Dominator Engine and Holley Fuel Injection

 

Plans change, even the best laid ones. When we drew up our plans for Buckshot, we were only going to refresh the stock 302 power plant; they certainly didn’t include a high performance fuel injection engine. But, after seeing the top-shelf paint job that Midlife Classics gave it, we knew that opening up a hood to even a refreshed stock 302 just wouldn’t cut it. After all, Project Buckshot was starting to exceed our expectations and it was now time to source an engine and a fuel injection system to match the rest of the vehicle.

Our needs were relatively simple; First, keep it simple – the engine block should remain a 302 so that the installation would be easy and the accessories would match. Second, it must be a crate motor as the timeline for Buckshot was starting to grow enormously. Third, it must have enough power to turn the heavy meats and power itself out of a nasty situation. And, fourth, it must have fuel injection so that it can run in off-camber situations.

Engine – Ford 347 Dominator Crate Engine 420 HP

We sourced a crate motor from Dominator Engines based in Arlington, TX and we chose their stroked 302 block (347 cubic inches) which makes 420 horsepower. It sports a seasoned block with all of the boring and milling needed, aluminum heads, roller rockers, and much more. Aside from dressing the engine with some aftermarket goodies, this engine is ready to run after installation and priming.

Dominator Engine Features:

• Seasoned Block, Oven Baked & Shot Peened
• CNC Bored, CNC Milled & Aligned Honed
• Forged Pistons with Plasma Moly Piston Rings
• Performance Engine Bearings
• Hyd. Roller Camshaft, True Double Roller Timing Set
• Nodular Iron Crankshaft
• I-Beam Rods With ARP Bolts
• Performance Aluminum Heads with aluminum roller rocker arms
• Stainless Steel Valves 2.050 Int.  1.600 Exh.
• Main Girdle
• Dual Plane Aluminum Intake
• Balancer & Flexplate
• 1 Year Warranty
• Balanced & Blueprinted

Holley Avenger EFI Fuel Injection System

With our engine selected, we put a call into our friends at Holley after we spied their new self-learning fuel injection system at the 2010 SEMA show. The Avenger EFI 4BBL throttle body fuel injection system (part # 550-401) is designed as a direct replacement for your carburetor. Plug and play connectors, the included hand-held tuner and its self-tuning capabilities make installation far easier than fuel injection systems that require a laptop.

Holley Avenger Features:

• Fits all standard square flange intake manifolds.
• Comes with installation components including wiring harness, sensors and in–line pump.
• Self-tuning fueling strategy tunes while you drive – Designed for the user that wants ease of use without having to be a “tuning expert”
• Requires no laptop computer to set up or tune – Included full color OLED hand-held tuner offers simple setup and easy tuning of basic parameters such as engine idle speed. Still allows for users to change her  parameters to further fine tune base calibrations: Come complete with all hardware to retrofit EFI on a non-EFI vehicle including fuel pump
• Dedicated fuel and oil pressure inputs
• Allows for computer controlled ignition timing if desired
• System can be upgraded in the future to a Holley “HP EFI System” if desired

Installation – Dominator 347 Stroker Engine
Time:	2 hours
Tools Needed:	Engine hoist, wheel chocks, assorted wrenches and sockets
Difficulty:
Installation We started our installation by bolting on a few accessories such as the Holley Avenger EFI throttle body and the valve covers to ensure there would be no interference during and after installation. We also opted to let the air out of the tires of the truck to lower the front end and make installation easier, instead of removing the newly painted front clip of the truck. With the truck prepped and the engine safely on the hoist, we rolled it into position over the engine bay, ensuring we didn’t hit any painted surfaces. Once the engine was in a good overall position, we carefully lowered it into place and guided it over the engine mounts. Once in position, we bolted the engine mounts to the frame, securing the engine. We then put the hood back on.

 

The Verdict

The Dominator 347 stroker engine and the Holley Avenger EFI system promise to be great additions to project Buckshot, providing the horsepower, torque and simplicity we want. Stay tuned for part 2 where we finish the Avenger EFI system installation, crank the engine for the first time and put it through its paces.

 

Dominator Engines 1509 Browning Drive Arlington,TX  76010 Phone: 817-877-6857 Email: engineman@dominatorengines.com Web: www.dominatorengines.com

Holley 1801 Russellville Rd. Bowling Green, KY 42101 Phone: 270 782-2900 Fax: 270 781-9940 Phone (Tech): 270 781-9741 Web: www.holley.com