Slow Progress is better than No Progress.

[Beach-Burban]

Originally Posted by nsiti

Hi Woody,

Thanks for you reply, especially about the sump system, which I wasn't familiar with. Keeping your big tank makes good sense. I went ahead and purchased an Aero Tank 40 and had them set it up for EFI with an in-tank pump. I really hope gas prices head back down soon, lol !

I researched all the AC companies, and I would agree that Classic Air is solid. I believe I passed on their system because of the modern dash controls and price. I'll definitely report back when my AC gets installed, unfortunately it will be a long time from now as I'm planning to restore the Suburban over the next 1-2 years.

If you remember, please update us when your Pro-Flo 4 ships. I'm curious to see how Edelbrock handles backorders.

Cheers,
Nick

Hey Nick...it took nearly ten months, but I finally received my Pro Flo 4 (but it was a wild ending!). In November, I saw that both Summit and Edlebrock had them back in stock but I hadn't received any shipping notice from Summit so I emailed to check on my order. I was told that someone had cancelled my order and that I would have to order it again??? I immediately ordered it and realized that the price was $100 more than my order from February, so I emailed back the same person with "WTH...someone at Summit erroneously cancels my order and I get stuck paying $100 more"! Long story short...she got me a $101 refund and delivery in two days! I've since posted a new thread on the truck side called "Edlebrock Pro Flo 4 and Sanderson BB8 header project" (long ass title, I know!) to document the dilemmas that I have run up against...but I am getting very close to finishing up the header installation and have been working on my fuel system and wiring to be prepared for the PF4 install. I hope you have had better luck than me with your project!

Woody

[Beach-Burban]

Slow is the "operative" word for my progress...it's right there in the title! Besides that being my M/O, living in So Cal has made me worthless when it rains...and the unrelentless rain we have been getting (as much as we need it) has been very difficult to get used to! In any case, I have made a little progress as I finally received my Edelbrock Pro Flo 4 near the end of 2022, and started digesting the instructions to develop a plan of attack. I have already posted about using the Fuel Sump Pump kit they offer and my mounting choice for that, which gave me a starting point for the layout of the wiring harness. I had never made (or even used) AN hoses before, but the kit came with AN fittings and hose so I read up and learned how...and am happy with the preliminary results. I also (after hiring the wrong person for the job) got my Sanderson BB8 header's installed after my friend Jerry turned part of his shop over to me (and then he basically did most everything for me while I assisted)...but I'm very happy with those results as well! I started and am still in the process of cleaning up and beefing up the electrical situation under the hood, both because I need to and want to...but also because it should make an easier time out of installing these new components. After running the fuel filter hoses and making the changes to the electrical components on or near the passenger side wheel well, I removed and/or covered up everything and taught myself how to weld with a free "flux core wire feed" unit and filled in the eight extra holes that had been added over the years to the passenger side wheel well. I eventually got the hang of it, but it's a good thing I have plenty of experience with a grinder!!! I still have a little to do before final paint of wheel well (like I should have filled in the three factory dimples)...but all in all, I'm again happy with the results. Lastly...I (actually Jerry with my help) installed a ribbed aluminum transmission pan that I have had sitting on my shelf for nearly four years! Not only is it aluminum, higher capacity and has a drain plug...it also has a threaded hole on the side for a temperature sending unit. I am using an original style sender with the factory gauge and wiring which made that part go really well...and I'm more than happy with those results! I'll be going on a trip to visit my new born granddaughter in Tennessee, so I don't think I'll be making much headway on the rest of the project for awhile...but I'll be back!

Woody

[CG]

Ill take slow progress pics over no pics at all. Thanks for this! And like I mentioned on HO455's excellent thread ... So much of the things your are doing is very relatable to the truck side of the board. Need to get those folks over here to see the good work you and others are doing.

[Beach-Burban]

Back from a 45 day road trip, so I’m slowly sliding into finishing the Pro Flo 4 installation. Yesterday, I removed the old mechanical fuel pump and installed the new Edelbrock 1722 mechanical pump that feeds the sump pump. It was pretty much a straight forward fuel pump install, including plenty of tight spaces for my hands to reach into and a few swear words…but it got done! Beach Burban is now out of commission until the fuel injection is complete as I also tied in the new AN hoses on the bottom side…now it’s a lot of disconnecting of stuff, then on to the main event of installing the intake. More to follow…

Woody

[LockDoc]

Originally Posted by Beach-Burban

Back from a 45 day road trip, so I’m slowly sliding into finishing the Pro Flo 4 installation. Yesterday, I removed the old mechanical fuel pump and installed the new Edelbrock 1722 mechanical pump that feeds the sump pump. It was pretty much a straight forward fuel pump install, including plenty of tight spaces for my hands to reach into and a few swear words…but it got done! Beach Burban is now out of commission until the fuel injection is complete as I also tied in the new AN hoses on the bottom side…now it’s a lot of disconnecting of stuff, then on to the main event of installing the intake. More to follow…

Woody

Glad to see you back at it. You'll have it done and back on the road in no time....

