This very well written article (below) from Mopar Muscle really drives home what we have been saying for years... EFI doesn't have to be a hassle. You can either buy one from the other guys, and jump through all the hoops, or you can just buy ours, and get better results, with no headaches. No article is ever perfect however, and we've added a few corrections in red.

Mopar Mass-Flo Fuel Injection System - Lethal Injection

Installing New-Age Fuel Injection on an Old-School Ride

By Dave Young
Photography: Dave Young, Kevin Shaw

Mopar Muscle, April 2007

Electronic fuel injection. These three words can strike fear in even the most seasoned automotive technician. The reality, however, is that no carbureted induction system can match the fuel-metering accuracy of electronic fuel injection. The reason is simple, fuel injection is interactive and a carburetor is not. Once a carburetor is adjusted, the tuning can't be changed while driving to accommodate varying weather conditions and driving habits. This is what gives electronic fuel injection a huge advantage. By monitoring engine parameters, such as coolant temperature, throttle position, manifold air pressure, air flow through the engine, and the mixture of the spent gasses, fuel injection can actually adapt to changing conditions as the car is driving, always ensuring the proper fuel/air mixture no matter what the circumstances. Therefore, even the most sophisticated performance carburetors can't match the fuel metering accuracy of fuel injection.

Benefits of electronic fuel injection are many. Throttle response can be vastly improved as can all-around drivability. No more pumping the gas or setting the choke for cold starts either. Since most fuel-injection systems monitor the temperature of both the ambient air and the engine's coolant, it takes care of enriching the fuel/air mixture automatically for cold starts. Also, since fuel-injection systems require a higher fuel pressure and continuously return a portion of fuel to the tank, fuel starvation, or "vapor lock," is also a thing of the past. An additional advantage of fuel injection is an improvement in fuel economy. Because most carburetors only have two or three tunable circuits, they generally tend to run a little rich during certain driving conditions and waste fuel in the process. Since fuel injection is an interactive system, it can provide the engine with an ideal mixture of fuel and air during all phases of driving, thereby using less fuel than the typical carbureted engine. So with all these advantages, why aren't more people converting their older cars to fuel injection? While the many advantages of fuel injection make it a much better system, the complexity alone is enough to scare most people away from installing it.

Aside from system complexity, a slight drop in peak horsepower is the only downside when comparing fuel injection to carburetion. ( Actually, this is not true. An engine will make peak power regardless of how it is being fueled, as long as the air fuel ratio, and timing are correct. However, in the real world, your carburetor is the best it is ever going to be on the day you set it up, and it's all down hill from there. Our fuel injection system is forever adapting, and correcting for atmospheric changes, engine wear, fuel quality, etc. It's always dead on. In the real world, our EFI system will make any carburetor look like the mechanically limited dinosaur it is, every time.) While we don't like losing power, even a small amount, we felt that since part-throttle power and torque are improved when fuel injection is used, that the all-around performance of our vehicle would increase. drivability and economy would likely improve as well, so we decided our car would benefit from fuel injection.

Since our project car is a '68 GTX clone with a mostly unmolested engine bay, we wanted a system that wouldn't require a bunch of holes drilled in our inner fenders, firewall, and interior. the system would also have to be easy to install, wire into our car's existing electrical system, and not require a computer science degree to make it run properly. While there are several EFI systems on the market for the big-block Chrysler, a company from Massachusetts called Mass-Flo EFI has developed what could be the simplest EFI system we've ever installed.

The Mass-Flo EFI system is a complete kit and includes everything needed for the installation, but we're getting a little ahead of ourselves. Since most fuel injection, the Mass-Flo system included, requires some 40 psi of fuel pressure, our car's existing fuel system would be inadequate. The higher operating pressures of fuel injection require not only an injection-specific fuel pump, but also high-pressure lines and a regulator with a return port to direct unused fuel back to the tank. Rather than piecing a system together ourselves, we contacted Aeromotive for one of their complete fuel systems designed for our injected application. The system we purchased has the capacity to supply an engine with 1,000 hp, so it shouldn't have any problem getting enough fuel to our mildly worked 440. Installing the fuel system was easy as all of the filters, lines, and connections were supplied with the kit. Wrenching the ends onto the steel-braided fuel lines is time consuming, but high-pressure lines are necessary to handle the increased fuel pressure of the fuel-injected system. We also had to block off the mechanical fuel-pump provision on our engine, but all in all this was an easy installation. Since fuel supply is critical to the proper performance of fuel injection, it is recommended the tank be sumped so fuel is pulled from the bottom of the tank. While we won't cover the modification of the fuel tank in this story, look for it in an upcoming issue. Once our fuel system was installed, we got to work on the EFI. (We now have complete fuel system kits that make building your fuel supply system a snap. No modification to your existing fuel tank is needed.)

