L76_Cpar

Would appreciate thoughts from anyone who has owned a 64-65 fuel car.

1) I have a opportunity to get a 65 L84 car but I have had several C2 shops tell me that they are hard to keep running. Any thoughts?

2) I have been told that they require high octane gas to run correctly with is more and more difficult to find. Is this correct?

Is it best to stay away and look for a 365 car?

Thanks for your help!!

wmf62

there is no difference between the 365 and the 375 except one is carbureted and the other FI; both take the same fuel. and yes, because of the higher compression, they will need 92/93 octane.

as to reliability, a carburetor is a carburetor; a fuel injection is a special breed but if it is running properly and you don't mess with it, it will run next to forever...

Bill

L76_Cpar

Thanks for your thoughts!

jim lockwood

Very true words. They are not hard to make run properly. They don't require fiddling to keep them running. They DO require that you educate yourself to some of their "endearing qualities", but these are nothing anyone can't learn.

Critter1

In my opinion, a correctly rebuilt fuel injection unit is more dependable than the Holley carburetor on a 365 HP engine.

A few of my everyday drivers in the early 70's had Rochester FI and I didn't have any issues. (well, there was that float that decided to leak and sink while on vacation in Florida in 1974 but that can happen to a carburetor float too)

jimgessner

Rochester Fuel Injection is a great option and already discussed, and perform well. A friend owned a 61 FI car and installed a 327 and 350 motor after the original motor wore out. Drove over 400,000 miles over 20 years and ''NEVER'' changed the injection. Just moved it from one engine to another.

Duck916

I don't know anything about the Rochester FI units, but as respects octane, don't worry about it. Premium gas at the 91-93 level is not going away. In fact, there has been discussion about increasing routinely available pump octane levels to 95-96 to support more fuel efficient engines (compression generates efficiency as well as power).

rongold

A lot of today's higher end cars require 91-93 octane premium, so it's going to be around for a long time.


RON

Vitaminmopar

Agree with the posts above on reliability. Letting an FI car sit for a couple of weeks or months will affect the reliability. Some disadvantages are fuel percolation from heat soak and the higher cost the FI system commands when on the car. Advantage of FI is crisp throttle response, slightly better fuel mileage, altitude compensation, and the wow factor. If you obtain the car you have to learn enough about the system to name the components and do basic troubleshooting if a fault does happen. If you have to ask the forum for help that little bit of knowledge might keep you out of the dark. IF the car does not have a spare high pressure pump cable in the glove box then you know the current owner was not well versed on the system and should be the first item you buy. If the pump cable breaks the only way the car is going to move is if it is pushed, pulled, towed or carried. Jim Gessner has a database of most of the 65 FI cars so if the VIN is in the database he may be able to tell you some information about the car. Post some photos of the system and the information from the plenum data plate and what distributor is in the car. Find out the rear end ratio in the car, a 3:73 is kind of the sweet spot for FI drive-ability, a 3:36 will suck.

wmf62

I learned the hard way to carry a spare drive cable. broke one in Timbuktu once, but was able to get to a gas station and put it back together by sleeving the 2 pieces together using a piece of copper tubing and solder. the cable will stay in place without the jacket

Bill

hugh9222

I've had my 64 FI with a TI ignition for 33 years this summer. The only problem I had with the actual FI unit was a failure of the anti siphon valve (luckily no damage) and a leaking high pressure pump seal. Fix them both myself. Put an NC solenoid to block the gas line between the high pressure pump and spider.

65vette396

I had a 65 coupe with FI. Once running, it was dependable and efficient. I had problems starting it sometimes as it would crank for a period. Occasionally, it would vapor lock or refuse to start. Letting it sit for a spell and then restarting would usually work. I would echo the driving more frequently helps the reliability. Some of my problems with starting could have been from the "sitting" periods between my joy rides. FI's look impressive and if calibrated correctly, will be as reliable as a carbed engine.