Installing an Edelbrock PRO- FLO 4 XT on a 440 (Lets open the Box)

[TexasStroker]

Did you ever test fit the Victor and TB? Kind of a moot point, but I'd still like to know if it clears. If it hits, I would feel even better about going with the XT, lol. I'd love to see your setup 451. I bought the same thermostat housing and agree that the big holdup is plumbing the air intake with the XT. I really think there is market space for someone to test fit a few units and sell kits. Most of the "you build it" kits are plastic and I'd venture to guess that most DIY guys have MIG welders, not TIG, which results in needing to outsource something.

I have a Holley Terminator Stealth Kit that could have gone on either car...ultimately selected to guinea pig the Duster. My initial plan, assuming I was happy with the performance, was to replicate the kit on the Charger...that way I could stock replacement/roadside parts.

The Pro-Flo 4's price is tough to beat...you get MPFI vs TBI and the distributor included. I gave Holley time and expected they'd have had an answer by now...not the case. If you are going with fuel injection, MPFI > TBI all day, every day. The only downside, if aesthetics matter, is that it is harder to conceal. Couple the fact I might eventually run a ProCharger and the XT option made even more sense.

There is also the ability to screen record via the tablet...I'm thinking that is a feature not many are aware of. Here is some info:
https://forums.edelbrock.com/forum/...se-tablet-screen-capture-app-as-a-data-logger

The other big thing going for Edelbrock is tech support. I always heard how great Holley was. Maybe I have bad timing, but I couldn't get anywhere with them. I can't call after hours, so I'm left with (2) 15 minute breaks and lunch. Couldn't get thru on breaks, finally spent a full hour waiting only to get someone that said they were a carb person and couldn't answer...nice guy, even said he'd have someone able to answer call back...never happened. On Edelbrock's side you have a forum. I can post something at 11 PM and have an answer the next day at noon. I'm sure some like the phone call option, but for me and my schedule the forum can't be beat.

I think both sides have their pros and cons. What I am most proud of is that we are finally getting affordable EFI options that are constantly improving thru innovation and technological advancement. The competition doesn't hurt either...keeps the prices in check. I never ran FiTech, but I give them credit for making the price reasonable. I look forward to my thumb getting better and getting to play with both systems. I feel Edelbrock could easily crank something out like Holley's Digital Dash in the future. But for now, a $100 included tablet will suffice for most.

I also think the XT is a great manifold for MPFI!

 

[tmaleck]

Intakehoses.com has a 90 degree 4.25 to 4" hose.
Silicone Reducing Elbow 90 degree 4.25" to 4" ID Short Radius - Gloss Black
R90B-400-425SR
Kind of pricey, but solves the air intake issue when used with a Dorman 902-3022 90 degree thermostat housing.

Just a recommendation.
Tim

 

[451Mopar]

 

[451Mopar]

I know, it looks like a mess right now. One of the reasons to re-wire the entire car.
I found the TB to spectre 4" tubing on E-Bay. I see more listed now than when I was doing this about 5-years ago.
There was a guy with a green mopar on the Edelbrock support pages that helped some. Told me about the Lokar cables and stuff like that.
I may have swapped my fuel rails around to put the regulator on the drivers side.

I would like to make a custom intake out of fiberglass, that covers the top of the intake and put a stock type oval filter and cover on it.
Having the air go down the sides if the intake and into the throttle body.

The old XT computer setup was pretty dated. Had to manually tune it, and it did not support anything except the EFI. No outputs for electric fans, or A/C RPM kick or anything else. Drove it a few years like that and it ran fine, but I don't think I ever fine tuned it? I'm glad to see they upgraded the electronics on it. Upgrading the old setup the way I did is really expensive, like $2,000+ on top of the original cost.

 

[beanhead]

Great thread, thanks guys. I've been watching, and weakening....my built-in Armenian wallet control system just.won't.let.me...not yet anyways..

 

[451Mopar]

Intakehoses.com has a 90 degree 4.25 to 4" hose.
Silicone Reducing Elbow 90 degree 4.25" to 4" ID Short Radius - Gloss Black
R90B-400-425SR
Kind of pricey, but solves the air intake issue when used with a Dorman 902-3022 90 degree thermostat housing.
View attachment 835407
Just a recommendation.
Tim

That elbow looks nice. Not that expensive for what it is compared to other straight reducers I have seen.

 

[TexasStroker]

Thanks for posting...always wanted to see the XT in HEMI Orange!

 

[Derwud]

Thanks everyone... I shall order the that elbow..

T.S. Working on Prepping the hood to re-install and then doing a quick manifold swap..

 

[TexasStroker]

Oh nice! Will be interesting not only to see if it clears, but also which one you think performs better! I think I should get out of this splint Wednesday...got the intake bolts in last Friday.

 

[451Mopar]

Old YouTube video from Edelbrock claiming 20 HP gain? Maybe just the 1,100 cfm throttle body?

