The parts on a ZL are the same as those on an XF Falcon (/Fairmont) or equivalent LTD. I chose these because from the book (1991 edition of the Gregorys Engine Management book - invaluable), it looked a lot like the most advanced EFI setup that doesn't use a crankshaft position sensor, which would have required welding. As a bonus it's from a Ford, and is therefore extremely common and well understood. The system is the first version of Ford's "EEC-IV" (I pronounce it "eck four", don't know if that's right or not).
The car was from ebay. I would have bought the whole car but for space issues. A Fairlane with EFI, rear discs, LPG, Air conditioning, power steering, cruise control and nobody bid the minimum $500 even after re-listing it! What sort of world do we live in? I'll tell you - one with this sort of bargain. I called the seller (Mark, from D & M Spares) and asked if he would now wreck it. Yes, of course, or I wouldn't be telling you this.
So we were there Sat morning and got straight to it. Mark helped a lot and even provided access to his repair manual ($3 from ebay! Needless to say, he has recognised the bargains available too). I took quite a few photos but left them at home, so will upload later.
I also bought the air conditioning system. less the under dash stuff. The reason for leaving that out was simply that it is unlikely to fit any other car. It's an integrated heater/AC and I thought a lot of effort for a lot more effort trying to fit it in the Val followed by likely disappointment when it doesn't fit. I will just buy one of those after market under dash jobs.
It took about five hours to relieve the car of it's precious cargo. I say cargo here because judging by the smell of the petrol (like paint - really) the injectors haven't been spraying out any petrol for over twenty years. Possible problems are the fuel pump, which definitely won't work: Even if it didn't have melted seals, and wasn't clogged up with petrol paint, it was built in to the fuel tank. I don't like my chances of getting it into the Val's tank then getting it working. No, an external pump is essential. Luckily Mark has a VH Commodore unit at home for me.
My dad wanted to cut all of the wires that went to the injection system, but I didn't. It was decided to remove everything under the bonnet except for wiring to the headlights. I took the distributor, all relays (and by God there were a lot of relays) and connectors. It probably added an hour to the job but meant saving probably six hours of guesswork and probably damaging components in the process. This system did not incorporate an oxygen sensor. Initially I thought this was good, but these can be an invaluable tool in setting your computer. Here's how: When the air-fuel ratio is right they will produce 0.7 volts. This is at 450C (where the six pipes merge is a good place to put it) and at 4000RPM. The actual adjustment of this ratio is done by modification of the air flow meter's output. Theory is if you want to change the mixture change the resistance provided by this meter. If you tell the computer there is less air flowing than there is, it will put less petrol to the injectors, thus giving you a leaner mixture. Doing the opposite will give a richer mix. So, using resistors, an oxygen sensor and a multi meter, you can tune your car! Actually, if you have a carby, you can still use the sensor, but obviously with a carby you'll have to open it up and swap jets.
Anyway, I'll be back later with pictures of the parts. Here's the engine bay:
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