Considering Holley sniper EFI for my 1969 340. Thoughts from people who have that set up?

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i've installed two tanks inc setups with their pumps in a-bodies and the work was smooth as silk. everything fit as it should and the pumps are extremely quiet-- these were the GPA series pumps, both standard and hi-flow.

i also have a tanks inc tank in my D300. it's a blazer tank with their pump and the "carb" set up that's got all the appropriate lines and regulator. couldn't be happier with it.

wound up picking up their EFI tank for my 68 dart that i'll be running a carb with, but when i switch to EFI it'll be all set-- basically the same set up as the D300

currently doing a J2000 with that you know what swap, and the owner insisted on fuel pump be much like the set up DionR showed above, in fact i used the camaro pump as well. while i understand the logic behind it and how it could be potentially beneficial i wouldn't consider that direction unless the application was much more performance oriented.

to me the tank inc set up if VFM and the easy button.
 
Thanks for all the input guys. I think I'll stick with what I have. All of the add-ons you guys say are necessary is more than I care to deal with/buy.
Thanks again.
 
One thing not mentioned is that while the cost of a surge tank set-up may be near or above the cost of a custom or dedicated EFI tank, the performance at low fuel levels (even down to the last gallon or two) during routine and/or spirited driving situations. A surge tank system will vastly out-perform any of the EFI tanks that are available whether they have some internal baffling or not.

Search some road racing fuel tank designs if you want to see how much it costs to even get close to a simple surge tank set-up.

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Sending unit mod 2.jpg
 
harrisonm said:
Thanks for all the input guys. I think I'll stick with what I have. All of the add-ons you guys say are necessary is more than I care to deal with/buy.
Thanks again.
Click to expand...
I think you are making the right choice. If you're not willing to put the time and money into it it would be an exercise in frustration. Spend the time and effort optimizing what you already have.

Here's a story that seems typical of this scenario. A couple years ago one of my neighbors with a '60s GM product saw the Sniper setup on my Dodge and decided he wanted it too. He admitted to not really knowing much about it and that he was "not a computer guy". I was skeptical of whether he understood what he was getting into but I agreed to to go look over his car and discuss what was needed.

So I'm at his place one night and find the wiring was just a mess - it was all the original 50-odd year old wiring that over the years had been randomly butchered by wayward hands. The OE battery cable was literally hanging on the terminal by one strand of copper - seriously. It was hard to understand how the car even ran or didn't burn to the ground - it was that bad.

I suggested straight out that he should re-wire the whole thing or at least fix all the obvious issues before attempting to install the Sniper. He wasn't saying anything but I could see the the gears turning. I left waiting for him to call me to say forget it or that he was going to need help re-wiring the car but he did neither. What he did do was ignore all my suggestions regarding the wiring and the fuel system and did the install himself without even telling me. Needless to say, it turned into a total clusterf*ck. A few weeks later he called me saying it wouldn't start. No ****.

One night I go over and try to help him figure out what was going on. I asked if he had done this or that and I got blank stares - he barely read the instructions. Neither of us had any idea what he had done and I left without making any progress. Over the next few weeks he tried again and again on his own with no luck. At one point he called me and said he was about to shitcan the whole works and go back to a carb. but I talked him off the ledge. To his credit, he saw it through. It took hours and hours on the phone with Holley tech support though. They eventually helped him get it up and running on the generic tune. He finally seemed OK with it but that was basically the end of it.

Once he had it running, I offered to go over and load the tune from my car since his combo was similar to mine. That never happened but he ended up dropping his SD card off at my house so I could load it for him. After several calls, he never came to pick it up even though he lived right up the road. I didn't hear from him for long time, I figured he was busy or whatever and we weren't close friends. After almost a year I found out from another neighbor he moved. Two years later, I still have the card.

He should have just stayed with the carburetor!
 
jbc426 said:
One thing not mentioned is that while the cost of a surge tank set-up may be near or above the cost of a custom or dedicated EFI tank, the performance at low fuel levels (even down to the last gallon or two) during routine and/or spirited driving situations. A surge tank system will vastly out-perform any of the EFI tanks that are available whether they have some internal baffling or not.

Search some road racing fuel tank designs if you want to see how much it costs to even get close to a simple surge tank set-up.
Click to expand...

