SPLITRAY

My June 2-3, 63' does have the original CR with the 2.20:1 1st gear. Well, the trans is original...I assume the gears are as well. It ws a 340 SHP car also.

Critter1

As others have mentioned, it would be difficult, or impossible, to determine the authenticity of a real 63 FI car if everything was done correctly. In the case of a 340 HP/L76 conversion, there would be little to change or add to make the car undetectable, as long as the engine pad/character stamp was excellent. Just a matter of bolt on parts.

63 340HP

Now I learn the truth. Other than the engine (distributor, induction and manifolds) many RE & RF option parts seem to be shared in 63'.

I could of had a Fuelie (or a convertible ZO6)!

My early June "RE" code L76 car is much like mgsouthard's: close ratio M20 (original VIN with the early design tailshaft & 1st gear), the 80 psi oil gage, the higher redline tach, the "CE" code 4.11 rear gear, the deep groove pulleys (a rebuilder once said the alternator sported a generator pulley), etc..

It's too late for me to claim FI Status (or any other deception). I am waiting for all the misplaced 340's to be upgraded to "RF" Fuel Injection status, or resto-rodded with big blocks, just so I can restore mine into one of the "last" big buck L76's .

63Corvette

I haven't seen Jack Podel's but most of the repro air cleaners that I have seen are made of plastic...not metal.

Injected Stingray

He has the metal ones including the s-tube but I have not seen them .He advertises in Hemmings check it out.

Ironcross

Some years were harder than most to make a FI vette from but nearly all the solid lifter carburator engined Vettes could be made into a FI piece, especially the 62`s through 65`s. I know of three 62 340hp Vettes remade and one of them sold high priced as a true FI car to a unsuspecting first time Vette owner. It even won 1`st place at the Detroit Autorama a few years ago. It may have been in Dennis Tracys display because he pointed it out to me as a another Black FI Piece knowing I have one. I didn`t recognize this car now being Black. The owner told me where it came from which I then said the car was Honduras Maroon. Confirming the idenity I just couldn`t tell him any different that it was really a 340 Vette. But dont everyone have a FI Vette!

Seaside63

Well unlike 67's there can only be as many FI cars as there were FI units.

You need to find the whole intake system, the distributor, the ex. manifolds, the radiator support and the air cleaner to make an FI car. Not really so easy to do anymore.

So perhaps if there are only 2600 or so 1963 Corvettes left then I suppose they could all be fuellies.

Ironcross

It was never easy. But the price they are bringing makes it very rewarding. It`s also too bad that it`s being done. FI badges and L88 hoods are also high on the demand so it`s easy to figure out the mind set of new Vette owners. Even this thread is about suspect Vettes with a possible FI history. Why else are the details of a FI piece so important.
I had nearly 2 extra complete units for my own car. A 59 and another 62 aquired over the years not counting the original unit. They are spare parts for me. If you have the money and the desire all the parts are available. I have another friend with a 62 that recently purchased a 'RF' block. you know damn well he`s not going to put a carb on top of it.

wmf62

anyone have any idea what's up with him? i have called and emailed on several occasions and have never gotten a response.
Bill

MikeM

He was in Old Town on Jan. 20th. Maybe he took the long way home.

mattyg92

i will have to look more at my radiator support for those other markings, i have the holes in the fender and the round hole in the radiator support.

i have a 69 350 though, so nom

my car also has the 4.11 gears and a borg-warner T 10
and from what i read this is all the sighns of an early 63 car, but who knows? it looks like it could be a fuelie????

wmf62

Mike
i saw his booth in Old Town on Saturday and have since written him a question on the availablity & cost of his K&N type air filter element for a 62FI, but no response.

and one time i desperately needed a plug to go in the side of my FI fuel metering pump housing and he wouldn't return my phone calls.
Bill

MikeM

You can go to the online K&N catalogue and find something. Maybe. It was confusing to me. I looked for three days, finally ordered a custom element and it wasn't even CLOSE!

I once saw a nickel stuck in the side of a fuel meter for a plug.

wmf62

Mike
i've tried the K&N online catalog, and have tried to find it through their email tech support, but they don't seem to have a clue what i'm talking about; maybe it's not a K&N but it sure looks like it. i saw both the 58-62E element and the late 62 element at Podell's booth in Old Town but decided to wait. i've tried to get ahold of him since then and no luck....

i was able to measure the hole and get the plug at my local FLAPS. it's thicker than i remember the original to be and might be a bear to remove, but i don't think it will ever fall out like the original. that was one scary event, i could have had a BIG fire if i hadn't discovered it in time...
Bill

Ironcross

I had that plug fall out on me years ago. I smelt gas and looked. It had dropped at the valve cover. I put a touch of 3M cement on it and pushed it back in place. Your correct, could have been a BIG fire.

philip964

Great thread. In fact all the threads are great. This is an amazing website. I went to the NCRS forum and the way the threads are arranged messed with my simple brain. Since all the really knowlegeable people are here, I'm not even going to bother with their site for now.

hdvettes

The 1963 - 1965 FI Air cleaner had 2 mounting reinforcements. The upper 2 bolts used 1 rectangular metal plate that was not attached to the inner fender. The lower bolt used a washer. Most people use 3 washers when installing an air cleaner. An original car will show evidence of the rectagular plate. It gets left behind when the undercoating holds it to the inner fender. If it has been removed there will be evidence of the square edges cutting into the fiberglass.
Also if it is there check to be sure there is no undercoating behind it.

Mike

MikeM

That's a good point about the reinforcement witness marks that's almost always overlooked on this subject.

theybot

I'll have to check this. I have a late 63 SWC that has a 80 psi oil gauge, but not the high right redline. My inner fender has the holes for the air cleaner but the radiator support doesn't have the hole, nore do I have any holes for the scipt on the motor.
My car has a NOM 300 so I don't think I can learn much from there.

Did 300 hp motors have solid lifters? What is the quickest whay to tell what your car has? What I really wanted was a 340. I love the look of that motor.
Toby

Seaside63

Your car sounds like it was originally 300hp. They had hydraulic lifters.

It's easy to make a 340. You'll need the intake, carb, 2 1/2" exhaust, the cam and lifters and the pop-up pistons.

If you want it to really look like a 340, you'll need the same water pump, pulleys, alternator pulley, idler, oil pan and finned balancer as the 360 FI engine. All this will cost you from $5,000 to $7,000.

You will also have to remove the steering damper or power steering (if you have it).

It would be best to just rebuild your engine with the right pistons, Crower rods, the cam and lifters and then get an Edelbrock Performer intake manifold and new Edelbrock carburetor. Use a replacement balancer from Paragon.

The look will be real close to the 340 and cost you about 1/3 as much dough.

For example, the oil pan can be found but prices seem to be between $350 to $750 on ebay just for that one piece. A Finned Balancer is probably around $250, if you can find one, and then it will need a $150 rebuild from Damper Dudes.