Holley Sniper Fuel Injection and Hyperspark Ignition Install Show and Tell

[1970GranCoupeCo]

Greetings,


I thought I would do a little show and tell of my Holley Sniper Fuel injection system installation. I just got to the engine run and idle stage and I got to tell you that the engine really purrs at 850 RPM better than I have seen it before. When I get it driving I will report back.

The car is a 1970 Barracuda Gran Coupe Convertible with a 340 engine and it is mostly stock with a medium cam and stock stall speed torque converter. I wanted a “mostly” stock looking appearance so that is why I did not pick the Edlebrock TPI with the fuel rails for the port injection system so a “throttle body” type unit would hide under the big orange stock air cleaner.

Back in circa 2000 I installed a Holley ProJection 4Di in the car and I was never happy with it because it just never seem to be able to get it tuned properly. With that system I had to use my laptop to change the fuel map curves and I was never really successful. With the new unit it has a “learning feature” so that is a real benefit in that you set up the basic features of the engine (8 cylinder, medium cam, no nitrous, air conditioner” and then when the engine coolant temperature gets above 160 F the system will use the Oxygen Sensor (O2 Sensor) to measure the fuel remaining in the exhaust and it will adjust the air/ fuel mixture and remember what engine RPM, throttle position, and Manifold Air Pressure the engine liked the last time and then schedule that parameter the next time it sees those readings and then continue to learn from there..

Another problem I had with the previous fuel injection attempt was that the fuel tank was the stock fuel tank and I used the stock fuel pickup tube. The fuel pump was an inline type electric pump that was mounted externally and I hated that because first of all it was extremely noisy and worse when the tank got two less than quarter full if you accelerated quickly or made a sharp turn the fuel would slosh to one side and the pickup tube would be un-ported in the engine would stall.

 

[1970GranCoupeCo]

Fuel Injection Unit and New Ignition System:



The unit I picked for “Barracuda Fuel Injection Upgrade Phase 2.0” was the Holley Sniper 550-510. The “550” is the cheaper of the various options and it comes in black or shiny silver. I went with shiny because that was all that was available at the time. I also went with the Holley Hyperspark ignition controller module 556-151, Holley coil pack 556-152, and the Holley 565-304BK distributor and since all of this stuff was Holley the hope was that all of these parts would all play well together.


The Hyperspark ignition unit is the type that makes the dwell of the spark longer. A high performance coil is required to put out that much zaps so the Holley coil was a reasonable choice because it was only 35 bucks. The ignition unit needs a crankshaft position trigger. On my old ProJection 4Di setup I used the Chrysler electronic distributor and I cut off the vacuum advance steel rod inside the distributor and welded up the ignition advance counterweights and I could have used that same contraption but the Hyperspark distributor was 235 more bucks but I thought that a true “plug and play” integration was a good idea. Of course the Hyperspark distributor is a “HSI” type distributor cap so I then found out that another 85 bucks was needed for a set of spark plug wires. I tried to find a semi-stock looking (no crazy yellow or purple) “tailored” set of wires but none existed so I went with the FAST FireWire Spark Plug Wire Sets 255-0083 because it was universal cut to length and the wires were black.


After purchasing the Holley Sniper EFI I was disappointed to learn that this fuel injection system advertises that it is "learning" but that only applies to the air/ fuel mixture. It can control the spark advance however it does not have any kind of knock sensor so you are pretty much left with telling it you want a maximum spark advance at wide open throttle and then it will add that just that amount of spark advance like a mechanical distributor when the advance mechanism weights swing out. During idle and part throttle cruise it will advance the spark significantly just like the vacuum advance on a traditional distributor so if the engine starts pinging then you will need to alter the advance curve by using the hand held device…then that is is…no more learning.

