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Fuel System

I ran the fuel lines after the body was on. This made it a little more work but a neater finish was accomplished as I knew where everything was going and what I wanted to do in the engine compartment.I reused the Mustang fuel clips which keep the lines tight and together. Everything was placed for easy access later. Certain areas had covering for extra protection from possible rubbing.

Update May 2017

After making the passenger footbox bigger during the 2017 re-build, I needed to make new fuel lines to clear the footbox. I basically ran them the same way only this time tucked them inward more toward the engine just above the 4" frame and also shortened them a bit to make it easier to access near the starter. Still using the stock Ford type fuel filter and 5/16" feed and 1/4" return lines to the tank. I also put new EFI rated fuel hose to connect the lines to the filter and tank using the stock Ford EFI ends.

Latest and hopefully the last...Holley Terminator EFI

What can I say. I'm just someone who wants the best performance and look of a carburator, without the use of jets. Being a computer type person and being in the auto industry my whole life, I've seen lots of changes. One of the best in my opinion has been the ever increasing technology of electronic fuel injection. I've always been interested in new (better) features and this time I think I've nailed it. The Holley Terminator EFI is the latest EFI unit I've invested in.

My old Powerjection III unit is good, but when driving at altitude for lengthy times, I'd have to put another "tune" in it to make it run smoother. This was due to the fact they don't have a barometric pressure circuit figured in their system. If they were to incorporate that, it would be a very good unit for all around driving. Using it from sea level to around 3500' seemed to be just fine and I could do what I needed, even on track days. However, I (like a lot of people) wanted more. Thus, the Holley Terminator EFI.

Once I got the Holley Terminator EFI I examined how I was going to install this in my completed car. The wiring harness is long, I have a CPU to install along with a relay and two fused power plugs. A few other items that connect to the programing controler and sensors.

First thing was routing the harness and seeing what my best options were. No room under the dash and to close to my MSD 6-AL2 box (a no-no for electonic units and ill advised from Holley), didn't want it in the passenger footbox and a 3/4" harness to route. Oh, btw, the harness is five feet long.

I dieted the harness to put the relay and fuse near the CPU plug along with moving the battery lead and the two CAN connections to an area that allowed me to route them to my rear bulkhead glove box and be out of the way. Yeah, I voided my harness warranty but who cares, I sure don't. Just be careful what you do. I'm not afraid of wiring so I just followed my instinct and the wiring diagram.

Connecting the handheld programmer (included) to the CAN wire connection, you turn the key on, follow the instructions in the manual, go to the Wizard screen, answer a few questions, cycle the key and then you're ready to start.

Setting the TPS and IAC are the two most important things to do on this system. One out of whack will throw everything off. The IAC is sst to 30% from the outset which turned out to be too high for me. If I was to ramp up the throttle to 2500-3000 rmp and let it return, it would return normal. However, if I was to ease on the throttle above 1200rpm or more and the IAC got to it's 30%, it would hang at that position no matter what I did. The only way to reduce the speed was to turn off the engine. This got a me a little worried but after doing more reading and researching the Holley Forum, I found that 30% could be too much. Once back to the car and going to the Advanced Tuning and to the IAC Rampdown section and reduced the IAC Hold to 20%. Instant success and then went to 15% for a quicker release. Bingo!

After two days of driving in different conditions and speeds, I can say this is one fine piece of fuel technology and I can only hope it'll get better. We have a few trips coming soon and that should help along with a track weekend for me in a few weeks. That will really tell me how it peroforms. I'll have to post an update in mid August 2014 after I get back.

A lot has happened since my last update, or lack of update, but it is worth the wait. The Holley Terminator EFI is FANTASTIC! After the installation and a few shakedown runs, I finally got the chance to take it to the track. I had a weekend at Sonoma Raceway (aka: Sears Point and Infineon) and did some data logging and fine tuning during my Saturday session.

One really helpful feature is the graph table where you can select a range of cells from the Base Fuel and "graph" that area and really see what needs to be done, by either richening or leaning out the cells. You just click on a reference point on the graph and adjust up/down to meet or smooth out your target area. I usually save a file prior to any adjustments just in case I don't like the outcome. Easy enough to change it back and much cleaner than dealing with "jets".

