Engine Another Dead Horse Conversion

[Cruizer67]

Hi All
Probably beating a dead horse (pun intended) since I am in California and cant get my car smogged due to all these regulations. Car is a 1984 5.0 GT 5 speed car. Has a 4 bbl Carb that is not worth a darn, I have tried to rebuild it but who ever was in it before i bought the car had done some stuff too it so I don't know how complete the inside of it is. I am thinking that i will change over to EFI most likely Mass Air.. I have a list of parts (that i hope is complete) that I need. What i need to know is what cars can I pull the parts out of that will work for this conversion. When I cruize the wrecking yard most foxbody's have been gutted and since I only get time to go to wrecking yards it only get to go on the weekends and by then it too late however i do notice other cars that are EFI equipped that still have a majority of the parts still in them and wonder which of these will fit.. If I can get a list then i will do the interchange search as to give me targets that i can go and get the parts.. If any one has a good shopping list along with what i need to accomplish it would be greatly appreciated

thanks for any and all guidance in this endeavor..

 

[Grn92LX]

Theres no exemptions for older cars in Cali?

 

[Cruizer67]

1975 and older nothing for 1984

 

[General karthief]

Will switch'n it to mass air flunk the visual inspection?

 

[Cruizer67]

I am sure that I will have to go to the referee station and get it approved however I am not sure that is why i am looking for info here.. I was to get it as complete as possible .. as for now without smog i cant drive it, and being that its winter its a good time to get it done.

 

[General karthief]

My advice would be to fix what you got, but thats me, sounds easier than rewiring with stuff from a 25 year old car. But it can be done and has been done before. My advice going that route would be to buy a compleat car wrecked or just wore out. Keeping in mind that computers, wiring and some sensors are different between auto and stick trans.
You may look into efi kits that are plug and play that will save time and money by letting you keep your wiring and intake. Seems to me that would let you keep your stock gauges, wiring, speedo and stuff like that.

 

[Cruizer67]

1984 Mustang GT has a very specific carb that goes on it this makes rebuilding the carb an issue as it has been tapered with by previous owner don't even know if the parts that are in are correct as the power valve was different and from what i understand they done make that particular power valve anymore it was originally a 2 stage power valve. In the long run the conversion will be better for fuel economy and reliability.. which is what i want ., and since i plan on going to referee if I get the smog conversion passed now and have it sticker-ed then later model upgrades should be easier to get by smog later
But i appreciate your input and will take that into consideration

 

[stykthyn]

Rather than go through the hassle of a mass air swap I'm sure there's a C. A. R. B legal carburetor that will offer what you want.

 

[General karthief]

There used to be a carb rebuild service that we used years ago that specialized in older carbs. Google the carb shop or your model number and see what comes up unless your set on efi then I would suggest an aftermarket stand alone bolt on system

 

[Cruizer67]

the model is 4180 C specific to 83-85 GT 5.0 cars .. not so much set on EFI but i know it will be a conversion i will do in the future so trying to collect data on what i actually need to start collecting .. will try to find a replacement carb for the car in the meantime.. but it does have to be a 4180c carb to be correct.. if you look at it the float bowls have vents that are specific to the car

 

[Noobz347]

There is no planet in the universe in which California will accept some mass-air conversion as a means to pass smog.

The real answer is to ensure that ALL OEM smog item are present and fully functional. Even in California, the actual sniffer test is secondary to properly installed and functioning emissions equipment.

Can you make a car burn cleaner my switching over to fuel injection? Yes you can but that is irrelevant.

 

[MustangIIMatt]

There is no planet in the universe in which California will accept some mass-air conversion as a means to pass smog.

The real answer is to ensure that ALL OEM smog item are present and fully functional.

http://jagsthatrun.com/Pages/Chevrolet_S-10_V-8_Smog.html

Details on how to pass Cali smog check after swapping to newer engine technology.

 

[Cruizer67]

i know that I can install EFI and California will pass it for smog if I go to the referee station and show them and its what they expect it to be, its done all the time there is time invested as well as cost,.. but before we head down that rabbit hole of a discussion I am just trying to find out what i would need for the conversion and what vehicles other than mustang that they come from.. so i can start to gather all the parts to complete the conversion.

 

[Cruizer67]

Happy New Year everyone. Still trying to get a components list for the conversion. I know all the basic parts needs but if I have something a little more comprehensive it would greatly help me out.

Also if someone has a PDF of a later foxbody manual that has the complete injection system that would also help. I have one for my GT.

Thanks again in advance

 

[General karthief]

I think I understand what you want, you want to take an efi wiring harness and adapt it to your carb car. You will need to find an 89-93 V8 mustang and get the harness from the computer to the engine harness, this will have its own problems because other wired systems that I think the computer needs input for, there are age problems involved too, these wires are 25+ years old so time and heat cycles will make them brittle,
I would suggest a stand alone efi system, some are carb compliant and you have the choice of carb like throttle body to keep you stock air cleaner or use a efi intake from a 86 -93
Another choice would be an 86 wiring harness that would be more compliant with your body style but it would be speed density