 

[1970GranCoupeCo]

Other Parts List:



Here is a list of the parts I ordered from Summit for the fuel lines and fittings:


1 PC RUS-640853
Fittings, Fuel Rail Fitting, Aluminum,
Black, Straight, 3/8 in., -6 AN, Each
(Mfr. #: 640853)

3 PCS RUS-640863
Fittings, Fuel Rail Fitting, Aluminum,
Black, Straight, 5/16 in., -6 AN, Each
(Mfr. #: 640863)


1 PC RUS-640940
Fitting, Fuel Rail Fitting, Steel, Zinc,
Straight, 3/8 in., -6 AN, Each
(Mfr. #: 640940)


1 PC VPE-10220
Fitting, Adapter, Straight, Male -6 AN
to Male 1/4 in. NPT, Aluminum,
Black Anodized, Each
(Mfr. #: 10220)

1 PC VPE-16446
Fitting, Adapter, Aluminum, Black
Anodized, -6 AN Female Threads,
3/8 in. Tube, Each


1 PCS VPE-16456
Fitting, Adapter, Aluminum, Black
Anodized, -6 AN Male Threads, 3/8
in. Tube, Each
(Mfr. #: 16456)

1 PC VPE-18966
Hose, PTFE, Black Nylon Braided, -6
AN, 10 ft. Length, Each
(Mfr. #: 18966)


6 PCS VPE-28006
Hose End, PTFE Lined Hose,
Straight, -6 AN Female Thread, -6
AN Hose, Aluminum, Black, Each
(Mfr. #: 28006)


1 PC VPE-28406
Hose End, PTFE Lined Hose, 45
Degree, -6 AN Female Thread, -6
AN Hose, Aluminum, Black, Each
(Mfr. #: 28406)


1 PC FST-255-0083
Spark Plug Wires, FireWire,
Reactive Core, 8.5mm, Black, 135
Degree Boots, Universal, V8, Set
(Mfr. #: 255-0083)

The cost of the purchase of these parts from Summit was about 2,000 dollars.

 

[1970GranCoupeCo]

Fuel Tank and Electric Fuel Pump:



A fuel injection system needs a high pressure fuel pump to supply sufficient fuel flow to the engine at a constant 58.5 PSI. I bought a “19-136 Holley Sniper EFI Fuel Tank System 70 71 72 73 74 Cuda Coated Steel” fuel tank from a guy on eBay and paid $300. It was still unused and new. It came with the fuel pump and the new fuel level sender unit. It's made by tanks Inc and it's nice silver powder-coated and it came with black straps.

The major advantage to this tank is that it has an internal tray that is used as a fuel capturing sump. Fuel sloshes around and enters this tray by 2 ½ inch diameter tubes and the fuel pump sits inside this tray. Any fuel that is not used by the engine is returned to this tray and setup keeps the tray filled up until the fuel quantity gets unreasonably low. The electric fuel pump has a nice thick rubber band like sleeve that slips on the outside of the fuel pump motor and this acts as a sound dampener.

At less than 5 gallons you can certainly hear the fuel pump buzzing. I have not filled the tank more than the 5 gallon fuel container so I will report back after the first fill up. The fuel pump Inlet has a very fine screen sock-like filter and the fuel pump inlet sits down almost to the floor of the fuel tray and it has a plastic stand that raises up the fuel pump inlet about 1/8 inch above the floor so the inlet does not suck down onto the floor. Once the fuel pump is mounted in the fuel tank the top cover is bolted in place with 6 screws. The fuel pump cover has one 90 degree brass fitting for the outlet for the fuel pressure, a second 90 degree brass fitting is the inlet from the fuel line returning unused fuel back to the tank, and the fuel pump cover has a third fitting for the fuel tank vent. I blocked off that vent fitting with a rubber cap because the fuel tank itself has its own vent pipe nipple at the very top center of the tank and that is the one that I used. I routed a 3/8 diameter fuel line out to the vapor recovery pipe system ports at the bottom of the passenger side trunk floor.

My car was a California car and in 1970 these cars had a gas tank vapor capture device that had 4 vent hoses that are routed from the top four corners of the fuel tank and then those four lines were routed to their respective nipple on the gas vapor recovery pipe mounted inside the passenger side of the trunk. Gas tank vapor would collect inside this sealed pipe and a fifth vapor line nipple would connect to a 5/16 ID steel body line that ran parallel to the fuel line to the engine compartment. The fuel vent line would connect to the passenger side valve cover cap and when the engine is running the Positive Crankcase Ventilator (PCV) Valve would suck out gas vapor from the fuel tank through the engine crankcase and bet burned inside the engine. You all know about that system however what you might not know is that the EFI system replacement type fuel tanks available online do not have the 4 fuel tank corner vents so I had to use rubber caps to block off the unused 3 ports from the fuel vapor recovery pipe.

