Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Cfi performance

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

    #16
    just a minor point, the TFI does not need a computer to work. The problem is that you get no advance, which means it just works incredibly poorly without something to make that happen.

    ut yeah, gearing, dual exhaust, and probably the electric fan are the only cost effective mods to be made. I don't happen to like electric fans though, one more thing to go wrong. Also bad prior experience having one shit out and leave me fixing one of the heater hoses in a parking lot with no tools. Removing hoses with a dime and slicing the blown end off with a random rusty razor blade found on the ground isn't my idea of a good time.
    86 Lincoln Town Car (Galactica).
    5.0 HO, CompCams XE258,Scorpion 1.72 roller rockers, 3.55 K code rear, tow package, BHPerformance ported E7 heads, Tmoss Explorer intake, 65mm throttle body, Hedman 1 5/8" headers, 2.5" dual exhaust, ASP underdrive pulley

    91 Lincoln Mark VII LSC grandpa spec white and cranberry

    1984 Lincoln Continental TurboDiesel - rolls coal

    Originally posted by phayzer5
    I drive a Lincoln. I can't be bothered to shift like the peasants and rabble rousers

    Comment


      #17
      Originally posted by gadget73 View Post
      just a minor point, the TFI does not need a computer to work. The problem is that you get no advance, which means it just works incredibly poorly without something to make that happen.

      ut yeah, gearing, dual exhaust, and probably the electric fan are the only cost effective mods to be made. I don't happen to like electric fans though, one more thing to go wrong. Also bad prior experience having one shit out and leave me fixing one of the heater hoses in a parking lot with no tools. Removing hoses with a dime and slicing the blown end off with a random rusty razor blade found on the ground isn't my idea of a good time.

      Would it mess with the timing if I just left the whole system hooked up except the fuel injectors since there would be a carburetor?

      Comment


        #18
        Originally posted by 91merc View Post
        Would it mess with the timing if I just left the whole system hooked up except the fuel injectors since there would be a carburetor?
        I've seen this done once, actually. Only problem is the TPS. That's gotta work or the whole system goes dumb.
        There are better and proven options. If you want to keep the TFI, you need an ignition box. The DS2+HEI combo I'm running costs very little; 60€ distributor, 20€ HEI module and a 30€ heatsink for the module plus a couple wires and connectors.
        1985 Mercury Grand Marquis LS, "Maisa"
        1995 Chevrolet Caprice Classic STW, "Sally"

        Comment


          #19
          I'm thinking that if I do anything major to the car performance wise I'll just rebuild the 351HO that I have sitting in my garage and conver to 4bbl carb and use an electronic converted points dizzy or something

          Comment


            #20
            Also, one of those "higher voltage" yellow accel coils wouldn't do much would it? I have one in the box laying around

            Comment


              #21
              Originally posted by Lutrova View Post
              Any chrome in the engine bay is an easy 10 hp.

              How bout stickers?
              Last edited by 91merc; 08-19-2022, 10:42 AM.

              Comment


                #22
                I don't think you could just plug the ECM in and have it control timing. It would want inputs from throttle, MAP, and temperature sensors at least. I don't honestly know what it would do if you had all that plugged in, but lost the injectors and subbed a carb. It might completely freak out and go into some sort of dumb limp mode. Either way I don't think it would be good for performance. You'd have no way to adjust what the timing is actually doing. For all the headache to try and retain a TFI system in some sort of really useful manner with a carb, you're better off dumping it for a normal distributor.

                if you want something fancy though, modern electronic distributors with programmable timing curves do exist. They can be tuned to do things that a standard distributor just cannot.

                https://progressionignition.com/

                or you just get a normal distributor and a set of springs and curve the thing how you need it to be like people have been doing for decades.
                86 Lincoln Town Car (Galactica).
                5.0 HO, CompCams XE258,Scorpion 1.72 roller rockers, 3.55 K code rear, tow package, BHPerformance ported E7 heads, Tmoss Explorer intake, 65mm throttle body, Hedman 1 5/8" headers, 2.5" dual exhaust, ASP underdrive pulley

                91 Lincoln Mark VII LSC grandpa spec white and cranberry

                1984 Lincoln Continental TurboDiesel - rolls coal

                Originally posted by phayzer5
                I drive a Lincoln. I can't be bothered to shift like the peasants and rabble rousers

                Comment


                  #23
                  A "hotter/hi performance" coil won't add anything. I feel you can pretty much ignore the ignition system until you really start hopping up the engine, so long as it's already in peak shape. When I was in my teens I put a full MSD ignition system in my Firebird; 6AL box, billet dizzy, their coil blah blah. Didn't notice shit. However, their coil took a shit on me within three months and so too did their fancy & pretty red dizzy cap. it's been running a stock cap & coil ever since.

                  As others have said on here, swap up the rear gears for 3.73's or 4.10's, add dual exhaust and maybe swap out the intake for one which flows better. I think the throttle bodies on CFI stuff share bolt patterns with Holley carbs, not sure. But if that's the case, you should have plenty of options to choose from.
                  1985 LTD Crown Victoria - SOLD
                  1988 Town Car Signature - Current Party Barge

                  Comment


                    #24
                    yeah the stock TFI ignition is actually pretty healthy. I guess you could stick a red coil on there with the chrome valve covers, they do about the same for power gains.

