Mike Troyer, this one is primarily for you, but also for all of those other nice folks who have helped me too.

Thanks, Mike, for teaching me more in the last six weeks or so than I could have learned on my own in probably a couple of years.

While I did use the word "disagree" in comparing the relative merits of EEC motors versus non EEC motors, I didn't mean it in that negative a sense. Bear with me a moment.

I am in sort of a time warp "Back to The Future" situation here, and trying to find my way around.

First car (1953) was a Model A Coupe. Went through '50s and '60s driving hot rods and street rods I-4s. I-6s V-8s and even straight eights (campaigned a 37 Buick Century at the drags for 2 years)
Buddies and I did most of the work ourselves.

Mid late '60s arrive and first true turn key drive off the lot muscle cars are available.
I'm married w/3 kids, cannot afford.
1966 join Volvo, 1979 join SAAB. Always had company car plus lease car; travelled/lived all over the world, no time for play cars. Until; 1984-87. The Yuppie years. SAAB sells all we can get before ships even dock, Swedes had crazy bonus programs from '70's that they forgot to update, and I can afford a play car. As all I knew was old technology and I missed Muscle car era, I get '69 Chev 427. Just like old days.
1989, GM buys SAAB and by 1991 I am history. Buy HobbyTown franchise and build for 7 long hard years driving Escorts, Tauruses and wimp 6 cyl F150 (Didn't know about Superchips then)
New Super HobbyTown store hits it's stride last year and I have money again. Read about Lightning, order one/get one. Join F=150 Online group and learn about how the EEC management system really works.
(Well, a little about how it works.}

Little frustrated; every engine tuning trick I used to know has to take into account how the EEC will read/learn it and how it will instruct the various engine systems to perform. Layman terms, Mike, don't beat up on me.

Are EEC systems better? Absolutely! I too have changed a few plugs. On my 300 ci I6 with triple 45 DCOE Webers, it is well over carburetted for normal driving so it wouldn't lean out on the strip. Have to swap out plugs every 200 miles or so (I keep a couple of spare sets in the glove box) due to gas fouling in town. I don't have to set the timing in the Lightning if I get a batch of bad gas as I do in the others; I don't have to fool with a choke and so on.

I just have to learn/understand/accept all of these changes. In fact, you, and others, have about convinced me that if I restore any of my 2 F-100s or the 69 Chev, I will probably end up equipping them with modern FI and EEC equipment instead of continuing to fiddle with the original stuff.

Thanks again Mike and all for a great experience.

Bill Murray


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Bill Murray
60 going on 17 w/my:
99.5 White Lightning
Bone Stock for now.
Stay tuned.

 

Hi Bill,

Great post! We're not that far apart in age, believe me! And I know what it's like to go from a fat 6-figure income all the way to ZERO. Been there, done that.

For years when computer controls were first implemented, I *HATED* them with a passion. I didn't know anything about them (nobody did!), couldn't modify them easily like before, and couldn't take real advantage of the technology, until the past 8 years or so. Now that the aftermarket has had 15+ years to get them figured out, they are advantageous.

But it took me a number of years before I started liking them, as I finally began to understand just what was possible with them, so I think it's a learning process that all of us who grew up before computers has to go through, before we can appreciate just what we really have in our hands.

Welcome to the club! I can't think of a better place to learn than right here. I especially appreciated your comments about gas-fouling plugs, man do I remember *those* days! I was lucky if a set of plugs lasted a whole week in my street racer/daily driver!

So don't feel alone, there's LOTS of us here, who feel a lot like you do.

Welcome to the club!

All the best,

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Mike Troyer
Performance Products, Inc.
National Distributor of Superchips
(540) 862-9515
Email: mtroyer@compuserve.com