Mopar -Pro-Flo

Ordinarily, the collective Mopar guy has to bend his own sheetmetal and build his own parts to go fast. In the past, this led to innovations that took those same guys to the winner's circle on the NASCAR oval and the Super Stock circuit but also left the weekend car guy without those skills with a lot of Chevy and Ford, but few practical Mopar, speed options. So when we got an earful of Edelbrock's 482hp 440ci and 427hp 340ci engines that use aftermarket parts and a dedicated fuel-injection system, we had to take a look.

Compared side-by-side with a carbureted run, the Pro-Flo made more peak horsepower and followed the torque curve through the torque peak where it began to make gains. The most important piece of information was the Brake Specific Fuel Consumption (BSFC) stayed between 0.45 and 0.50 for the entire run with an average A/F ratio of 13.3:1. The carburetor made slightly more power and torque down low, but had an average BSFC of 0.58 and dipped into the 10.0:1 A/F ratio several times, revealing its tendency to use more fuel to make the same power. More efficient, similar power, starts easily. We're certain the Saturday-afternoon Dart owner can get a solid performance baseline with off-the-shelf parts from the Pro-Flo kit.

Why Is It Cool?The central goodness is the Pro-Flo intake manifold that integrates the injectors and fuel rail together in one stand-alone system. It bolts on easily like any other manifold and has the mounts and holes pre-threaded for each of the sensors, and the fuel rail system is already installed and pressure-tested. The Pro-Flo is a complete multipoint fuel injection system that includes a single-plane Victor Jr.-style manifold designed for the Pro-Flo; a 1,000-cfm four-barrel air valve; an electronic control unit with a handheld calibration module; a distributor and ignition amplifier; a high-pressure fuel pump, fuel rail, pressure regulator, and fuel injectors; all the needed sensors including a coolant temp sensor for cold starts and wiring harness; and a basic installation hardware kit. There are kits for '64-'91 small-block 340/360 or 318 with 340/360 heads and '61-'79 big-block 413-426 Wedge and 440. There is also dedicated nitrous kit available for an adjustable 100-150hp hit of spray.

Details You Should KnowThe Pro-Flo is shipped without a chip. Before you buy, you should call the guys at Edelbrock and discuss the cam you are planning to use and fill out the Chip Information Card and send it to them. They will give you the correct chip, and if you decide to change the cam later, will ship you a new chip for a small fee. This also goes for the injectors. If your changes are radical enough to require an injector change, the company will send you a different set on your request. You can visit Edelbrock's Web site or call for this information; Edelbrock has most cam and injector profiles available.

The ECU has a closed-loop system, meaning when the engine is warm and you are cruising, the ECU uses signals from the oxygen sensor to control the air/fuel ratio for mileage. This requires an exhaust bung to be welded into the passenger-side header.

The fuel system runs at around 50 psi so your factory 5-to-10-psi stuff isn't going to work. The kit includes a high-pressure feed line, and it's up to you to plumb the return to the tank. There are a couple of choices on how to run the return, but all of them require removal of the sending unit plate, and that usually means pulling the gas tank.

Also, you are going to have to buy a throttle cable from Lokar or Summit if you are using a throttle rod because it will move the throttle blades when the engine rocks during acceleration, which is bad.