Mopar Forums - TBI update

Well I've had a bit of time and 400 miles of mixed driving on the MSD TBI that I installed on the 383 in my 65 Fury and I am seriously impressed. I have researched other brands (about six out there) but this brand not only had eye appeal, easy uncluttered wiring but a few years under their belt in research and development, and, when it comes to doling out big dough this is the one that met all expectations. It takes a few hours for the unit to learn the F/A ratio's for different driving scenarios but does an excellent job in mapping the fuel table. Started with the touch of the key in hot (32 degree celcius), hot and humid, cool weather and after a hot soak in very hot weather. Throttle response is phenomenal compared to carbed and there seems to be smooth, continuous acceleration without hesitation. A neat peculiarity of the system is that the throttle blades don't slam closed when you take your foot off the pedal but somewhat gradually bring the engine down to idle. The unit also keeps the engine at the selected target idle r.p.m.'s regardless of electrical loads like cooling fans and fuel pump and power brakes. The engine idles better than it ever did with no surging or bouncing of the tack. There's no hesitation at kick down for passing gear. I will say it's sometimes best to lie about the engine size. Mine was rebuilt 30 over so I selected a conservative 395 instead of 383 to compensate for the over-bore and my Lunati cam. On carb I was getting 18-19 MPG, on TBI I get 23-24 depending on driving habits.Vacuum increased by an average of 4. The engine runs quite cool even on the hottest days. Here's one that will throw you for a flip. The engine usually ran at 180 - 185 but never much higher or lower so I knew the cooling system was matched to the heat produced by the engine. Two weeks ago I decided to delete the heater from the equation and removed the hoses and plugged the inlets. I was worried that a heater core that age might spring a leak and puke all over my carpet. Strange as this may seem, the engine temp gauge shows a drop in temperature of 5 degrees at 65 mph on the highway. I've yet to find an explanation but I think that more coolant is passing through the engine as none is going through the heater core. Just a guess mind you. I am very pleased with the results of installing the TBI (not with the price) and it appears to meet all of my expectations for doing the investment.