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Designing An EFI-Ready Fuel System For Your Carbureted Hot Rod

fuel system

Upgrades are the backbone of what we do as car guys. No matter what brand of car you favor, we are all constantly looking for ways to improve our rides. Whether that upgrade is a camshaft or intake and carburetor swap, improving how our car or truck runs is the goal. But how many of us plan for future upgrades? I can’t tell you how many times I have seen an upgrade that was unceremoniously discarded after a short time because it didn’t work with another upgrade the car owner decided to include. One of the areas where this happens quite often is the fuel system.

There are an untold number of enthusiasts who would like to eventually upgrade their ride to include electronic fuel injection (EFI). There is no arguing it is a great upgrade for anyone. But, what some don’t realize is it takes various ancillary parts to make it all work. Unfortunately, buying all those parts at once can get expensive. So, with a budget in mind, many enthusiasts buy and accumulate parts when they can afford them. For instance, if purchasing a complete EFI kit at one time is out of your price range, why not start with a fuel system beforehand, That way, you’re ready at a later date?

Upgrading to EFI is a goal many enthusiasts wish to accomplish. By doing the upgrade in stages, you can spread out the cost and still get great results.

The only problem with doing this is that the system you build now — while your car is carbureted — needs to be compatible with both the current carb and the future EFI. To find out how to create an EFI-ready fuel system that will work with a currently installed carburetor, we decided to talk to the guys at TANKS Inc.

One would think that upgrading the fuel system would be easy. You buy an EFI-capable fuel pump, plumb it into your fuel system and you’re ready. In reality, a carbureted system and an EFI system have different needs and requirements. For instance, a carbureted system only needs 6-1/2 to 8 psi of fuel pressure to sufficiently feed the engine. Many EFI systems require 45 psi or more. So, how do you make your fuel system EFI-ready but still utilize the carburetor?

It’s All Inside

The advent of in-tank fuel pumps has made fuel delivery in classic cars better than ever. No longer do enthusiasts need to rely on a mechanical or inline pump.  For starters, a mechanical fuel pump would not feed enough pressure for EFI. That said, a surge tank is an option, but the cost is comparable to that of an in-tank pump. Also, you will…

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