 

[Garner7555]

Derwud, how well does the throttle cable that you posted a link to work on your car? I am going to be adding this setup to my Charger soon and like the looks of your cable. Thanks

 

[Kern Dog]

I will admit that I am very resistant to change. There are some things that come along that I embrace but I'm still holding off from an EFI conversion. I think that it is because I want to be able to do a roadside fix in the event that something goes wrong. I don't want to be at the mercy of a tow truck or a repair shop when a pump fails or a circuit board burns up.
The recent reports of Dennis on the road home convince me that with as little as I drive the car, the expense and complexity of these systems is not worth it. Dennis mentioned awhile back that driving in the higher elevations caused problems with his car when he had the Demon 850 carburetor. A guy like him really does put the miles on his car. Maybe once the glitches are worked out, this will be the new standard. For now, I'll wait and watch others work out the hiccups.

 

[Derwud]

Derwud, how well does the throttle cable that you posted a link to work on your car? I am going to be adding this setup to my Charger soon and like the looks of your cable. Thanks

Works great... very easy to setup and adjust..

 

[biomedtechguy]

I will admit that I am very resistant to change. There are some things that come along that I embrace but I'm still holding off from an EFI conversion. I think that it is because I want to be able to do a roadside fix in the event that something goes wrong. I don't want to be at the mercy of a tow truck or a repair shop when a pump fails or a circuit board burns up.
The recent reports of Dennis on the road home convince me that with as little as I drive the car, the expense and complexity of these systems is not worth it. Dennis mentioned awhile back that driving in the higher elevations caused problems with his car when he had the Demon 850 carburetor. A guy like him really does put the miles on his car. Maybe once the glitches are worked out, this will be the new standard. For now, I'll wait and watch others work out the hiccups.

There are 6 2bbl carbs, 2 engines, 2 classic muscle cars, and one wife who I don't want to have problems with because of problems she may have driving her car, and confidence in knowing that we are not leaving a lot of performance "on the table" especially regarding the 421 in her GTO.
All of those factors come into my EFI considerations.
BOTH cars will ALWAYS have 3x2 of something atop the engines, unless she surprises me regarding the 421. My V-code definitely will have a 3x2 setup, always.
First, my "equation":
With the current build level, and even if I just added TrickFlow heads (which I AM going to do) the FiTech 3x2 TBI EFI system and its associated 600 HP limit would work great. The problems with doing that are I definitely want to build a 600 HP 650 Torque stroker motor, and at that point, I think the FiTech would be holding me back. The other factor is my 3 Holley 2bbl carbs are in great shape and fully modded with Promax parts, so with tuning and the associated jets, power valves, etc, and the center carb Promax metering block, I am definitely good to go to make the power I have set as my goal with these carbs on my future stroker motor, as well as now and along the way.
So while the FiTech may be fine now, in the future not so much.
The "equation" for the built 421 in the GTO is like this: With the performance modifications done to it before we bought it and with the additional upgrades done when I had it rebuilt a few years ago, along with the suspension and rear axle mods done, her goal of running quicker than 12.8 in a quarter mile should have already been met, but it's not that fast, and traction is not the problem. So that and other factors point directly to the 3 Rochester 2bbl carbs. Now other than the possibility of adding aluminum heads to it down the road to replace the already ported, good to begin with iron heads on it, I don't see any other mods being done to the 421. That means that the FiTech 3x2 system would be ideal for the 421 because I believe that not only would that assure me that we were getting our maximum performance return on investment, but it would also mean a much more reliable experience when my wife drives her car, and the 600 HP limit of the FiTech is well above the output capability of the engine. The plan is to have a Pontiac Tripower guru rework the 3 Rochesters to make them compatible with the build level of the engine, because their current stock form, although they are in pristine condition, leaves a lot of power untapped. Should they still leave us or her wanting for more, at that point I would suspect reliability would be the only possible remaining issue, well then I am ready to change over to EFI. While the FiTech 3x2 system is plenty capable to do that job well, unfortunately there is an $8,000 EFI system (including fuel pump, lines, etc) that looks almost exactly like 3 2bbl Rochesters, and naturally that is going to be what she wants, and that's hard for me to argue against because DAMN! they really do look that good and perform exceptionally well too.

 

[Garner7555]

Works great... very easy to setup and adjust..

Thank you for the advice. I will order one up.

 

[Garner7555]

Another question, have you started working on the intake plumbing yet? Just curious how you handled that. Thank you for documenting this install for those of us coming along behind you.

 

[Derwud]

Another question, have you started working on the intake plumbing yet? Just curious how you handled that. Thank you for documenting this install for those of us coming along behind you.

Not yet... Running all the possibilities through my head.. Right now floating 4 inch T into 3 inch and have 2 3 inch pipes coming out and down

 

[Derwud]

might have to buy this.
https://www.amazon.com/Spectre-Performance-97998-180°-Mandrel/dp/B005N6XJN6#customerReviews

 

[67Charger]

Dang you guys... Cyber Monday and this thread caused me to finally pull the trigger on this setup (with tablet). Summit had it on sale for $1707, $100 off $1200, $50 in Summit bucks and a $75 credit from Synchrony for purchases over $750. $1482 delivered. I had to send it to my Montana address since CA wanted $160 in sales tax for the privilege of living here. Not happening today. I'll get it when I go up there for Christmas.

 

[Dennis H]

I
Congrats. Good choice.