DIY_EFI abilities and older engines

[Bob Valentine]

On Tue, 21 Nov 1995, Daniel R Burk wrote:

> I've joined this mailing list for this very reason.

> I origionally had high hopes for doing a DIY_EFI system that did sequential
> fuel injection, timing control, traction control, and some analog outputs for
> stuff like wastegate control. 

> Well, I soon learned that I ought to scale back my plans a little.  

    I'm in the same boat as you... I've gone so far as to decide just to 
start out with a GM computer, get THAT running, THEN try to roll my own 
after getting the feel of how everything works.   I also figure that I 
could carry the GM ECU as a spare in case my homebrew craps out in the 
middle of nowhere.  8^)

    As sort of a "beginner project", I'd like to build a ignition 
advance computer, using one of the 80's electronic distrutors as a 
starting point.   I'll do DIS later....  (see questions in next mail)

> By the way, I've picked out my test mule: a 1970 Oldsmobile 442 with a 455CID
> W30 spec engine and a muncie 4 speed.  It's in a barn behind twenty boats and
> hasn't seen but ten miles per year of driving since 1985.  I'm hoping to

    Nice pick, my guinea pig is a '71 Cutlass with a soon to be rebuilt 350.
I'm planning on backing it up with a 700-4R.   My intake problems are 
partly solved already for port injection - I've got several of the intake 
off the early 80's injected Olds 350's, fuel rails, injectors and 
throttle body already mounted!

    You MIGHT be able to mount one of these on your 455 if you fabricate 
a adaptor to match up the ports.   I figure that if this setup works 
well and the intake doesn't flow well enough, THEN I'll modify a 
aftermarket manifold for my needs.

> Any suggestions on a good EFI computer that's rather inexpensive 
> but easy to use?  I need something to prove out my hardware.

    Al Lipper (ALIPPER at aol.com) has a EFI system that drops into a PC.  
Plans and notes are on the DIY_EFI homepage.  Nice work, I'm considering 
building it when I get some time.

    My own idea was to use a PC, but just have a box on the outside to 
multiplex all the signals over a serial or parallel port.  

> [Current car: '84 Pontiac Trans Am w/ computer controlled 4bbl.]

    How about trying to build a ECU for this?  Should be much easier than 
EFI, since all you really need to do is play with the dwell on the M/C 
solenoid, and do spark control....  This has been another pet project of 
mine for my beater '83 307-with-no-compression Delta 88. 

                     -->   Bob Valentine  <--  
                    --> ravalent at liii.com  <--
     "Clinging Tenaciously to the Trailing Edge of Technology"