LockDoc

[Beach-Burban]

Originally Posted by LockDoc

Glad to see you back at it. You'll have it done and back on the road in no time....

LockDoc

Thanks for the motivating words of encouragement, Leon…I drained down the coolant today and started taking this off and that off, then about 4 hours later, I lifted the intake and carb off (heavy SOB)! Things looked pretty darn clean inside there…and I was able to confirm that the heads have in fact been “port-matched” to give those peanut ports a chance to breathe a little more smoothly.

I did notice something that I don’t think I’ve ever noticed before…my lifters don’t sit on the cam lobes 100%? The complete engine is from 1989 but was still new/unused until 2011 when it finally got installed into this Suburban…then it mostly sat for the next six years just getting started every month or so by the original owner, so now it only has approximately 12K to 14K miles on it. Is that normal for an original factory installed cam to not sit back all the way? It looks like if the cam was pushed in about 1/8 inch more, the lifters would be perfectly centered on the lobes? Anyone, Anyone???

Woody


A lot had to be removed to get the intake off.


I even measured the ports, and they were the same size as the new intake.


Hopefully this offset is normal…but it makes me wonder a bit?

[LockDoc]

-
Looks like someone put some time in on those ports.

I'm not much of an engine builder so I can't help on the lifters. I would post the question in the "Engine and Drivetrain" forum there are some pretty sharp guys over there.

LockDoc

[Beach-Burban]

Originally Posted by LockDoc

-
Looks like someone put some time in on those ports.

I'm not much of an engine builder so I can't help on the lifters. I would post the question in the "Engine and Drivetrain" forum there are some pretty sharp guys over there.

LockDoc

Thanks Leon…I’ll do that.

Woody

[D.B]

It could be a very long story describing how flat tappet cams are made but the short of it is the cam lobe is machined to help spin the lifter in the lifter bore. If the lifter stops turning in its bore then the cam lobe and lifter bottom will destroy itself.

Forgot to mention that the offset lobe to lifter bottom is what helps turn the lifter. As the cam lobe goes up and down the offset lifter will turn.

[Beach-Burban]

Originally Posted by D.B

It could be a very long story describing how flat tappet cams are made but the short of it is the cam lobe is machined to help spin the lifter in the lifter bore. If the lifter stops turning in its bore then the cam lobe and lifter bottom will destroy itself.

Forgot to mention that the offset lobe to lifter bottom is what helps turn the lifter. As the cam lobe goes up and down the offset lifter will turn.

Thanks D.B. for that very understandable explanation…so all is good and nothing to worry about! With 12K to 14K miles on the engine, it makes sense that it’s working as it’s supposed to…otherwise the wear areas would have destroyed themselves by now, right?

Woody

[Beach-Burban]

Well…Three weeks ago, I did make some forward progress by finally installing the new EFI intake. I still have the distributor to install and button up a few things before replacing the coolant…then I’ll install the wiring harnesses before being ready to attempt the initial start-up.

I would have continued to move on those items already, but my daughter bought a house in Knoxville, TN…so I booked a flight and selected a full size pickup as my rental car to get there just after escrow closed! I spent the next two weeks putting my construction skills to use getting the house ready for move-in…it’s just what dads do!

Now that I’m back in CA, I will be waiting for my body to recover a little before jumping right back into it (getting old sucks!)…but my wife and I had already made plans to take our two Californian granddaughters to Sea World in San Diego, so I should be ready to return to the EFI project in a week or so (fingers crossed). I’m pleased with how it’s going…even if it is a slow and drawn-out process.

Woody

[LockDoc]

Originally Posted by Beach-Burban

Well…Three weeks ago, I did make some forward progress by finally installing the new EFI intake. I still have the distributor to install and button up a few things before replacing the coolant…then I’ll install the wiring harnesses before being ready to attempt the initial start-up.

I would have continued to move on those items already, but my daughter bought a house in Knoxville, TN…so I booked a flight and selected a full size pickup as my rental car to get there just after escrow closed! I spent the next two weeks putting my construction skills to use getting the house ready for move-in…it’s just what dads do!

Now that I’m back in CA, I will be waiting for my body to recover a little before jumping right back into it (getting old sucks!)…but my wife and I had already made plans to take our two Californian granddaughters to Sea World in San Diego, so I should be ready to return to the EFI project in a week or so (fingers crossed). I’m pleased with how it’s going…even if it is a slow and drawn-out process.