View attachment 80978

View attachment 80979

 

[1970GranCoupeCo]

Fuel Lines and Fuel Filter:



Deciding what fuel lines and where to run them in an EFI system retrofit is a big dilemma. The steel body length fuel line that provides pressurized fuel to the fuel injection unit on the engine should be 3/8 inch ID minimum and for really powerful engines ½ inch ID. I bought the 1970-71 Plymouth Cuda 3/8" Main Fuel Line 1pc, Stainless” from Inline Tube and paid about 85 bucks delivered.

The Holly fuel supply design is such that the throttle body has a choice of 3 fuel Inlet ports so pick which one you want to use and make sure the unused ports are capped off. In their intended design, the tank mounted fuel pump will pump pressurized fuel all the way up to the engine compartment and it will flow into one of the three inlet ports and this fuel is unregulated in flow and pressure. The throttle body housing has installed on the passenger side aft corner a fuel pressure regulator and it is set for 58.5 PSI and once the pressure of fuel inside the throttle body reaches 58.5 PSI that regulator will open to release unneeded fuel from the throttle body. From there, when using the Holley design you need to run a fuel line all the way back to the fuel tank. This is a good idea because it continuously provides semi cool fuel to the throttle body because at idle the engine is hardly using any fuel so 95 percent of the fuel delivered to the engine is returned to the fuel tank. At full throttle assuming your fuel pump output capacity is matched to your engine fuel burn needs there is still some amount of fuel being returned to the fuel tank. I did not like this solely because I would have had to run a third steel body line down the passenger side of the car back to the fuel tank. Third line? Yes, one for the fuel pressure feed, one for the unused fuel return, and the third is the 5/16 diameter steel line for the 1970 California car vapor recovery system. The fuel return line needs to be 3/8 ID so one option I considered was to eliminate the 5/16 ID vapor recovery line and replaced it with a 3/8 ID steel line and just have the fuel tank vented at the gas cap.

 

[1970GranCoupeCo]

Fuel Filter Pressure Regulator:

I have done a number of fuel injection retrofits into other cars and the most elegant solution is to use the 2000 Corvette fuel delivery design. That system has a fuel filter that has an internal pressure regulator and this fuel filter canister is mounted back near the trunk and the unused fuel is bypassed back at the aft mounted fuel filter so only one fuel line is ran up to the engine compartment. Yes it does not have the benefit of the cool supply of fuel but it is i=nice to run only one fuel line down the side of the car. The fuel filter pressure regulator unit I bought was the Premium Guard PF5493 and installed it in the rear shock absorber cross brace. The fuel inlet and return are the “quick install release” type where all you need to do is to slide the fuel line fitting onto the pipe on the filter and when it engages with the plastic clips it just snaps in place. The fuel inlet is the one on the side and the return is the one in the center. The outlet points to the engine and I attached the steel fuel line to it.



When I tried to figure out how I would install the fuel tank with the fuel filter having zero access once the fuel tank was in place, I decided to make the fuel lines and the electrical power and ground wires about 2.5 ft long. This way I could set the fuel tank on a jack below the trunk floor and route my fuel lines and electrical wires. Once the connections were made I could keep the tank down low and run the electric fuel pump to see if there were any leaks in the hoses. Yes they leaked. Once I fixed all the leaks I could then raise the fuel tank up to the bottom of the trunk and bolt in the fuel tank straps. Now the long fuel hose and wires were easily routed and hidden between the front of the fuel tank and the rear shock absorber cross brace member. Yes, if I ever drive this car two hundred thousand miles I would have to remove the fuel tank in order to service the fuel filter.

 

[1970GranCoupeCo]

Mounting The Hyperspark Ignition Module:

The Holley hyperspark electronic ignition module is nice because it amplifies the duration of the spark going to the spark plugs. It also is easily interfaces with the EFI unit and together they change the ignition timing and duration of the spark. The problem is this box is kinda big and I did not want to mount a high-tech looking big box on my firewall so I installed it underneath the battery tray and it is mostly hidden from View.