When a fuel-injection system is ordered from Mass-Flo, they carefully consider all the parameters of your engine, car, and intended use so they can custom build the system for your application. Once we answered all their questions, they built a system with injectors sized for our specific engine, and then programmed the ECU (the computer that controls the system) for our purpose as well. This means that once installed, no additional tuning is necessary. This system is truly plug-and-play, meaning you just plug it in, start the car, and go play. Since the Mass-Flo system uses a mass airflow meter to supply data to the ECU, it is also adaptive. The system actually learns your engine and driving habits the more it is run, so it will run better and better until the computer optimizes its parameters, giving great, trouble-free performance.

The best part of the Mass-Flo system is definitely the ease of installation. All the parts are included with the kit, and, once installed, the wiring is idiot-proof. After all the components are wired to each other, there are literally just three wires that need to be connected to the car's existing electrical system. That's right, just three wires. Like we said, this system is easy to install.

All told we spent about 20 hours installing both the Aeromotive fuel system and the Mass-Flo fuel injection, but a considerable amount of that time was spent cutting and fabricating fuel lines. The Mass-Flo system itself installed quickly, thanks to clear and concise instructions and a complete kit. We were amazed that we didn't have to make any unscheduled trips to the parts store during this installation. Both Aeromotive and Mass-Flo EFI have thought these kits out completely and provide everything necessary for the installation. Though we would normally caution against beginning an in-depth project such as this on a Friday night if you have to drive the car to work on Monday, we could have easily done this project over the weekend.

After installing the system and starting the car, we were eager to see how it performed. It took us a little bit of fabricating to hook up our transmission kick-down linkage to the throttle body, but we were on the road in no time. At first start up, our engine ran a little rough as the ECU learned the parameters it was given by the various sensors we had installed, but after a few minutes it smoothed out nicely and sounded crisp. Throttle response was dramatically improved over the carburetor we had on the car before, and the idle was amazingly smooth for the solid flat-tappet cam in our engine. Since the Mass-Flo 1,000-cfm throttle body operates so smoothly on its sealed roller bearings, we had to put a significantly stiffer throttle return spring on just to achieve the pedal feel that we were used to. Otherwise, our car started and drove like a new vehicle. We didn't have to wait for it to warm up for it to run smoothly, and part-throttle power was significantly improved though wide-open-throttle power was a little less than with the carburetor. The improved drivability was nothing less than spectacular as our GTX now idled great both in and out of gear, and cruised effortlessly at highway speeds using noticeably less fuel than when carbureted. The best part is, when we bump the key, it starts right up, and we don't have to keep it running by patting the gas pedal until its warm. Additionally, the system looks nice under the hood. The wiring harness is mostly hidden behind the intake manifold, and we retain our air cleaner for the look of a carbureted engine.

We must admit we were initially skeptical about the complexity of installing EFI on our vintage car, but the Mass-Flo system made us believers. when we completed the installation, we were literally scratching our heads thinking, that can't be all there is to it. We were also very impressed when the engine fired at the first bump of the key. If you want great power, awesome drivability, and the new-car reliability of fuel injection, we definitely recommend calling the guys at Mass-Flo EFI. They can custom build a system for your vehicle in a couple of weeks, and after an easy installation you'll be enjoying the benefits of fuel injection just like we are.

This article is particularly rewarding. Why? Well, the part they don't tell you is that this car used to have one of our competitors fuel injection systems on it. While we will resist the temptation to reveal which system it was, we will say that they are one of the most respected names in performance. They claim that they can send you a system, and then program a chip for you based on your combination of parts. They also claim that their hand held controller is only needed if you make changes. Well, no amount of handling the controller made this car run worth a damn, and the customer became so fed up, it ended up in the trash can. The car is now fitted with our Mass-Flo system, and runs perfectly.

Chevy High Performance Magazine, May 2007

By Chuck Vranus
Photography: Chuck Vranus

Electronic Fuel Injection - Get Injected
How to Get Modern-Day EFI Without the Headaches

We talked with Chris Richards of Mass-Flo EFI and checked out his latest advancements in fuel injection, which promise to finally bring simplicity into the mix. He claims to have developed the world's only true plug-and-play fuel-injection system, and having raised our curiosities, he further claims the system requires no tuning or programming and that its installation can be done without any unnecessary hassles.
Unlike most aftermarket speed-density systems currently available, Mass-Flo is based on a mass-air engine-management system, which has proven to be both durable and reliable while offering ample performance. The heart of the Mass-Flo system is the revolutionary mass airflow meter (MAF) which resides atop the Mass-Flo 1,000-cfm throttle body. The MAF accurately measures the amount of air entering the engine, and the air/fuel ratio is adjusted accordingly to compensate for the load and variances in engine temperature, air temperature, and atmospheric pressure by reading values from the sensors included in the system. When you decide to upgrade your engine, drop in a new set of performance heads, change the bumpstick, or install a larger exhaust, Mass-Flo adapts to those changes by simply measuring the air required by the engine. That means no hassle or having to use a laptop. How cool is that?