Woody

Hope you can get back on it before too long. I know I didn't get much done in the shop when the Grand Daughter came to stay with us in the summertime. I sure enjoyed her being here though.

LockDoc

[Beach-Burban]

Originally Posted by LockDoc

Hope you can get back on it before too long. I know I didn't get much done in the shop when the Grand Daughter came to stay with us in the summertime. I sure enjoyed her being here though.

LockDoc

I do too to both, Leon…hope I can get back on it soon, and enjoy the time with the grand kids! We also have a Lake Mohave trip coming up, so we’ll see?

Woody

[Beach-Burban]

Well…it’s been about ten months since I received my Pro Flo 4 system…and I actually have it up and running! A lot of traveling and other obligations got in my way, but truthfully, I’m kind of slow and methodical in how I work. That paid off in some regards, as upon start up, not even one leak arose to ruin my day! By following the Edelbrock procedures to the letter, everything acted the way it was supposed to…and fired-up on the first try! That’s the positive…but I’m not “off to the races” yet (figure of speech…still not a race car!)!

It looks like I’ll have to put more miles on it so the “self-learn” can do it’s thing…and/or I’ll have to learn more about using the Advanced Tuning features of the APP that makes the adjustments. For now, I’ll tell you about how I feel about the overall project…some good; some so-so; and some are still to be determined.

Overall, the Pro Flo 4 looks clean and is a well thought out kit with pretty much everything included to get you to the finish line. One thing I hadn’t thought about when purchasing the compatible Fuel Sump Pump kit, is that my plans for “cleaning-up” the engine bay, actually added more clutter in some regards. I tried to make the layout neat looking as well as functionally accessible, but the amount of fuel hose required to be in the engine compartment goes against so much of what I’ve learned throughout the years…but everything I used was included in the kit, including most of the AN fittings and TwistLoc hose…and there was no way to follow the instructions and have only 12 inches of rubber fuel hose without discarding those components and devising my own steel lines? I don’t know what to say, except nothing leaked and it’s all routed away from the hot spots!

Next, there is a lot of wiring harness…which I again did my best to shorten, tidy and hide whenever possible, but I can probably still improve on that a bit. I also followed Edelbrock’s recommendation to use the vent/return line of my removed charcoal canister, which led me to the realization that I have a Non-Vented gas cap, so until I get the proper cap, I’m keeping mine twisted to the half-locked position. What’s odd is that I never had pressure build-up in my tank until I drove with the EFI the first time…but still…I should have realized that a long time ago?

Last thing I’ll say for now, is that it’s too soon for me to be thrilled or disappointed with my decision to change from carbureted to EFI, as I know the bugs haven’t been sorted out yet…just wish the “Self-Learn” process worked a little quicker.

Woody

[FLYNAVY30]

Hey Woody, glad you're making progress. Ill throw this out there, based only on my experience with the Holley EFI systems...

The "self tuning" is adequate, and will get you on the road. But if you want the truck to truly perform, and realize all the benefits of the EFI conversion, you're going to want to find a tuner that can give everything a good look and smooth out all the fuel/timing/spark tables for you.

That being said, definitely get 2000 miles or so on the set up before you start looking at next moves. The self tuning does a decent job of getting you started.

[Beach-Burban]

Originally Posted by FLYNAVY30

Hey Woody, glad you're making progress. Ill throw this out there, based only on my experience with the Holley EFI systems...

The "self tuning" is adequate, and will get you on the road. But if you want the truck to truly perform, and realize all the benefits of the EFI conversion, you're going to want to find a tuner that can give everything a good look and smooth out all the fuel/timing/spark tables for you.

That being said, definitely get 2000 miles or so on the set up before you start looking at next moves. The self tuning does a decent job of getting you started.

Thanks for the info, Gregg…I will ask around for when I get ready (or fed-up) for the final tune! 2000 miles!!! I’ve got a lot of popping in the exhaust that worries me while driving in this state of tune…and it’s not consistent either? Sometimes on acceleration, sometimes on deceleration and sometimes just a random pop here or there…and then there are times when everything smooths out for awhile? I only have probably 15 to 20 road miles on it since start-up…and none have been on the freeway yet, so I’ll have to get going on that 2000 mile mark! I just had a minor setback with my available time…actually writing this from the hospital due to the discovery of A-Fib! Getting old sucks, but I didn’t and still don’t feel any symptoms of this or any other ailment…so when released (I guess the medical field says “discharged”), I’ll probably be right back at it! Thanks again!

Woody

[Beach-Burban]

Originally Posted by CG

Ill take slow progress pics over no pics at all. Thanks for this! And like I mentioned on HO455's excellent thread ... So much of the things your are doing is very relatable to the truck side of the board. Need to get those folks over here to see the good work you and others are doing.

