When the '52 was originally...
When the '52 was originally built, Woody's Hot Rodz installed this neat pump port in the tank. The fuel pressure was then regulated inline for the carburetor, but that is about to change.
With the wiring complete, plug the harness into the CPU, turn on the ignition, and the fuel pump should run for a few seconds while pressurizing the lines. Check the lines for any leaks before proceeding. Our team of experts at FAST managed to do all of this in just a few hours, an impressive display of skill and teamwork.
And now came the big moment, would it actually work? The communication cable was connected from the ECU to the handheld device along with a good 12V power source that is hot during both crank and on/run positions of the ignition switch.
On first crank the motor fired up, stumbled, and shut down. On the second try it fired up and continued to run. Inside the car, FAST techs worked with the handheld unit to instruct the ECU on everything from engine size in cubic inches to the desired idle speed. We won't go into the entire tuning process here, but suffice it to say this is all achieved with a very simple menu system that asks you questions. The Setup Wizard mode gets the basics dialed in and you are ready to run, but there are other optional settings, such as the rev limiter and a target air/fuel ratio among others that can be adjusted. This system can be dialed in with no computer skills; if you can read, you can dial this system in.
The red Aeromotive fuel pressure...
The red Aeromotive fuel pressure regulator in the background was used to regulate fuel pressure for the old carburetor, the black unit in the foreground is from FAST and it will be used to provide a constant 43 psi of fuel pressure. The braided lines are rated for well past 43 pounds so we simply swapped the lines. If you are running low-pressure neoprene hoses you will have to install high-pressure fuel lines.
As darkness fell outside, Foss and family jumped back in the old Chevy and drove to the motel. The following day's six-hour drive went off without a hitch and Foss reported better driveability, easy starting, and using only a "butt dyno" as a better power curve. So the FAST challenge was met and it appears they were right, we could drive in on a carburetor and out on EFI in an afternoon. The big news was the jump in fuel mileage with an average mileage of 16.38 with the FAST EZ-EFI, an increase of almost 5 mpg over the carburetor, or roughly a 40 percent increase in mileage.
Foss did notice that the last tank of gas didn't net quite as good mileage as earlier fill-ups, netting just 15.96 mpg but he wrote that off due to traffic at the fairgrounds. Editor Tim Bernsau took the reins of the '52 Chevy in Louisville and would use the car to get to Bonneville for Speed Week and then back home to California. As Bernsau drove west he observed a noticeable decrease in both mileage and power, with one stint dropping down to 13.86 mpg. After a bit of investigating he discovered a very restricted fuel filter element. While he was at Bonneville a new element was installed and both power and fuel economy returned to prior levels and even got a bit better with an average gas mileage of 16.97 after changing out the fuel filter. Back home in California all parties agreed the conversion was a big improvement to the car.
You'll notice a coil of gray...
You'll notice a coil of gray wire in the left-hand corner of this photo, which is the communication cable that goes to the handheld interface. The handheld interface also requires its own 12V power source that is hot in both the on and run ignition switch positions.
Elapsed time on the total installation was around six hours, pretty impressive stuff. Now we are not about to suggest that you will be able to install a kit like this in six hours, but it seems entirely reasonable to be able to do the complete conversion in a weekend. Likewise this is not intended to be a complete step-by-step guide for your installation, that job is handled perfectly by the detailed, easy-to-read, 32-page instruction and set up manual supplied with each kit. These instructions are so good they do everything but hand you the tools. But we do hope that after seeing how simple this conversion really is that we may have calmed your EFI fears. And with our real-world road test results maybe we have you thinking about upgrading your own motor to modern fuel injection, after all it's FAST and EZ-EFI.
The EZ-EFI is a self-learning...
The EZ-EFI is a self-learning system that adapts to the engine for optimum performance. There is a series of questions and responses required for initial start up and running. There is no actual programming knowledge required. All the owner does is answer a series of basic questions and the system does the rest. It is incredibly simple to use.
And here it is, a mere six...
And here it is, a mere six hours later and the engine bay looks strangely similar to when the car rolled into the shop. Even the same air breather fit the EZ-EFI. Of course the average enthusiast should plan on this being a full weekend project, but that is still a quick conversion from carburetor to EFI. The results were rewarding, our fuel mileage went from a carburetor average of 11.86 to an EFI average of 16.97 and the modern electronic fuel injection also provides a silky smooth powerband.