MPI - is it worth it???

[Jinkers]

I'm tired of rebuilding my PO$ carter carb every 2 years so that I can pass emmisions, not to mention the poor performance.

As for as I can see my two options are a Howell Throttle Body kit or a Mopar MPI kit. Neither are cheep! But is either one worth it??

Has anyone out there used either of these? What kind of results did you get and how hard to install were they?

Thanks in advance for any info

 

[CeeJay]

Its up to your wallet!

Jinkers
With either system its gonna cost at least $500.00 to get it in-
stalled competently unless of course you are extremely mechanical.The Howell would be the least expensive since they say its "bolt on". I have seen very few truly"bolt on" items and I
have" bolted on" a lot of stuff on a lot of vehicles.There's always
an ugly little gremlin just itchin' to raise its ugly little head.I dont
mean to assume anything or question your abilities I merely am
giving you some cold hard realities from years of "bolt on" exper-
ience.The MPI is more performance oriented being as the Howell
flows the same cfm as the Carter boat anchor,I mean no disresp-
ect to boat anchors.I know all too well the ills o'the BBD but where I live I run an Offy intake and a Edelbrock 500 cfm 4 bbl.
My gas mileage is between 16 and 17 mpg and the horsepower
is close to 200 with the other mods.Just food for your thoughts,
if I can be of any tech help to you jus' E-mail.Good Luck,Good
Jeepin'and God Bless.

 

[tom82cj8]

I recently installed a Howell TBI on my rebuilt 258. It works great, and it was easy to install. I organized a Group Buy and we got the kits for $875. The MPI isn't worth the money. If you are going to spend that much, you should swap to a FI Chevy 350, or a Jeep 4.0 HO Both can be done for less than $2000. If you are looking for trouble free fuel delivery, easy starting and the ability to run upside down, then the Howell is your best bet. Don't consider the Holley Pro-Jection you won't be happy. I researched all of the above options, and the Howell was best for me.

Later,
Tom

 

[jefe]

jimkers,
I installed MPI on my CJ about 4 years ago. It was $1710 and I did the install myself. It took some time, but it was successful. At the same time I did a complete rebuild (much of it farmed out) all new or rebuilt everything. The rebuild was not very successful, so I did it again changing more stuff including a 4.0L head and cro-mo rings. It now has 210HP, mongo torque and is very reliable, running upside down, sideways and every other way I find myself in. I like the final result a lot, and the reason I did it is because of the restrictive smog laws here in CA. At the time it was the only smog legal retro for the 4.2L.
I'm embarrased to say the final tally of parts and labor is in the high $5000.
Was it worth it? No. I just got into "Incrementalism" a little too deep. I just kept pulling on that string. Would I do it again? NO
As was said above, going to a SBC 350 or a Jeep 4.0L would be a cheaper and better alternative. When the engine goes, just dump it. It's not worth rebuilding.
regards, as always, jefe

 

[Jinkers]

Thanks for the input guys

I will probably end up with the Howell just based on cost. I'll let you all know how it goes.

The engine itself is in good shape and only has 80,000 original miles on it so I'm hoping not to have to rebuild or replace it for at least 30-40K.

 

[FLCJ8]

Howell Group Buy

Tom, How did you go about getting the group buy? I think that I can come up with two purchases as a start. How many did you need to purchase? Who was your contact? Would they be willing to do another one? Any help that you can give would be appreciated. Thanks.