I think the Camaro setup is at least equal to the surge tank.

The article I linked above said:

Over 800 on-track and 3000+ street miles were put on the fuel module during testing.​

At no time did the engine suffer due to fuel starvation except when it drained the tank dry on a road racing course.

Don't forget this is the OEM's solution for probably all late model cars.

In addition, the following components are no longer needed:

1. External filters
2. External pressure regulators
3. Return lines
4. Fittings, mounts, clamps, etc. to connect it all
5. The room all of the above components take

No idea what the surge tank setup costs, but I see the Tanks Inc kit on Summit for $530. The Camaro setup I built could use a $130 Spectra tank or a $180 Tanks Inc non-EFI tank and a GM fuel module for an LS3 is $155 on RockAuto plus a $15 adapter and a FPR to replace the release valve. I spent $100 to buy a late model GTO tank I cut up for the ring. So $430-480 plus some tax and shipping for the Camaro setup?

Frankly, the Camaro setup requires fabrication so the Tanks Inc kit is the easy button and isn't that much more expensive. And if people aren't having issues with how the tank works with low fuel, seems like a reasonable solution. I am curious how the Tanks Inc setup work in a hard use autocross and/or road course, but for most people I am sure it is way more than enough.

I have heard reports on the Holley sending unit replacement working really well, too. It's currently only $373 on Holley's website and doesn't require a new fuel tank or return lines or FPR. For the OP, that's what I would recommend. Wouldn't even have to swap out his hard line, just plumb the Holley pump to it and wire it up and call the fuel system done.

https://www.holley.com/products/fue...uel_pumps/muscle_car_efi_modules/parts/12-319
 
DionR said:
I think the Camaro setup is at least equal to the surge tank.

The article I linked above said:

Over 800 on-track and 3000+ street miles were put on the fuel module during testing.​

At no time did the engine suffer due to fuel starvation except when it drained the tank dry on a road racing course.

Don't forget this is the OEM's solution for probably all late model cars.

In addition, the following components are no longer needed:

1. External filters
2. External pressure regulators
3. Return lines
4. Fittings, mounts, clamps, etc. to connect it all
5. The room all of the above components take

No idea what the surge tank setup costs, but I see the Tanks Inc kit on Summit for $530. The Camaro setup I built could use a $130 Spectra tank or a $180 Tanks Inc non-EFI tank and a GM fuel module for an LS3 is $155 on RockAuto plus a $15 adapter and a FPR to replace the release valve. I spent $100 to buy a late model GTO tank I cut up for the ring. So $430-480 plus some tax and shipping for the Camaro setup?

Frankly, the Camaro setup requires fabrication so the Tanks Inc kit is the easy button and isn't that much more expensive. And if people aren't having issues with how the tank works with low fuel, seems like a reasonable solution. I am curious how the Tanks Inc setup work in a hard use autocross and/or road course, but for most people I am sure it is way more than enough.

I have heard reports on the Holley sending unit replacement working really well, too. It's currently only $373 on Holley's website and doesn't require a new fuel tank or return lines or FPR. For the OP, that's what I would recommend. Wouldn't even have to swap out his hard line, just plumb the Holley pump to it and wire it up and call the fuel system done.

https://www.holley.com/products/fue...uel_pumps/muscle_car_efi_modules/parts/12-319
Click to expand...
Depending on how much power you are trying to build, a surge tank (less pump) begins at around $65 bucks and up. Competition in the Surge Tank Market has driven down costs since I did my install 10 years ago. At that time, the GM high performance EFI fuel module stuff was in it's infancy compared to what's available today.

Then figure it takes 2 fuel pumps, one in the stock tank attached to the factory style pick-up and one in the surge tank starting at $65 each. Also the cost of a pressure regulator plumbed on the high pressure circuit between the surge tank and the fuel rails.

You would need to increase the size of the fuel return line to match the outlet size and plumb everything, I silver soldered mine and run 2 Permacool 10 micron water trap/fuel filters in-line on the low pressure tank to surge tank circuit. I ran 7/16ths aluminum fuel line and rubber EFI hose to keep cost down.

Competition in the Surge Tank Market has driven down costs since I did my install 10 years ago.
 
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