Overall, I'm very pleased with the system and would highly recommend it. I know it's not for everyone, but those who wish to venture to EFI and have the look of a carburator will not be disappointed in the Holley Terminator EFI.

After running the Holley Terminator EFI for over a year and a half now, I can honestly say it performs! After purchasing the 3.5" LCD Touch Screen to allow me to see what's going on in real time eaiser (than a laptop), I was able to really define the parameters of the system. Depending on your engine setup, you can really "fine tune" the features of cruise, acceleration and idle to suit your needs. I was able to do multiple datalogging easier with the touch screen while driving by myself. Using a laptop really needs two people to make things easier and it can do it in REAL TIME!

I have had several long road trips and several track days to really learn and adjust the settings that perform the best in my car. By using the Learn Table and A/F Ration Table to fine tune areas. Now the engine runs smooth and strong throughout it's RPM range and I'm very happy. My future plans are to attend one of Holley's schools on the EFI systems.

Well, another fuel change went on my new engine. I had previously been running the Mass-Flo for six years. No big problems and it's a good system. However, you need to spend some time at a dyno shop to get a really good chip burned, or, use a TwEECer RT as I did for the past three years to get the system to work at it's best, in my opinion.

I had been watching and studying the Boss EFI (now Powerjection) for some time and while building another car for a customer, bought the PI unit and installed it on the car. I can tell you it was no different than wiring up the Ford system due to a separate computer, but did have a few less wires to deal with. It performed to my expectations and then some. The system fired right up with just a simple tune from their website Powerjection and ran fairly well. I did do about 20mins. of tunning to get the A/F better and after that it was on the road to allow the system to "learn" itself with it's wideband O2 senosor.

After having such good results with the PI system, I decided to get the Powerjection for my car while my engine was out and being re-done due to a bad build from a local shop in town.

When the time came for me to deal with the fuel system, the newer Powerjection III system came out. The biggest improvement was the fact the computer module is now mounted on the side of the body. To top it off, there's only five wires that need to be connected to your harness. Battery power, ignition power, fuel pump, coil and ground. This is all done through a very nice plug-in harness provided to connect to the pigtail from the system. The system has it's own MAP sensor built in and is plumbed vacuum from a port along with a pigtail (with supplied harness) to connect to your laptop to run the software and mapping.

The included software is easy to use. Read the manual to understand operation and then set your parameters. Once that's done, you just start the engine and start to do some base tunning. It's not necessary, but will help settle the engine down prior to your first driving miles. The wideband O2 sensor takes a lot of guess work out of tunning and the system acutally teaches itself while you drive.

The PIII unit comes complete with a 8AN fuel rail setup although the connecting line is 6AN. I'm using 6AN fittings so I opted to buy a 6AN setup to install mainly because my stainless steel water lines interfered with their setup. The problem I did have installing my new fittings was the end bowls (that house the injectors), didn't have enough thread to install the fittings. I made a call to Powerjection and they sent two new covers which I installed and then connected my fuel line. I also installed a 250LPH in-tank fuel pump to replace my 190LPH one. The 190 is adequate, but I wanted to make sure.

The PIII is mounted on a Victor Jr. manifold. I happen to like this manifold and it's really good a top end. However, due to the stroker, the bottom end isn't hurt by torque or power. I'm using a Lokar throttle cable which fits fine and has plenty of adjustment while using the Russ Thompson throttle pedal in conjunction.

During the installation, I took out all of my Ford wiring harness and comupter. Weight reduction of 15#'s and a lot of clutter. I had some re-wiring to do but all in all wasn't bad due to the fact I love to do wiring and route systems. I have to make my lower air cleaner base opening bigger to accept a stock carburetor opening and I'll also be able to use a taller air filter. Not the larger K&N, but one from SB which will give me more airflow.

If this system would've been out six years ago, it's exactly what I would've purchased. It looks just like a Demon carburator and I've already fooled a few of our buddies with the PI unit I put on a customer car. The PI looks more like a carburator but you can't get that one anymore unless you find someone selling one.

After getting all the fuel lines leak free, I proceeded with the startup. I had already run the engine on the dyno after the rebuild and spent about 20mins. fine tunning the system so we could do some healthy pulls. The engine dyno'd at 403HP.

