EFI
Ok, so for the EFI:
1st of all, I'll try to explain this as well as I can. The truth is, although the install seemed somewhat complicated and took a while to do, I highly recommend it. If I can do it (with help from my buddy, David) anyone can do it. Just as a reminder, I'll start out with what the engine bay used to look like. If you're familiar with older engines, it's fairly easy to locate the air intake and carburetor. That's where the vast majority of the work will be done. As you can see in the picture below, the truck originally had the old-school intake with the tunnel opening. Under the intake sat the Rochester Monojet. Yes, a single-barrel carb. Boy was that thing finicky. I can't say I miss it much. Furthermore, the intake had a hose that attached to the top of the engine. If you have absolutely no idea what I'm talking about or describing, PM me and I'll gladly help more with the details.
Inline 6, 292 cu. in., 4.8 L engine. Air intake and carburetor are on the right-ish side of the engine (looking at it from this perspective).
Another pic from the left side of the I-6:
From the right side (here you can clearly see the air intake). Remember, the intake sits directly on the carb.
The first thing I did was research carb-to-EFI conversions. Larry (the same one on this site who has the 78 K10) was extremely patient, helpful, and informative in this process. He steered me toward Howell Engine Development which is located in the great state of Michigan. This company is amazing--I highly recommend. My ONLY complaint is the fuel pump (more on that later). Howell's main customers hail from Jeep world, and not 1968 K10s. However, the systems aren't all that different. After I talked with the owner of the company (I think his name is Brett), we figured out the exact kit I would need. The only thing I needed in addition to the Howell kit was an adapter plate to go from a Monojet (single barrel) to a double barrel injection. That part was tricky. Basically, I needed a metal funnel where the top was for a double barrel and the bottom was for a single barrel (I did not want to change the manifold). I found an adapter online that is actually used for carburetors instead of EFI conversions. However, I was able to make it work. I welded the mounting plate from Howell to the adapter plate. Unfortunately, I don't have any pics of JUST the plates welded together. In the picture below, if you look BELOW the injector, you can see the metal platform it sits on.
After that, the fun stuff happened. I was getting discouraged with the first process because it did take some fab work just to mount the EFI. However, that was the hardest part. Howell does such a good job with their wiring--I've read some complaints, but for me, it worked really well. It was so easy to tell where all the plugs went. The 2nd challenge was the oxygen sensor (pictured below). Getting that set up is all thanks to Dave--I couldn't have done that part without him. I also included a pic of the plugs and connection points.
The next picture shows the "breather." It's the chrome cylinder-shaped item. I'm not sure if "breather" is the technical term or not, but if you look up at the original pictures, you can see the hoses connected to the original air intake. Those hoses were replaced with this Edelbrock breather.
I replaced the old air intake with a K&N filter. I got it 75% off because some of the pleats were a little bent and distorted--fine by me! I'm not a huge fan of chrome, but the cover worked for me. I guess it fits the classic truck look.
So about the fuel pump: Howell didn't include a very high-end pump. At the time, I appreciated this because I wasn't wanted to add to the already expensive investment. However, I should've dropped the extra $200 for an insulated pump. The one I have now is quite loud. It's a whiny noise that's constantly in the background--not that big of a deal when I've got the tunes going and the windows down, but it could get annoying pretty soon.
Now, when I want to drive, all I do is hop in and fire her up! No more choking, no more praying to God that she starts on a cold morning. PLUS, I won't have to hesitate about driving it in higher elevations. Here's the finished product look:
And one of the first times I took it out after getting everything installed (I know the photo is doctored, but I love the colors):
![IMG_0226.jpg IMG_0226.jpg](https://expeditionportal.com/forum/data/attachments/188/188162-0f9d0ec5ad322ea487a9b2dcfaefff09.jpg)