 

[1970GranCoupeCo]

Wiring:

The EFI unit and the ignition module need a thick gauge wires for positive and ground and these wires are supposed to be wired directly to the battery terminals. Because I thought this would look ugly I ran the power feed wires to a “loop” terminal connector at the starter solenoid hot post under the OEM loop terminal end wire (to hide it) and I ran the two heavy-gauge negative wires to the car grounding lug mounted behind the driver side headlight. Because I am anal, I also ran a heavy gauge ground wire from this same body ground all the way back to the electric fuel pump mounted in the fuel tank under the trunk. This way all of these fuel and ignition components are grounded together right near the battery. The Holley equipment come with a fancy new school weaved plastic wire wrap that looks way too modern for my stock appearing engine compartment so I cut their wire covers off and wrapped all of the wire bundles in electrical tape so they are now mostly stock looking.



The Holly EFI has a handheld monitor that has a touch screen and this is how you perform the setup and alterations of the turning program. Since the car is an automatic I ran both the module control wire and the positive and negative fuel pump wires through the clutch grommet on the firewall. This way I could use the handheld unit in the car but after a couple of weeks of fiddling around with the basic tune it is not needed so I can hide it under the dash. The power and ground wires to the electric fuel pump are ran down the driver side floorboard under the carpet using the same routing as the rear OEM body wire harness and I have them hidden under the trunk floor pad.



Both the Sniper EFI throttle body and the Hyperspark ignition/ distributor have a small pink wire that need to be connected to a continuous 12 VDC source of power. This is not really a high amperage power requirement because all the pink wires do is tell the throttle body and ignition modules to close their internal relays so that the large red and black wires I connected to the starter solenoid and body ground can energize the units. This power source needs to be switched on by the key ignition switch. The original Chrysler ignition power design was to use a ballast resistor for the power to the coil positive side. I wanted to leave the ballast resistor installed for the “stock look” so I simply cut out the ballast resistor under the ceramic housing and replaced it with a solid wire so now when I turn the key on the power goes to the one side of the ballast resistor housing, through a regular wire inside the ceramic housing, and out through the other side of the ballast resistor. The wire that normally connects to the coil positive side is now run through a butt end connector to the two small pink wires. Since the butt end connector does not look stock I have it tucked down under the firewall where it is not seen.

 

[1970GranCoupeCo]

Sniper 10 Pin Optional Wire Connector:

The Holley sniper EFI has a 10 pin optional wire connector. Most stock style setups will only need up to three of the 10 wires specifically a brown wire that is the output to a tachometer, the white wire that is the crank position indicator signal, and a gray wire that is the air-conditioned compressor signal. If you are not running a tach then you don't need the brown wire. The white wire is the crank position indicator wire so that is needed because the EFI needs to know the engine RPM. There is a gray wire on this 10 pin connector and that is for cars with air conditioning when the air conditioning system tells the compressor to click on this gray wire will receive that electrical signal and quickly bump up the idle air motor opening before the engine gets lagged down by the compressor. If you don't have air conditioning then you do not need the gray wire either. The 10 pin connector has some other options that you can program such as nitrous oxide on signal, electric cooling fan relays, and some other stuff.



All I needed was the white crank trigger signal wire, the brown tachometer output wire, and the gray air conditioning compressor wire because I am installing air conditioning. I used a special tool to remove all of the unneeded wires and inserted a silicone plug into each one of those now unused pin sockets.

 

[1970GranCoupeCo]

Hyperspark Distributor:

Distributor timing: the distributor provides two functions. The first obvious function is to distribute the high energy electricity out to each of the spark plug wires. The second function of the distributor is simply provide a crank position trigger for RPM. Since the Hyperspark distributor does not have any counterweights or vacuum advance like in a traditional distributor, the design is such that you install the distributor when the engine is at top dead center #1 cylinder and at TDC the distributor rotor should be pointing to the number one cylinder output post of the distributor cap. Then when you get the engine running you temporarily tell the system to set a constant 15 degrees before top dead center ignition timing output and then use a timing light and if set right the timing light flashes at the same time the harmonic balancer is at 15 degrees. You rev the engine up a bit and back down to idle and watch the flashing on the timing mark to make sure that the flash does not move on the harmonic balancer timing mark so this way you know that the distributor is timed to the crankshaft. Once this initial step is done you turn off that constant timing feature and let the ignition module control the timing. Using a timing light when the Hyperspark ingnition module is automatically controlling the timing is useless because the timing is constantly changing.



