FE-FC Holden Discussion Forum

evening all,
just wondering does anyone know what modifications are required if any ( apart from wiring and fuel pumps) to fit an EFI head off a 202 out of a VK commodore onto a warm 186. i have the opportunity to swap heads ( i have a yella terra) and i would like to know if im going to run into dramas.  ??? the EFI has enlarged valves and new seats. im just wanting to run unleaded.....
thanking you

the efi system requires you to plumb a return line to your fuel tank, so the fuel pressure regulator can divert used fuel back.

you also need to hook up other sensors the computer uses like the the coolant temp sender, or the computer won't run the engine. you also have to think about the where you mount the air filter box (if you are using a standard one - it is quite large), and where to mount the air flow meter and stuff like that.

just make sure that you take all the sensors from the engine and have the whole wiring harness.

thanks gree, its looks like i will be getting the complete harness and computer looking to upgrade later....plus extractors injectors etc, i have already lined somone up for surge tank and return lines, but i was more concrened about actual fitting, ie are all the water jackets running through the efi head positioned the same as on the 186 block. any help or suggestions ( even pros & cons) would be appreciated ;)

 ;) Hi Smithy
   You also have to modify the firewall a fair bit to accomodate the E.F.I. inlet manifold.
  regards ACE 8)

oops that was what i was afraid of. oh well best do it before i paint then.
thanks guys.

my firewall isn't modified much at all. i had to remove a small bit of the seam that joins the upper and lower firewall sections. fits fine other than that.

don't really know about other issues like water jackets etc...

hey gree, thanks mate its a bit of a relief, some one mentioned to me that some (they're not sure which ones) of the water jackets from the block to the head didnt line up. they reccomended sealing them with grub screws ??????? i dont like the sound of that but i just wanted to check if someone out there has already done the mod. i think i will go for the swap anyway and work it out. thanks heaps for help guys. what engine setup are you running in yours gree? standard inlet manifold?
cant wait to see how your custom is going, you going to be up at the nats next easter??
hopefully i can catch up with everyone there. ( im determined to be finished before christmas. fingers crossed.  

Hi Smithy
If your worried about placement of water feeds from the block to the head try this. Get the correct head gasket for the head your using and lay it on the deck of the 186. If any are in different postions this will show where they are. If some are different, it's just a matter of drilling new ones into the deck. This is what you have to do when fitting a blue or black 12 port head to a red motor.
A little trick , I found if you get a strong magnet and stick it next to hole that you are drilling, this will collect most of the bits of metal that fly out while drilling and stops it from going all over the place.
Hope this helps
Cheers
Tony

thanks heaps for that tony i will give it a try ;D

Smithy,

I have heard that it is best to use the standard cam from an EFI motor. Holden did a lot of work on the cam to extract maximum power (combined with smoothness I guess) and it is hard to do any better. You might end up with less power if you don't change the cam.

Perhaps a new computer will extract better performance from a different cam.

David

thanks for that dave, im currently running a 35-70 cam but am looking to upgrade  the computer soon but i also have a mate who says he is a whiz at replotting, but apparently there is a guy who can do wonders with the delco comnputer. (he has been in zoom magazine a few times)

ps. gree how much modificationwas needed to the fire wall any chance of a pic. if you can send it to dmc059@yahoo.com.au

thanks for the feedback guys.

 Hi Smithy
You can also fit the VK sedan fuel tank to your FC without to much trouble. The advantages are a larger capacity tank and no surge tank to mount. See if you can check with GREE to see if he is running a fan off the motor or a thermo fan, this may be the reason for not having to modify the firewall as much.
Hope this helps.
regards ACE
  8)

yeah, i am running thermofans, so that might be why it fits so well. i will say that i have about 2cm of space betwwn the radiator and the water pump pulley so it is what you would call... snug.

i don't think a photo would help you much smithy because there is really nothing to see. i can fit my finger between the inlet manifold and the firewall, and like i mentioned before, just that seam had to be ground back a bit, but the fit is quite tight. you can't see the mod at all with the motor in place.

i am running the entire black motor, not just the head, so there wan't any problems with alignment of different water jacket thingys. hope you get it all sorted. maybe you'll have to give me the name of your friend who remaps computers? thanks.

Smithy

As one who is also dreaming of putting EFI on his 186, make sure you make lots of notes and take heaps of pics.  

;) Al

hey all, thanks for the feedback and suggestions guys, but (sorry al) after weighing it all up and getting frustrated with the car not being on the road i think i might keep the 186 as is (for the moment) and attack it again at a later and more financial stage. i intend to keep the FC for a very long time & it will give me something to do down the track.........besides i can tune a holley ;D.
gree what sort of comuter are you running in yours so i can chat with my friend, he knows of several websites with info..
once again thanks heaps and keep up the good work!!!
this site is invaluable.

i am just running the stock VK computer, and everything about the motor is stock too.

those websites would be interesting, as would getting more performance without opening up the engine. i have to drive this thing every day!

thanks for your help

Smithy

No stress.  

I know all about:

a) dreams/ideas being bigger than budget   :'(
b) dreams/ideas being bigger than practical  :-/
c) dreams/ideas bigger than time available   :-[

and my favourite

d) dreams/ideas bigger than ability   :P

Al