ome of you may be asking, why switch over to EFI? To me, it was an easy choice after doing a little research with our friends over at FiTech Fuel Injection in Riverside, California. Right from the get-go they suggested their new Ultra Port SBC unit for the small-block in my (old) 1949 Chevy three-window.

I’ve owned this 1949 Chevy truck since I was 18 years old. Not to date myself, but that’s been 30-plus years. Originally, the style I was shooting toward was a 1990s street rod. That quickly shifted as I got into the rockabilly scene. There was just something about the music, the style, and the down-and-dirty feel that I fell in love with. Now I had my sights on building a traditional hot rod. After quite some years under my belt driving it around, it was time to hand off the keys to my wife, Randi. While I’d already updated the chassis/brakes, there was one more “modern” thing left for me to do before that happened: make the EFI switch.

Let’s start off with how easy the installation was. It was a complete bolt-on kit with all-weather pack type connectors, the wiring was simple and straight forward. Once the install was complete, it was time to fire up. With some simple steps with the handheld, I was ready to fire! Now back to why to switch over to EFI. Electronic fuel injection uses pressure to introduce fuel into the engine. This gives the ability of immediate fuel delivery on tip-in of the throttle. This allows for better throttle response over a carburetor. The ECU is always learning, making for an overall reliable and smooth-running truck. When driving on a road trip, say cross country, no reason to worry about elevation changes. Unlike a carburetor, the ECU will make the changes. So if you’re looking for reliability and ability to maximize your miles to the gallon like your daily, but want to look cool doing it, FiTech’s Ultra Port EFI is where it’s at!

To emphasize how simple this swap is, after ripping the carburetor off, about six hours later the truck was up and running. (Note: I’d previously installed an EFI-compatible tank. You will need to factor that into the installation using FiTech’s 50014 Go-Fuel in-tank retrofit kit.) With some adjustments made to the Ultra Port’s stand-alone ECU (via the supplied handheld), the truck was running as smoothly as could be! With all the modern upgrades, I felt my wife could enjoy the truck and have all that reliability.

1. FiTech’s Ultra Port EFI (PN 30-12-511) for 200-550hp small-block Chevy applications. Shown with supplied 4150-flange SBC intake manifold coated by Cerakote SoCal in Signal Hill, California.

2-3. Prior to mounting the intake onto the engine, the fuel delivery components are installed (note the O-rings are oiled before being mated with the fuel rail and installed into the manifold ports).

4-5. Next, the supplied base gasket is installed (dry), followed by FiTech’s 4150-style high-flow throttle body (shown in optional black finish).

7. The almost-complete Ultra Port EFI assembly. Once installed, the fuel delivery system will be completed from the retrofitted tank.

8-9. With the gaskets installed to clean cylinder heads (bead side up), a liberal bead of RTV is applied to the front and rear of the block before the manifold assembly is set in place.

11. FiTech offers a wide selection of EFI tanks and conversion kits to make the swap simple; in this case, FiTech’s in-tank pump part of the 50015 Go-Fuel kit was used in a Tanks Inc. stamped-steel tank.

13. Now onto the electrical part of the job, starting with the locating and mounting of the ECU, which was installed under the dash—out of the way yet easy to access (and free from engine heat and road debris/moisture).

14-16. Once the ECU is secure, the harness is safely routed into the engine compartment (using grommets where necessary) and everything from the injector plug to the TPS to the IAC motor are connected.

17-18. Next, the coolant temp sensor is installed into the side of the head; the O2 sensor into the supplied weld-in bung in the exhaust.

19. With the engine on top dead center, the distributor can be dropped back in and plug wires reinstalled.

22. FiTech’s iPhone-looking handheld makes initial calibration and self-learning final tuning as easy as, well, using an iPhone!