I was reading back over my thread, and realized that I hadn’t responded to your post, CG! I’m really sorry about that as I always respond when someone takes the time to comment…and your comment definitely deserves a response!

If it’s slow you seek…you’ve come to the right place! HO455 has been quite helpful to me as well…and he really knows what he’s doing! I, on the other hand, have had to learn and re-learn so much of what used to come naturally to me…so I’m an example showing that you don’t have to be a master mechanic to have fun working on old vehicles.

I visit the truck side regularly…and there is a great cross-over of useful information!

Thanks again, CG…sorry I overlooked this the first time!

Woody

[HO455]

Joining late again. The installation looks great! Especially on top of the big block. Can you explain more about the fuel sump? Did you have to modify your fuel tank?

Sorry to hear about your health issue. Like most folks I know little about these things until they affect me or my family. Praying that your on the road to recovery.

And Woody many thanks to both you and CG for the kind words.

[Beach-Burban]

Originally Posted by HO455

Joining late again. The installation looks great! Especially on top of the big block. Can you explain more about the fuel sump? Did you have to modify your fuel tank?

Sorry to hear about your health issue. Like most folks I know little about these things until they affect me or my family. Praying that your on the road to recovery.

And Woody many thanks to both you and CG for the kind words.

Being late on this site is never a problem, HO455…comments are always welcome! You are very deserving of any praise that comes your way, as the value of your WMB thread will assist many for years to come!

Thanks for the positive thoughts regarding my health…turns out that I just needed a “Tune-Up”…kind of like a jump start to get my timing right and a few additives to keep everything running smooth! Feeling quite well now!

The fuel sump is basically a very small fuel tank with a high pressure electric fuel pump and adjustable fuel regulator built in. It is fed by my low pressure mechanical fuel pump with a 100 micron fuel filter before the sump and a 10 micron fuel filter after the sump. For me, using the sump pump prevented me from having to modify my original fuel tank (as it is a dealer installed 45 gallon unit from when the burb was brand new)…and I also liked that their sump pump was made to communicate directly with the Pro Flo 4’s ECU. Other than the amount of rubber fuel lines (and price!), I’m quite happy with the addition. Now I need to put some road miles on the system so the self-learn has an opportunity to do its job!

Woody

[Ol Blue K20]

I'm subbing to watch!

[Beach-Burban]

Originally Posted by Ol Blue K20

I'm subbing to watch!

Glad to have you along for the ride, Dale…but it’s a “slow-ride”!

Here’s my most recent accomplishment: Just got my new “Vented” gas cap to replace the factory “Pressure Vacuum” cap that came with the original charcoal canister system. It is an excellent facsimile to the original…just hope it relieves the pressure build-up in my tank so the EFI works correctly. Now to fill the tank and put some serious miles on the “self-learning” system!

Woody


Original on left…replacement on right. (Pretty obvious, huh!)

[Beach-Burban]

Well my “Slow Progress” just went in reverse…so Super-Slow “NO” Gress! I had been driving the Burb around town and on the freeway to help the “Self-Learn” make the required adjustments…and have put over 100 miles on it now. The EFI system really seems to like freeway speeds, as it pulled strong while cruising or accelerating in the 40 to 70 mph range with zero popping or stumbling. However, I still get the popping/stumbling from just off idle to around 35 or 40mph.

I was out of town for a week and when I got back, the Burb started right up and idled in the driveway fine…then started the popping again when I began to drive. I got about a mile from home when all of a sudden, the engine just cut-off completely. I was on a slight hill, so I rolled back and parked next to the curb in front of a neighbors house. I spent the next three hours trouble-shooting, and determined that I had spark and fuel pressure, but it just would not fire back up. I even replaced the O2 sensor as I’ve been told that those can shut down an engine…but still nothing (but now I have a spare O2 sensor). I was able to bring up the “Diagnostic” screen on the ETuner app and the only constant indicator in RED was the “Ignition Voltage”. My coil (brand new Edelbrock that matches the requirements of the EFI) seems to be putting out a large arc when I held the coil wire just above the top…but I guess I should probably try a new one to make sure?

Anyway…this is where I’m at…and not feeling very confident right now as it’s the first time I’ve had to call AAA to tow the Beach-Burban!

Woody

[nsiti]

Sorry to hear. Getting stranded is the worst. Have you contacted Edelbrock customer support to get their feedback?

[Ol Blue K20]

Originally Posted by nsiti

Sorry to hear. Getting stranded is the worst. Have you contacted Edelbrock customer support to get their feedback?

X2, maybe they've experienced this before.

[HO455]

Oh man what a bummer! I'm afraid I don't know enough about your set up to provide troubleshooting help outside of basics things to check.

Good luck and let us know what you find.