98 vortec chevrolet 350 conversion Redo - exploring my options

[dna9ster]

I wanted to draw upon the experience of the community regarding the start of a 1977 FJ40 rebuild. 13 years ago, I successfully swapped out my 2F for a 1998 chevy vortec 4-bolt mains engine with stock EFI. The result was a mediocre change in performance and a significant boost to cold weather and uneven terrain reliability. Unfortunately, the motor suffered from semi-unpredictable fuel delivery problems, especially during the hot Arizona summers. My setup used an external fuel pump and filter mounted under the right frame rail and a stock tank that may not have been prepped and coated as well as it needed to be.

In 2015, the engine compartment caught fire during a terrible accident. All of the soft plastic components in the engine compartment had melted before I managed to extinguish the fire. The EFI system - wiring harness, butterfly valve and sensor, emissions components, injectors, upper manifold - toasted.

Aside from pulling the motor and having it inspected, it's time to make plans for new air induction/EFI system. I'm ditching the old setup, but I don't have any experience with what is currently available.

• I would prefer to use what I already have (minus the external pump...I'm looking for an internal fuel pump solution)
• I would like at least 350 hp, 400 lb-ft,
• sequential EFI,
• keep my compression ratio at 9:1,
• I don't want a 383 stroke conversion,
• I will be mating this to my 4 speed transmission and stock transfer-case...for now.
• HP alternator (versus duel alternator), duel battery, (cold weather reliability and extra juice for some interior/exterior mods)

I don't want anything that will take me to the moon, but I do want outstanding resilience and durability at those specs. This might suggest going with a diesel alternative, and I have been eyeballing a cummins 6BT, but this would cost closer to $20,000 to do it the way I would like to. So I'll stick to gasoline.

For induction, I have been looking at solutions between holley, eddelbrock, and ramjet. Its been hard for me to find any meaningful comparison, but I may be looking in the wrong places. Right now, I'm going back and forth between RamJet and Holley. Holley looks to be $3700, ramjet looks like $3000, and eddelbrock is closer to $2000. This is without any head conversion to rollers (I'm uncertain if this is truly required). Is the performance gain from Holley significantly different to justify the expense? How do they justify a near 200% price increase above eddelbrock?

Just some quick links to see what I'm referring:

Holley EFI 550-828 HP EFI Stealth Ram Fuel Injection System

You'll get some attention when you pop the hood and show an HP Stealth Ram™ Multi-Port EFI system! Available for traditional or Vortec headed SB Chevys. Simply utilize a laptop (or the optional 5.7" full color touch screen LCD) along with the HP's self-tuning capabilities to make it as easy as...

www.holley.com

Chevrolet Performance 12498032 Chevrolet Performance Ram Jet Vortec Fuel Injection Kits | Summit Racing

Free Shipping - Chevrolet Performance Ram Jet Vortec Fuel Injection Kits with qualifying orders of $109. Shop Fuel Injection Systems at Summit Racing.

www.summitracing.com

Chevrolet Performance 19355812 Chevrolet Performance Ram Jet 350 MEFI 4 ECU and Wire Harness Kit | Summit Racing

Free Shipping - Chevrolet Performance Ram Jet 350 MEFI 4 ECU and Wire Harness Kit with qualifying orders of $109. Shop Wiring Harnesses at Summit Racing.

www.summitracing.com

hthttps://www.summitracing.com/parts/edl-35780/overview/make/chevrolet

What would you guys recommend? Am I going about this the wrong way? Does anyone have a reference to some decent literature on these alternatives? Once I get started I'll put up some pics.

 

[WB8LBZ]

My semi educated thoughts, would it be possible to find replacement parts from a similar engine in a junk yard? Did you have the fuel pressure and flow high enough? I was wondering if the repair of the current system might be easier, cheaper and quicker than an engine swap.

Larry in El Paso

 

[FF LC FREAK]

X2 on the LS swap. The driveability, parts availability, OEM reliability, and the fact that you can probably be into it for less than half of what you wrote in your original post for aftermarket EFI setups make it a much better option in my opinion. I love my 5.3.

 

[RustyRanger]

X whatever. A used 5.3 Iron block LS from a truck would do what you want and you could just use the stock GM FI system, they are all over 300hp. Though are the toyota 4 speeds and T cases up to the task of 400ftlbs of torque?

 

[dna9ster]

Thank you for all your replies so far.
@WB8LBZ: I have not ruled that out. My initial impression was that I'd get nickel and dime'd to death replacing melted parts one at a time. Otherwise I could purchase a complete gen-I 5.7L vortec. I guess I still have a bitter taste in my mouth from my previous experience. And I do like the sound of a LS or LT motor (no more EGR valve!). Then again, if I come across a $200 setup, I think I would take it and spend the rest on the fire damage which occured to the rest of the car.

As for the fuel pressure, I can't recall the exact number, but I vaguely remember 85 psi at maximum output, which should have been plenty. If I was getting stalling symptoms, it was usually on a hot afternoon in 110 degree weather, most annoyingly in city traffic where acceleration and deceleration cycles were abrupt and frequent (I once broke the navicular bone in my right foot pushing my LC through an intersection). I would pull over and let the engine rest for 15-20 minutes and I would be able to resume driving afterwards. I guess that doesn't have to be vapor lock, but doesn't that fit the pattern? One thing I didn't invest in was a decent regulator.

@Lil'John & FF LC FREAK: WOW. You weren't kidding. I had no idea how terrible and over-priced the generation 1 is compared to the LS series. Here is a great video on youtube which shed some light on this for me:


Purchasing a 3700 dollar induction system for my setup now feels like putting lipstick on a pig. Thank you, but no thank you Holley/RamJet. I'll definitely be putting in some time at the junkyards.

@Rusty Ranger: I especially like the idea of an iron block over an aluminum block too. I think you'll get a wide range of opinions regarding torque limits on the powertrain though. I don't know if 2F and 3F was built around a ~200 lb-ft design, or if that's just what it happened to be. My guess is that it's the latter. I don't think the weak link was the transfer case or the transmission though. Am I wrong? I always thought that the achilles heel of the FJ40 were the Birfields and differentials...well...after the parking break...lol. On the otherhand, the LC was not designed to have 35"+ tires and gear reductions that would make a John Deere jealous. For its OEM configuration and desired endpoints, the FJ40 was truly immortal. Regardless, I'm sure you will find people who say "it all depends on how you drive it."

So the junkyard it is. I'll keep you guys updated.

 

[bikersmurf]

Having had a 300ish hp V8 in a 40, I don’t really know why you’d want a lot more than that. I replaced it with a 350 that’s built for low end and torque and I don’t miss the extra hp even though I likely only have 200 hp now,

350+, although it could be a lot of fun, seems like a way to create a money pit. After replacing enough parts you’ll stop breaking things, but it won’t get you to the end of a difficult trail any faster.