The Hyperspark distributor comes with a clear plastic temporary use distributor cap and the idea is that you put the clear plastic cap on the distributor body and it fits on only one way and when correctly installed the clear cap locks the rotor to the cap pointed to the #1 cylinder cap post and tighten down the distributor set bolt. I found that the hyperspark distributor rotor when installed in the engine does not point to the number one cylinder like the stock Chrysler unit did. Not a big deal but definitely a deviation from stock so make sure the distributor is set correctly before you start to cut your spark plug wires to size.

CORRECTION...THIS SENTENCE IS INACCURATE: The other thing that is really STUPID is that the clear cap is a cute idea but it does not work. See the picture where the clear cap is installed and the rotor is over the black mark on the blue tape...then install the Holley distributor cap that comes with the distributor...guess what?!?!? The #1 spark plug post is not in the same position as the clear plastic cap. Gee no wonder why the engine barely run and operated like it was timed super late???

CORRECTED TEXT: The other thing that is really STUPID [about the installer is that he cannot follow instructions] and the clear cap is a cute idea [and it does] work. See the picture where the clear cap is installed and the rotor is over the black mark on the blue tape...then install the Holley distributor cap that comes with the distributor...guess what?!?!? The #1 spark plug post is not in the same position as the clear plastic cap. [why??? I have no frickin idea why HOWEVER the #1 spark plug post is NOT supposed to be at that location...it is SUPPOSED to be at the location indicated by the little notch at the bottom of the clear cap as seen to the right of the black ink mark. I did not do that I installed the #1 spark plug wire to the post on the left of the black ink mark] Gee no wonder why the engine barely run and operated like it was timed super late???

Watch this video at 02:05:




But the engine does run now...at idle it really purrs smoother than it has ever before. The cold starting was not that great but I programmed a little more Idle Air Control opening percent and post start open duration and a little more dense pre-wetting of fuel shot in the intake and it starts up much better now. Every morning I go out and start it to fiddle with the adjustments and am dialing it in.

So that is all I got for now. I need to install the power brake booster, the Classic Air conditioner system, and replace the carpet and then I can start driving.

 

[Avalanche]

This looks great. Planning on doing the same thing in future so Ill keep watching.

 

[DrEamer]

I'm doing mostly the same, but going with the Terminator X TBI. It uses a lot of Sniper line, so this is very helpful. I do have one question though, where did you mount the coil? It has a much bigger form factor then what it appears to in pictures.

 

[1970GranCoupeCo]

I mounted it to one of the heater core mounting bracket studs. I did not want to drill any holes in the firewall. Yes it's big and modern-looking and looks a bit odd in the otherwise OEM engine compartment but I have to accept differences when doing modifications sometimes

 

[MoparCarGuy]

Hyperspark Distributor:

The Hyperspark distributor comes with a clear plastic temporary use distributor cap and the idea is that you put the clear plastic cap on the distributor body and it fits on only one way and when correctly installed the clear cap locks the rotor to the cap pointed to the #1 cylinder cap post and tighten down the distributor set bolt. I found that the hyperspark distributor rotor when installed in the engine does not point to the number one cylinder like the stock Chrysler unit did. Not a big deal but definitely a deviation from stock so make sure the distributor is set correctly before you start to cut your spark plug wires to size.

The other thing that is really STUPID is that the clear cap is a cute idea but it does not work. See the picture where the clear cap is installed and the rotor is over the black mark on the blue tape...then install the Helley distributor cap that comes with the distributor...guess what?!?!? The #1 spark plug post is not in the same position as the clear plastic cap. Gee no wonder why the engine barely run and operated like it was timed super late???

My Holley Terminator X Stealth EFI is in transit. I have the same setup in my plan...Hyperspark distributor/ignition/coil and the Tanks, Inc. fuel tank with Holley external regulator (Sniper has integrated regulator in the throttle body).

The reason that the clear cap does not exactly line up with the #1 spark plug tower on the cap is the distributor is locked down at a point which yields timing of 15° before top dead center. This is built into the system and the ECU uses a reference angle based on this lockdown point.

