327 - Fuel Injection Diagnosis

This is a 1 minute video describing the basic function of the fuel delivery system on a fuel injection unit for a 1963 Corvette. This is a video so be sure to push the play button. In the previous post I indicated we had an assembly error that would have made the initial start-up of our 327 impossible. I've circled the area of concern in this photo. This connection is on the the fuel delivery side of the high pressure fuel pump and the connection is cross threaded and it's no where near tight. I removed the fuel meter to make the repair. The fitting is not only cross threaded and improperly tightened, the O-ring underneath was found cut in half. Identical O-rings were purchased, threads were cleaned up and the fitting and fuel meter were reinstalled. In this picture you can see the fitting is fully engaged to the fuel meter (it's directly below the bolt near the center of the picture). The fuel delivery system was then bench tested and it failed miserably. Something was still wrong.

This is a picture of our fitting and O-ring sitting on top of an enlarged photograph of an original GM fitting with it's original rubber seal. The seal is not an O-ring. Not only is the seal not an O-ring, take note that it isn't any wider than the brass flange that holds it in place. Our O-ring extends past the flange and this is the reason the O-ring was damaged. It was sheared when the fitting was tightened because it was too large to fit in its seat.

So, the fuel injection unit is temporarily on hold. I have located a supplier that has the proper viton "O-rings" and a set is on the way. While we wait I'll probably install the 1963 half shafts next. Thanks for watching.

327 - Fuel Injection Surgery - It's Not for the Squeamish

This is our patient, a 1963 360 hp fuel injected 327 engine. Recently we found unexpected minor issues with the assembly that prompted us to perform exploratory surgery to verify that other issues don't exist. If you're a car guy with a squeamish stomach you should turn away. What follows are graphic photos intended for seasoned car guys that are not put off by the sight of spilt oil, dis-assembly or component removal. These are the instruments used during the surgery. If you're going to look but not sure you have the stomach you may want to blur your eyes. This is your last chance to turn away.

Welcome to my work bench. These had to be removed so we could look deep into the bowels of our 1963 fuel injected motor.

The fuel injection assembly was removed, put on a bench, then stood on end exposing it's underside. The brass eight legged assembly you see is the "spider".

The spider delivers fuel to each of the injectors using a closed loop high pressure pumping system. There was a major assembly error made when the spider was installed. This error was so significant that it made this whole dis-assembly process worth while. Let's just say the engine would have been DOA at start-up had we not found this problem. Details will be discussed in a future post.

Because of the assembly error we found it necessary to remove the fuel meter from the fuel injection assembly. The fuel meter includes the fuel bowl, float, high pressure fuel pump, and the cranking signal valve. I'd point it out in this picture but its been r-e-m-o-v-e-d.

And here's our 327 opened up from water pump to distributor. Double click on the photo and take a good look.

Details of the dis-assembly will be shared in an up coming post. We can say for a fact that this engine would not have run had we not taken these drastic measures. We can also say that this is one beautiful engine and it has all of the essential original components from 1963. It really is beautiful. Now go wait in the Waiting Room for the final prognosis.