For this particular piece, we watched over the shoulder of veteran racer and car builder Jack Rosen as he swapped over to the newfangled technology. The install is the same for any conventional Chevy small-block, and it's a breeze, only requiring a few afternoons to complete. And if you get yourself into a bind or prefer to have it installed by a pro, Mass-Flo has a list of authorized installers throughout the country.

During the installation there were no noted problems, and getting the system up and running was pretty smooth. If you're still hesitant about EFI, follow along as we detail the install from start to finish. Trust us, Mass-Flo will turn you into a convert, and you'll be glad it did.

HOW IT WORKS
Any naturally aspirated engine, regardless of brand, size, or combination of parts, requires a given air/fuel ratio at a given load. These ratios do not change from engine to engine, until you get into forced-induction applications. (We'll get to that later.) The needed air/fuel ratio changes with such things as engine temperature, air temperature, and atmospheric pressure, and the changes are the same for all engines. The task for any management system is to add the correct amount of fuel to the air the engine uses. Carburetors do it mechanically, so accuracy is limited. Speed-density systems do it by comparing the readings from various sensors to tables within the engine controller to determine the amount of air the engine is using. This actually works very well, if the values in the tables are correct, and therein lies the challenge. A professional tuner is required to enter the correct values into all of those cells in all of those tables. The next step is to drive the vehicle in the real world and adjust those values to tune out all the drivability issues. The other problem is speed density's limited ability to self-adjust, so your laptop must permanently reside in the passenger seat.
Worse than that, nonprogrammable or preprogrammed speed-density systems arrive at your door pretuned at the manufacturer on a dyno with a predetermined combination of parts on a specific engine. Well, with these systems, you can't fix them. And if you want to make a change to your engine, you can't adjust for it.

Mass-Flo does it differently. The MAF meter can measure the amount of air entering your engine, and again, if you know how much air the engine is using, then you just add the correct amount of fuel. It's that simple. The air/fuel ratio is adjusted accordingly to compensate for the load and variances in engine temperature, air temperature, and atmospheric pressure by reading values from the sensors. If you decide to upgrade your engine, Mass-Flo adapts to those changes. Remember, an engine is just a big air pump, and changing heads, camshafts, intakes, exhaust systems, and displacement are just ways of making your air pump more efficient (use more air). With speed density, it's back to the dyno to start all over again.

Speed density relies heavily on the signal from the MAP sensor to determine how much fuel to add. So what happens when your camshaft produces poor vacuum? You guessed it, horrible driveability. The Mass-Flo does not use a MAP sensor, and you can use any camshaft you want with the system. Pretty trick.

In forced-induction applications, the ratios are different, and a different tune is needed. Mass-Flo has a tune to cover those applications and can be adapted just about anywhere. If you want something custom, just ask. The company can do dual-quads and other applications where two MAF meters are required. In all cases, no tuning is ever required by the customer.

Q&A WITH CHRIS RICHARDS OF MASS-FLO EFI
CHP: Can the end user expect to see any significant increase in fuel economy by using Mass-Flo?
Chris Richards: That's a good question, and a tough one to answer accurately, especially since every engine combination will vary. What we can tell you is this: You are almost assured of an improvement. We've sold systems to customers who were previously using other brands of aftermarket fuel injection and saw large gains in economy (as much as 25 percent), as well as gains in drivability and power. Even more over a carburetor. Some customers have reported more than a 75-percent increased fuel mileage over their carbureted setup. We routinely hear of figures in the area of 21-25 mpg on engines making well over 500 hp!

CHP: How about emissions? Will I pass?
CR: Another tough one. Whether or not you pass will be determined by your combination of engine components. No induction/ management system can make an absolute fire-breathing gas hog pass emissions. However, we have never had a customer fail emissions, including engines that maybe should have failed. What we can say is that the Mass-Flo system will make it as clean as possible, and if there is a chance, the Mass-Flo system is your best shot. CHP: How much horsepower will the Mass-Flo system support? CR: We have used it with great success with engines producing as much as 1,000 hp.

CHP: I don't have much hood clearance. Will the Mass-Flo system fit?
CR: The Mass-Flo system will fit anywhere a conventional 4-bbl carb and intake manifold will fit. In many cases, it can go where a carburetor won't fit. Our throttle body is 1 1/4 inches lower than a typical 4-bbl carburetor.

IT'S ALL INSIDE
One call does it all! The kit for the small-block Chevy includes:

* Intake manifold
* 1,000-cfm 4-bbl throttle body w/idle-control motor and throttle position sensor
* 9/16-inch-diameter fuel rails w/ mounting assembly
* Mass-Flo ultracompact high- flow MAF
* Complete stand-alone wiring harness
* ECU
* Choice of 19-, 24-, 30-, 36-, or 42-lb/hr flow injectors (larger sizes available)
* All required sensors
* High-performance coil w/heat sink and mounting bracket
* All assorted hardware and fittings necessary for system installation
* Detailed installation instructions