For anyone wanting to go EFI, the Holley Forum is a great source of info.

Glad to hear your system is working. I cannot wait to do my full installation.

 

[1970GranCoupeCo]

>The reason that the clear cap does not exactly line up with the #1 spark plug tower on the cap is the distributor is locked down at a point which yields timing of 15° before top dead center. This is built into the system and the ECU uses a reference angle based on this lockdown point.

Hmmm...the guy on this Holley Hyperspark Distributor installation video at 1:40 states that the clear cap makes the installation "fool proof"

Holley Sniper EFI 565-300 Sniper EFI HyperSpark Distributor - Chevy SBC/BBC

Do you need to upgrade your ignition system due to a recent Sniper EFI installation, but have no idea which option is best? Introducing HyperSpark Ignition, from Sniper EFI. The complete system consists of a CD Ignition Box, Billet distributor with Hall effect crank signal sensor, an ignition...

www.holley.com

I am proof that the installation is not fool proof. Your right the "reference mark" on the bottom of the cap does not line up with the #1 spark plug tower on the ignition cap...it appears to be about 15 degrees before the mark.

As the immortal Homer Simpson would say:

"!!!DOH!!!"



I made a correction to my above post. THANKS for keeping me honest!!!!!

 

[MoparCarGuy]

>The reason that the clear cap does not exactly line up with the #1 spark plug tower on the cap is the distributor is locked down at a point which yields timing of 15° before top dead center. This is built into the system and the ECU uses a reference angle based on this lockdown point.

Hmmm...the guy on this Holley Hyperspark Distributor installation video at 1:40 states that the clear cap makes the installation "fool proof"

Holley Sniper EFI 565-300 Sniper EFI HyperSpark Distributor - Chevy SBC/BBC

Do you need to upgrade your ignition system due to a recent Sniper EFI installation, but have no idea which option is best? Introducing HyperSpark Ignition, from Sniper EFI. The complete system consists of a CD Ignition Box, Billet distributor with Hall effect crank signal sensor, an ignition...

www.holley.com

I am proof that the installation is not fool proof. Your right the "reference mark" on the bottom of the cap does not line up with the #1 spark plug tower on the ignition cap...it appears to be about 15 degrees before the mark.

As the immortal Homer Simpson would say:

"!!!DOH!!!"



I made a correction to my above post. THANKS for keeping me honest!!!!!

No problem. Thank you for taking time to post what you ran into during your installation. I am trying to beat the heat and get my system installed over the next few weeks. I went with the Terminator X Stealth to get the ECU separated from the throttle body and have the Holley 4150 look. I will be mounting the ECU and the ignition under the dash behind the glovebox if possible. I have Classic Auto Air so space should not be a problem.
Does the Sniper allow you to use a laptop to tune the system with Holley's free software?

 

[1970GranCoupeCo]

>Does the Sniper allow you to use a laptop to tune the system with Holley's free software?

Yes the instructions say that it is possible to use a laptop to tune the system however I hope I will not have to go that route.

If I recall Holly has a sniper that looks like a Holley 850 double Pumper. It has the EFI ECU in the throttle body so there is a big space savings there.

 

[70chall440]

I am using a Holley HP system with a MSD (Holley) dual sync distributor and MSD 6AL ignition on my 70 Challenger but am using a F&B 6 pack system. I didn't get that fancy clear cap but as I recall I did set the distributor to a specific point and locked it down. I do all my tuning with a laptop which is awesome, the car has never run better.

 

[1970GranCoupeCo]

even with the fancy clear top you still need to tell tne system to run a static 15 degrees constant timing and run the engine at idle and rev it up to watch the strobe light to ensure that the timing mark stays steady at exactly 15 degrees.

Your setup sounds cool... pictures please

 

[MoparCarGuy]

Yes, that kit is called the Sniper Stealth and the ECU is definitely inside the throttle body. The Terminator X Stealth appearance is the same with the ECU separated. You may want to download the software to your laptop and at least analyze the tune file in the software. You can pull the file to the SD card and transfer it for analysis. The Learned tune can be improved and "smoothed". I am still learning about what that entails via the Holley EFI forum.