Follow along with the video below to see how to install our site as a web app on your home screen.
Note: This feature may not be available in some browsers.
This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.
Can you swap the fuel injection from a 3FE to a 2F ?
Thank youI think you could probably run the 2f head but you would have to machine relief into it so the injectors would have clearance. Otherwise I think both manifolds will bolt up to a 2f head. @3_puppies yes/no?
Thank youyes as long as it has flat top pistons, all later 2F's had flat top pistons 1980?+ 2F's, and you'll need to swap the head and everything connected to it over.
I don't think that would work with the 3FE setup, the intake assembly won't bolt up to the 2F head.
using the 2F head, he could go with the sniper setup.
What about the sniper? Holley sniper?i know the exhaust manifolds bolt up to the 2f head.
Edit:
I was curious and did some googling and found a thread going back to 2006 on pirate 4x4. Basically it references the clearance for the injectors as the main issue and it refers to the need for additional mount holes though I guess some of the 2f heads have them. So maybe it’s just the lack of clearance for the injectors that prevent success.
if I had a cracked head laying around I’d cut a piece off where the injectors ports would be to see if there is enough meat there to allow for clearance ing in the name of science
Agree 100% about the sniper
I actually have 2 complete 3FE’s that run great 1 is in a rolled 62 runs and drives great was thinking of making it a convertible and the other 3FE came from a engine swap and it runs great. I have seen some things about the Holley sniper FI , do these things work good?Do a thread title search for "2FE" to see the head / EFI swap onto a 2F block. Do a thread title search for "Holley Sniper" or just "Sniper" to see a less involved way of adding EFI to a 2F. IMO a 2FE makes sense for a truck already equipped with a 3FE, or if you have a full 3FE donor truck to rob parts from, Sniper (or others?) makes more sense for an original 2F truck with a decent 2F in it.
This thread illustrates that a 3FE intake manifold won't seal to a 2F head:
3FE vs 2/3F carb cyl. head
For reference, here's some pics of the 85-later 2F or 3F cylinder head, and a 1988 3FE cylinder head. Both heads have been cleaned, milled and had valves changed to 1.50 & 1.84 stainless SBC parts. Notice how the FI intake ports have a significantly raised gasket surface. It would be pretty...forum.ih8mud.com
I actually have 2 complete 3FE’s that run great 1 is in a rolled 62 runs and drives great was thinking of making it a convertible and the other 3FE came from a engine swap and it runs great. I have seen some things about the Holley sniper FI , do these things work good?
A lot of the betterness of the 3FE comes from much better designs on the intake and exhaust manifolds. These are reasonably large slow revving engines with less than exciting combustion chamber designs and the additional limitation of a non cross flow head. The log manifolds on the 2F restrict flow and while they obviously work they leave much room for improvement. Rule of thumb for intake runners is (as I recall) low revs and making torque = long skinny intake tubes. High hp, higher revs = short fat runners. A 2F never makes it out of the long skinny runner territory so the 3FE intake runners are probably 3X - 5X longer maybe even 10x longer than on the 2F. The 3FE exhaust is pretty close to a try "Y" design and also helps with flow and engine exhaust dynamics. I've not compared their combustion chambers but I'd wager the 3FE is a better design.
found this picture comparing the two heads. As you can see the lower head (the 2F/3F) does not have the clearance for the injectors. The lower head also does not have holes for the alignment dowels.
View attachment 2476939
Now if you really were motivated to install a 3FE intake manifold on the 2F head I think you could do it...the easiest way is probably to add a clearance plate...like a 1/4" thick or maybe 3/8" or even a 1/2" plate to the head or welded onto the the 3fe itself which would push the intake away from the head and eliminate the need for injector clearance. The cost of doing this will be that the injectors sit slightly farther back and you will have a reduced valve cooling affect and some level of impact to how the fuel mixes with the air stream. An adapter plate could have additional mount holes as well. It would require either O-rings or a second gasket for sealing purposes.
Monday mornings can be intriguing after all , i never knew all that F Series TECH Jazz ? .........