Fuelie Corvettes rumor

[L88 crazy]

How good were the 50s Fuelie Corvettes? I have heard a rumor that the 50s fuelie corvettes were the worst to drive on the sreet because I have heard that if you let a fuelie Corvette sit, fuel pools on top of the pistons because of the technology they had at that time the injectors didn't seal good. So when you go to start it up, there is too much fuel already in the cylinders and the engine will blow up. Is this rumor true? Every time I go to a Corvette show, whenever anybody starts talking about fuelies in my neck of the woods, that is usually the first thing said about them. I sort of don't believe it because if they did that, why did they still build them? On the other hand, getting more power in the minds of hot rodders of the 50s was to just add more fuel, dual 4s, 3 deuces, and mechanical fuel injection. I am not sure to believe the rumor or not!

 

[Yoda]

L88,

I moved this out of the C3 to here These guys breath and live this kind of information and might be able to enlighten us

Bud

 

[JohnZ]

A properly set up fuelie was (and still is) a delight, but many folks couldn't resist the urge to "improve" them by fiddling with the adjustments when they had no understanding at all of what the adjustments were for or how the unit worked. It didn't take much "Bubba" adjustments to make them run like crap, most dealers didn't understand them or have the proper tools to set them up, so many FI units were removed and thrown under the workbench and replaced with carbs, which everyone could work on.

The fuel siphoning problem, which resulted in hydraulic lock in at least one cylinder when the original check valve failed, was a real issue on '57 and '58 FI units; a retrofit kit with an external siphon breaker was released in '58, and an internal siphon breaker was added to the fuel meter in '59. Many rebuilders add an electric solenoid valve anyway to positively eliminate the potential for hydraulic lock.

 

[WayneC]

Never heard of a fuelie blowing up (although I saw a new mid-seventies Vette blow up when the catalytic converter caught field grass on fire... made one heck of a fireball!).

My recollection from that era (I never owned a fuelie) was that they worked fine until they developed a problem and an unqualified mechanic fooled with them.

I had that same problem with dual quads until I learned to rebuild and adjust them myself.

Owners who weren't gearheads generally had them converted to carburetion after frustrating visits to the dealer (where the mechanic, who didn't understand FI, urged them to convert to avoid the aggravation).

Those early FI systems were entirely mechanical, as opposed to the eletronic units of today that have feedback sensors to dynamically adjust to engine & ambient conditions.

 

[allcoupedup]

There was a recent thread on the NCRS boards about the needle and seats used on some tri-power motors. If the car was parked on a hill (nose down) causing the gas tank to be above the needle and seat, fuel would fill the cylinders and intake. Aparently the seal was not very good.

The phenom. you mentioned probably wasn't limited to early fuel injection.

Brian

 

[billagroom]

I remember when I was a kid an old guy 25 in my home town had a fuely. He was my idol. I live for the day I can tramp on my well tuned 57-58 Fuely

 

[wallyknoch]

Hydraulic Problems on a Rochester FI unit are REAL

The engine does not blow up as "explode", but does F---- up internal parts such as a bent rod, garbaged piston and rings. Hell. My last break even busted the aluminum bellhousing and also broke the nose off the starter. 59 and later FI units do have an internal check ball in the fuel meter. But it will eventually stick and be of no value if it don`t work. Just remember as a new piece they were everyday drivers and fuel was constantly keeping the ball clean and operative. Now, these are nearly 40 year old cars or more and many have been stored or not driven to keep the FI units clean and working properly. THEY MUST BE DRIVEN. If not, then you have to protect the engine with an electric switch to cut off the fuel flow. NON FI cars do not have this problem. After my last engine break I used a NOS electric switch under the doghouse in the 1/4 line to the spider out of sight and wired to my choke for a 12 volt source to operate the valve. I have three complete FI units, the original on my 62, another 62 and a 59 unit. All three units had the check ball stuck open. I fixed them all but since the car sets so much I had to put the electric switch in for my own protection. If your not familiar with the FI units or don`t want to tackle the problem yourself, I understand that some of the FI rebuilders are now offering some sort of aftermarket unit to correct the problem. I didn`t want any unsightly looking fittings or junk on the unit and that`s why I used the real small NOS {nitros} valve out of sight hidden under the doghouse. I know It works for me because my first source of 12 volt power was not the choke and it came loose breaking the connection and the car stalled for lack of fuel. I then went to the choke with a small wire and have been happy ever since.