                    CFI unit has the same bolt arrangement as any common 2bbl. A good 2bbl intake or a 4bbl intake with a 4 to 2 adapter would work. How much it helps, hard to say but unlikely to make it worse.
                    86 Lincoln Town Car (Galactica).
                    5.0 HO, CompCams XE258,Scorpion 1.72 roller rockers, 3.55 K code rear, tow package, BHPerformance ported E7 heads, Tmoss Explorer intake, 65mm throttle body, Hedman 1 5/8" headers, 2.5" dual exhaust, ASP underdrive pulley

                    91 Lincoln Mark VII LSC grandpa spec white and cranberry

                    1984 Lincoln Continental TurboDiesel - rolls coal

                    Originally posted by phayzer5
                    I drive a Lincoln. I can't be bothered to shift like the peasants and rabble rousers

                    Comment


                      #25
                      I'd keep it maintained, running up to spec and leave it be. It's not going to be running at the next Indy 500. Most likely, the money and time spent trying to "improve" it will bring minimal gains in performance.
                      What I Own: 1993 Mercury Grand Marquis GS
                      What I Help Maintain: 1996 CV / 1988 CV / 1988 Tempo

                      Comment


                        #26
                        Originally posted by gadget73 View Post
                        yeah the stock TFI ignition is actually pretty healthy. I guess you could stick a red coil on there with the chrome valve covers, they do about the same for power gains.

                        CFI unit has the same bolt arrangement as any common 2bbl. A good 2bbl intake or a 4bbl intake with a 4 to 2 adapter would work. How much it helps, hard to say but unlikely to make it worse.
                        LoL yeah I forgot about mental performance gains. Just paint the stock coil red and slap an MSD sticker on it, all of the performance gains with OEM reliability.

                        For what it's worth, the Ecklebrock Performer TBI intake I slapped on the Fireturd helped move/and or improve torque such that it could then roast tires on concrete and sometimes bark them from a stop. Didn't do it before the swap. God that thing was terrible. The best performance mods it received were Trick Flow cylinder heads and a rear gear swap. Moving from 2.73's to 3.23's (Thought they were 3.42's..) woke up city driving quite a bit as well as improve city MPG.

                        I'm also a fan of friskyfrankie's idea. If anything, 3.55's and dual exhaust.
                        1985 LTD Crown Victoria - SOLD
                        1988 Town Car Signature - Current Party Barge

                        Comment


                          #27
                          The 88 MGM I had, I put 3.55 rear gears, duals, and wide ratio trans gears. That car was really fun off the line but had no top end. It would gripe at me for going over 75mph. But it would scare 2000s M3s and Corvettes off the line to the other side of the intersection before it fell on it's face.

                          Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former. -- Albert Einstein
                          rides: 93 Crown Vic LX (The Red Velvet Cake), 2000 Crown Vic base model (Sandy), 2003 Expedition (the vacation beast)
                          Originally posted by gadget73
                          ... and it should all work like magic and unicorns and stuff.
                          Originally posted by dmccaig
                          Overhead, some poor bastards are flying in airplanes.

                          Comment


                            #28
                            My version of CFI performance is a 600cfm carb and a curved duraspark.

                            Comment


                              #29
                              frankly thats probably the best way, even better if the cam is upgraded. the heads aren't amazing but the E5 heads really aren't that different than the E7, at least not different enough that I'd say it justifies swapping stock for stock.
                              86 Lincoln Town Car (Galactica).
                              5.0 HO, CompCams XE258,Scorpion 1.72 roller rockers, 3.55 K code rear, tow package, BHPerformance ported E7 heads, Tmoss Explorer intake, 65mm throttle body, Hedman 1 5/8" headers, 2.5" dual exhaust, ASP underdrive pulley

                              91 Lincoln Mark VII LSC grandpa spec white and cranberry

                              1984 Lincoln Continental TurboDiesel - rolls coal

                              Originally posted by phayzer5
                              I drive a Lincoln. I can't be bothered to shift like the peasants and rabble rousers

                              Comment


                                #30
                                Originally posted by sly View Post
                                The 88 MGM I had, I put 3.55 rear gears, duals, and wide ratio trans gears. That car was really fun off the line but had no top end. It would gripe at me for going over 75mph. But it would scare 2000s M3s and Corvettes off the line to the other side of the intersection before it fell on it's face.
                                I dunno, my dad's '99 base C5 with it's slushbox seems like a rocketship off the line compared to everything I've ever driven in the past. Kind of takes it a second from a stop, but if it goes 2nd to 1st, Wooooo! If it wasn't for nostalgia and such, I'd sell both the Fireturd and Lincoln for a six speed C5 ZO6. I used to think the C5 was the worst Corvette, right there beside mid 70's to early 80's C3's. Then I eyeballed one up close and drove it.

                                But I know what you mean, it's as if the AOD and 700R4 transmissions intentionally have a low first gear, so when combined with a hot rear gear, 1st is really fun. Once the Firebird gets out of 2nd, it's all over. Before the mods, even 1st was terrible if I tried to race anyone other than myself.
                                1985 LTD Crown Victoria - SOLD
                                1988 Town Car Signature - Current Party Barge

                                Comment

                                Working...
                                X