I started the engine and let it run while the water temperature came up and checked all other levels and leaks. Gladly, none to report. I took the car out for a quick 5min. run down the road to check everything and throttle response. All worked fine and I returned to check out the system.

I got my wife and out we went for gas and a longer drive. Everything worked fine. Throttle response is better than my Mass-Flo in my mind. It's a very smooth system but I didn't want to push much just given our initial ride. The next day we took it for a 70 mile jaunt to San Jose to meet the guys for breakfast. The system worked great and I can say I have nothing bad to report at this time. I'll be taking a few more runs within the next few weeks in preparation of our Santa Barbara trip in May with the bunch going to the Wheels and Waves show.

Out again for another break-in run. The system is really coming to life. Throttle response is great, idle is great and WOW! what a thrill to drive. It is flawless so far under acceleration and just plain ease on throttle control. I think it's still "learning", but overall is doing just as advertised.

Old Fuel System
September 2004

I was never one to like the look of the stock Ford 5.0 plenum. It never seemed "right" in the Cobra and I was constantly toying with what to do. I like the vintage carburetor look and had to decide what to do. I had looked at Edelbrock, Accel and Holley speed density systems. I also entertained the thought of the "stack" speed density systems, but rulled them out because I want more air filtration. I had my mind set on the Accel system until Chris Richards at Quality Roadsters came up with his "Mass-Flo" system, which utilizes the stock Ford electronics.

I wanted to get this installed and tested before the annual "Snakes To The Lake" trip we take every year to Lake Tahoe. I feel this would be a great test for the system going from sea level to 9,000 ft. and back in a three day period.

With any new system there is always doubt on how it will work. This was no exception. I opted for the Victor Jr. manifold because I'm going to stroke the engine and wanted this for future use. This system also utilizes the stock Ford harness, computer and sensors, you don't have to get an entire new electronic system to monitor fuel loads.

All I needed to supply Chris was my engine size, cam and injector size. I did this by phone and an email. How easy is that! When everything arrived, I was quite pleased with the workmanship and quality of the product. The instructions were clear, but who needs those anyway, it was time to get busy!

I took my Cobra intake off and got the wiring out of the way. I taped off the ports in the head and then put the new Victor Jr. manifold on with four bolts to hold it in place. Now came the fun part, routing heater lines and fuel lines.

I used some 5/8" SS tubing for the water lines and was able to utilize my existing hoses to the heater and water pump. I installed a 90° water fitting in the intake manifold near the thermostat and then used a 90° hose to connect to the tubing. Using Earl's clamps, I connected the two SS lines together and they ran between the valve cover and fuel rails. Perfect fit!

I used Earl's fittings and SS hose to make up my fuel lines. I wasn't sure if I was going to like the system, but wanted to do a clean install anyway. The initial connections are not permanent as of this posting but do make a clean look under the hood. Using my existing fuel feed and return lines, I ran the feed into the right rear fuel rail, looped the front around the distributor and then out the left rear into a Aeromotive 13109 EFI pressure regulator w/gauge, which I had mounted on the firewall. From there it left the bottom of the regulator and back to the return line on the chassis. I also installed a fuel pressure gauge in the regulator from Summit Racing.

I moved the computer temperature sensor to the left front manifold and the air temperature sensor is positioned in the #8 intake runner. Doing this meant I had to move some wiring (my favorite part) to other areas. I didn't want to cut up the harness too much at this time so the harness was sanitized enough to re-route the wiring without making it look ugly. I'll change it all later.

The manifold was drilled and tapped in the rear for my water temperature sender and for a fitting to handle the PCV routing.

The air cleaner and mounting of the MAF and spacer were more of a challenge. I'm usign the oval Cobra air cleaner system and purchased the "non drilled" bottom design from Tony Branda. Once I figured where the hole for the MAF was going, I used a hole saw to cut it out. I then installed a 3/8" breather tube for engine venting in the base. I then had to modify and tack weld in the "bridge" that holds the entire base down.

The throttle body spacer had to be drilled and tapped (6-32) into the throttle body to keep the unit from rotating, which I found out when doing some testing, the engine would vibrate the entire mass, so that was necessary to keep everything in place. Not a big deal, but had to be done.

