited)
A couple of years ago I rebuilt my motor with the thought of switching to blown alky. I did not get all the parts together in time for the blower but I did find a nice set of crower injectors.

So I put the motor back in with the single carb. I knew this set up & with the new motor wanted to get a base line. Took it out & she ran pretty good with the carb. So I then took the carb off, installed the injector, fuel pump & plumbed the motor.

Took her out again set up on alky. With help from Fiat48, we started her & Bob pushed me out. I warmed her up & ran around a little.Got into it & she felt lazy. We fattened her up & I went out again. Holy crap, the throttle response was huge, I was late on the plate & had to lift. I got into her again being more ready with the plate. She pulled harder & I got more rpm than with the carb.

427, GM alum heads, around 12.5:1 comp.

I fell in love with alky that day. I have never gone back.

I did not burn twice as much alky as gas. More like 30-40% more. Even with the lube it seemed to be cheaper to run the alky.

Alky itself supposedly will not give you anymore power. But the injectors will give you better response & I believe more power. Alky will give you a big tuning window. Anywhere close & she will rip.

The injectors are more of a tinkering deal than the carbs. But they are so simple. When I went to a new place I would guess on the tuneup. Sometimes I would nail it & she would run real good, Other times I missed. But a quick jet change & I was there.

BTW, there is a local guy in Reno who switched gas carbs to alky. Pretty sure he picked up. Bob should chine in more info. on that deal.
 
#8 ·
I did not get into the subject of oil dilution because I am in a rare case. from my point of view it depends on set up & tune up.

The only time I have changed my oil because of Dilution was when my MSD ignition failed. The way my cylinders were honed & the rings I used has been a big part of this. But believe me there is no magic or secrets here.

Tune up is also a part, but I found If I were fairly close the motor ran good & I was not getting dilution. This was all with the crowers. The Blower has changed things a bit.... but still ok on the dilution subject.
 
#9 ·
hey Morg i know you mentioned Crowler injection ... i was thinking more of the lines of sticking a hat on top of my tunnel ram with the injector lines going in the base of the hat .. is there a power difference between using just a hat on top of a tunnel ram or going with a crowler injtion manifold set up?
 
#10 ·
The crowers were designed for can am racing. Individual runners & butterflys for each cylinder.

The Enderle tunnel ram has the plenum then the fuel is injected down at the port. I don't know what the plenum & distance from the butterfly's to the injectors due to the performance. Pretty sure it started out as a drag race deal. Some guy got bored & stuck a hat onto a tunnel ram, why the hell not..... Enderle offers the tunnel ram hat with a specific spool & from what I have heard they work pretty darn good.

The Enderle is less expensive & easier to find now. My Crowers are just sitting, but I have no plans to sell them, I was lucky to find them & would have a hard time replacing them. You can find them used but they are getting harder to find. Kinsler still sells them new & they make one hell of a set up, price accordingly of course. Ron's toilet also make a pretty cool set up. It also uses a tunnel ram but has throttle bodies much like carbs then the fuel is injected below, pretty sure also a drag racing deal.

The simplest deal would be an alky carb set up. And if you can get more compresion, bump it up. I love the injectors though. The throttle response is great & the simplicity & mechanics of it are pretty interesting & rewarding to work with. If it were me I would be patient & ready with cash. Search all over & see if you can find a Hilborn or Crower set up.

Kinsler's web site is a great place to learn about injectors. There catalog does not just list parts, it edjucates you on what they do & how to set them up. My plumbing system is a direct from the web site.
 
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