Amazing flathead!!

Most of the recent builders of EFI set ups put the injector rails in there. The tuned port system takes some engineering no mater what type of engine it is designed for and flatheads are way different than most. The horse power claim isn't too unbelievable from the look of the design. A guy just has to know what else he has in the engine to get to that figure. At least it don't sound like total BS like some claims I've heard over the years.
 
Henry Floored said:
Because fuel injector placement is critical in any poppet valve engine. Those injectors are placed there because they look to be aimed at the backside of the intake valve. This I presume would enable the fuel to fully mix with and remain suspended into the incoming air charge. This is one of the main advantages of port fuel systems. This man did it right.
Click to expand...

OK, learn something every day. Clearly the guy is a LOT smarter than I am.
 
Hey! that's my engine you're talking about. I just stumbled on this thread and was surprised to see it's about the engine I ran in my '36 coupe for 40-odd years, or at least the EFI iteration of it.
 
Thanks for the kind words, fellas. As somebody has already said, I didn't build that EFI setup to impress people, just to make my engine run better. If some people like it then that's a bonus. I don't know who you all are but I recognise and respect Ol' Ron for what he's done and written about flathead Fords so I'm especially pleased he likes it. Henry Floored obviously knows a thing or two about engines as he's correctly deduced some of my thinking behind the design just by looking at the pictures. He understands that things like port length and injector placement are governed by engineering imperatives and not by aesthetics. If anyone is interested in reading more about it they can look up some posts I made a few years ago in a thread called Flathead Fuel Injection on the HAMB.
 
Hey Allan.......Welcome to the 'Barn. You need to hang around for a while. Some of these guys understand and have an interest in what you're doing. DD
 
Russ/40 said:
Seems a waste of time putting the rails in the valley. With all that stuff on top, why deal with that problem. A few rails beside the runners would actually make it look better on top.
Click to expand...

It was a lot of work putting the injectors in the valley, so much so that I didn't put them there to start with, even though I knew it was the right place for them. I just wasn't ready to grapple with the challenge of putting injectors inside an engine so I mounted them on top of the manifold where they squirted straight down at the port wall. You can see the Allen-head bungs where they used to be in the photo. When I got the engine running the low-speed performance, especially when cold, wasn't up to my expectations so I had to do something about it. I drive my coupe every day, including to work in winter, so it's important that it runs well under all conditions.
All factory EFI engines have their injectors squirting at the backs of the valves and, as others on this thread have said, for a good reason. It's where they work best. It's also important for good low-speed running that the fuel is injected at the right time. This is especially important on a flathead V8 because the valve is not at the lowest point in the port, unlike OHV engines. That's why I went for multi-point sequential injection and not for some half-arsed throttle body injection. I can easily adjust my injection timing (and all other tuning, for that matter) with a few key strokes on the laptop and I've found it makes a BIG difference to idle quality. Injecting the fuel about 40 degrees past TDC on the intake stroke seems to work best. At higher speeds, say, over 1500rpm, injection timing doesn't seem to matter.
I can assure Russ/40 that putting the injectors under the manifold was not a waste of time and I enjoy the benefits of it every day. It has nothing to do with appearance
 
Ol' Ron said:
I love it, I've built several EFI injection systems and non were very successful. I've also built enough flatheads to know that a 180 hp un blown, street gas is near imposable to build and those that succeed don't drive them on the street. Most Dynos Lie. My hat definitely goes off to him, I'd like to more about it.
Click to expand...

Ron, I'd be interested to hear about the EFI systems you've built. Mine wasn't very successful to begin with either and it just about had me tearing my hair out trying to get it to run. I came within an ace of unbolting the throttle body and putting an SU carb in its place just to hear it run. Although I'm a mechanic I had no experience with EFI and little understanding of electronics so some of the problems I had were through my own ignorance. I used a Link Electrosystems ECU, largely because they are locally made and I thought I wouldn't have far to go if I needed help. The people at Link were friendly enough but they weren't used to putting EFI on old engines and didn't really know what a flathead V8 was. While I was struggling to get the thing running I would keep going in there with what must have seemed like dumb questions and I'm sure they felt they had to humour this silly old dreamer with his strange ideas. I eventually got my engine running after a fashion but then inadvertently changed something so it wouldn't run at all. In desperation I approached Link again and they asked me to bring the whole car to them so they could check it out. Once they saw what I had made they understood what I was trying to do and couldn't do enough to help. They got the engine running and, while it wasn't the end of my problems, it certainly got me on the right track. The guys at Link have been very supportive since then and have given me any help I've needed including a session on their chassis dyno. Changing my early Linkplus ECU for one of their Generation 3 models gave me the refinement I was looking for in my street engine and, since I got that dialled in, I've had several years of trouble-free driving from it. Perseverance has paid off.:)
 
Welcome Allan. I've seen your 36 in the mags, now it's great to have you here. I'm a Ch-Ch guy myself (founded the Pegasus Bay Rod Club - now a drag club, in 1967).
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top