I'm using an A9L computer for this system as suggested by Chris. Once everything was connected, and I had no fuel leaks, I fired it up. It started fine and then it was on to adjust the timing and fuel pressure. I set the timing at 12° and fuel pressure at 40psi, which is what my Cobra intake system was set to.

I let the system cool down after running it for awhile. I need to see how a cold start was. Started the engine after a few hours and it purred to life. It smoothed out at a nice 1100 RPM to start off with and slowly came down to 800 RPM where it stayed. No hesitation and no stumbles during warm up. The system was better than my Cobra intake in that it didn't want to "hunt" when cold.

Once the engine got warmed up, it was great! Lot's of power, good throttle control (I adjusted my Russ Thompson pedal assembly) and the idle speed was great. No more hunting at idle! All I know is the engine wants more and it'll just have to wait until this winter for the stroker! When you hit the secondaries, you know it! It just wants more! I never got that with the Cobra intake.

I'll be doing another dyno run to see the difference between the Cobra intake the "Mass-Flo" system. The test will come after the STL trip in October.

July 2005

I just got through building up the new 331 stroker that'll power the Cobra. The "Mass-Flo" system will stay with the 30# injectors and recalibrated MAF. The engine started right up and when the computer re-learned the fuel mapping, everything worked great. I have to say, having the Victor Jr. manifold with the increased cc's really lets it breath life. I need to get some seat time to get used to the added power.

I plan to have another dyno run in the near future. I'm letting the engine get a few more miles on it before subjecting it to some extreme situations. I will have it on the STL trip again this year and can hardly wait to see how it performs again. I did take it to Hot August Nights again this year and did apply some "performance" situations, but nothing like what I'll be able to do on a track. That is coming up in October at Infineon Raceway and Willow Springs.

Here are some new shots of my reconfigured air cleaner. The base is CNC and hard black anodized. The center hole fits the MAF and the holes for the MAF and double-stud were drilled by me. This is made for a double wingnut air cleaner, but it will work for a single stud as well. You just don't have to drill for the two wingnut studs.

My MAF fits below my air cleaner and I use the lower configuration filter from K&N.

Snakes To The Lake 2004

The trip to Tahoe was great. NO PROBLEMS! NO ISSUES! NO NOTHING! This system works GREAT!

Driving up the mountain highways, the engine ran without problems. Every one thousand foot marker I stomped down on the throttle just to see if it would want to go faster. Yep! It did. Pulled and pulled and pulled until I ran out of engine. I did this all the way past 8,000 ft. before I felt comfortable about it's capabilities and just drove the car.

Another test was the first morning at lake level (6300 ft) and 32°. Hit the key and "varrooooommmmmm", she started and idled just fine. Cold driveablility was no worse than a stock EFI system at that altitude. In other words, it wasn't an issue.

Pushing the car through a lot of twisty's and hill climbs and downhill runs, it didn't miss a beat. In fact, I didn't even think about what was under the hood anymore, it just worked flawless. Response on the system is better in my opinion than the Cobra setup I was using. I do know it sure wanted more when you hit the secondaries.

I know there will be some who doubt what Chris at Quality Roadsters has done, but I'm not getting paid and I really don't care what the doubters think. All I know is it works, and it works well. If you're thinking about something other than the Ford EFI intake setup, the "Mass-Flo" is a good option to use with your existing Ford EFI electronics. The benefit is a clean looking "vintage" system and plenty of no-hassle driving.

I was in contact with Chris throughout the installation and testing period. I'm sure the feedback was helpful and if you had/have any issues, he's more than willing to help.

As a side note, I got over 22mpg. on the trip. I put over 650 miles on the system and was tickled to get that kind of mileage. Remember that a lot of the driving was well over 5,000 ft. for three days while driving the car hard at times and in the 3k to 6k rpm range quite a bit. Mileage in the Sierra's was over 17mpg!

Can this system be tuned beyond what it does? I think so, but it's not needed. You can drive it right out of the box!

I'm sure some of you carburator users know what it's like at 9,000 ft. and your engine won't run right. There were a few of them with that same issue. I didn't have any with the "Mass-Flo" system. Thanks Chris.

I'm checking with Chris right now to see if he would like to use a Cobra computer and setup a MAF unit for that combo. This should give him more to do.

Check out the dyno information here: dyno run.