i'm definitely a novice when it comes to motors so bear with me. i've searched around and couldn't find anything to do with whether carb. or fuel injection was better. i was planning to do a 351w but have decided to go with a 302 for ease of installation. it's going into a 2000 ranger that is being built strictly for the mud. the motor is already carb. but was wondering if i would be better off with fuel injection. i just purchased a c6 auto tranny and a np205 t-case with a ford 9" and a dana 44. pretty typical and probably played out but it's my first project so i wanted to keep it basic. any opinion is appreciated.

 

If just for mud the 351 MIGHT be a better go.
The FI is nice and I liked it a lot in my '88 STX/5.0 setup with a C4 auto but there is additional wiring to do and sensors... not to mention you should use an FI Cam with a different Lobe spacing; 351 timing/firing order, different Distributor maybe ???
The Carb is easy wiring, already setup and can actually produce more horse power than the FI setup.

 

I'm pretty much in the same boat you are broke, but here's what I know.

Carbs are a little bit easier to understand and work with, but if your doing a lot of hill climbs and such while off-roading, you can easily starve the engine for fuel once you get above certain angles.

However, it really comes down to just a matter of preference.

 

Isn't there a kit you can buy to reduce the fuel starvation/flooding ?

I think there is some sort of tube kit !?!?

 

Yes, but its a piece of **** and doesn't work worth a damn.

The best carb in the world is still a carb, and will have its limits as to how much angle it can take before your engine dies. For ANY type of off road use that will encounter angles, fuel injection is the ONLY way to go. Trust me, I have run both.

Now, if you truck is going to be solely for mud and you don't care about hills or street driveability or how factory the swap looks, then I would say that a carb would be better for you. If you want to build a mud truck like you say, I agree that a 351W would be better. Build the snot out of it and aim for 450HP at the crank. Should be relatively easy with some heads and a good cam, as well a matching intake and carb setup.

With the carb, you will be able to rub a larger cam without having to worry about tuning issues.

 

I would go with the EFI so you could swap over all the explorer stuff and have it work like factory.

I would think a carb could hand probably just about any angle you could throw at it. A friend I know has a 69 BBC Camaro that runs 8 second quarter miles. He's had i pull the front wheels off the ground far enough the rear bumper hit the pavement, and the car was still running. It is carb'd and he runs it on the laughing gas so if he had any fuel starvation issues that motor would be toast ASAP.

 

^ Ive got a friend with an old cj7 he uses for trail (rocks and Mud) it is carb and a stick and if you either stall at an angle or sit on an angle for a period of time without being extremely heavy on the gas it will stall and it is a real pain to restart.

 

You obviously have never driven a carbed truck/jeep off road. They all run like crap compared to a Fuel injected rig.

 

Nope I haven't. I've owned a lot of carbed vehicles and after owning my first fuel injection vehicle I vowed not to go back. I look at my 69 Mach 1 428cj and often consider converting it to EFI. That is why I suggested he go with EFI. I was just saying I know a carb can handle aggressive angles in some situations.

 

Well, on a street/drag car you are ok with a carb. They work great. I have a Mighty Demon on my 347 in my 72 Mustang, and I love it. It does great, but that same carb on that same engine in a buggy/truck/jeep being run off road on steep inclines would be a piece of crap. But for a mud truck that will remain close to level most of the time, a good carb will be fine.

 

Well I'm going to say if you're going for the sake of ease to use a carburetor but if you're wanting to do it right, fuel inject it. I don't agree that carbs make more power than fuel injection though because you can do just as much with computer programming and large injectors as you can a huge carb.

 

How long is he staying up in that extreme angle? probably at most a second or two. There is still gas in the carb. What they are talking about is if your slowly crawling up something. You sit there for a couple of minutes sometimes. Even if its like 10 seconds, alot of times the carb will drain. Ive gone wheeling with a bunch of old fords and chevys that are still carbed, and its a pain. If its not only a mud truck, then go FI. Nuf said.

 

hey thanks a lot you guys, i think initially i'm going to go ahead and try out the carb. mainly for the ease of install. i just want to get it running and work out all of the kinks later. thanks again for your input

 

Don't feel bad you are not alone. I too am a novice when it comes to fuel injection systems. But there's a carb availible for steep angles and offroading. Holly Truck Avenger series carbs will work. They have redesigned the fuel bowls to help keep the fuel going to the motor at steeper angles but FI would be the way to go. heres a link you might want to check out: www.fordcobraengines.com/compareefi.asp . It has the looks of a carb and the drivabilty of Fuel Injection because it is Fuel Injection. It's plug and play simple and already pretuned from the factory. It's called Boss EFI. It also has the ability to tune as you drive. It installs in approx. 30 minutes. That's the easiest system I've ever seen to install and for sure the cheapest. Holly, Accel, and Painless are extremely expensive and they aint exactly easy to install. You could spend hours and hours tuning with a laptop on this one if you wish but it's not required as you can see.

 

I'd go with the 351W EFI. EFI's are a lot easier to work on and they are easier to mod. (imo)

 

as chainfire said below, when he's doing a wheelie, it's only for a fraction of a second, and i'm sure his bowls are designed for racing, so the acceleration forces don't allow the gas to hit a high spot...

this is a problem that is only present in a mechanical fuel pump motor, if you put an electronic fuel pump on, even if it drains back out, it will be pumped right back in...