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I came across a 57 corvette that has the right engine block and the engine is 283 V8 w/ F.I., Hi-Lift Cam, A/C. However at the moment, it’s been converted to a single 4 barrel carburetor with a 56 intake manifold, number (3735448).
Also, the transmission is 4 speed manual from a 68-70 corvette, number (3925660).
Lastly, the rear end pumpkin is from a 58 corvette with a number (3725899).
if I want to convert the engine to its original status of fuel injection unit, how much would it cost me including labor and do you guys recommend purchasing this corvette?
basically I assume I have to purchase a 57 corvette fuel injection unit.
the car is in a very good condition and my only hesitation is the engine situation explained above.
as Keith notes, about 20K to purchase the FI unit, fuel filter, distributor and air cleaner, and then have the unit restored. get copy of the 56-7 judging manual in the event u buy it so you'll know whether u need a 4360, 4520, 4800 or 4960 unit. it'll also point out the various distributors the 57 FI units used.
to replace the later muncie with a correctly dated 57 t 10 4 speed, you can figure of 7500 to 10K. the rear will be the least expensive item, about 1500 rebuilt. also its imperative the 57 has a real 57 FI throttle unit(again, see the judging manual). there are several 57 FI's for sale on eBay which have the carb style throttle unit so be aware. mike mccagh
Mike I had no idea one of those 4 speeds would fetch that much. my figure was for everything he needed. but I guess I was off a little. but come to think of it I never see a 57 FI until for sale so it seems it could be a uphill battle.
Only if an EXTREMELY knowledgeable person observed the FI unit, would they know a 57 (and 4 different models) from a 59. They ALL have the finned top plenum, with the main differences being in air meter and fuel meter changes. Thus, for example, a properly rebuilt 58 unit (4900 or 4900R), to the MAJORITY of observers, would not have a clue what unit was on the engine. In 1960-62, the FI units VERY CLOSELY resembled the appearance of a 57 unit-------------------------EXCEPT-------------- they had a smooth top plenum. Of all the early units with a smooth top plenum, there are some noticeable differences in the 62 units. But again, VERY FEW casual observers would know the difference between a 60-61 and 62 unit.
SOOOOOOOOO, if the desire is to have a Rochester fuel injection unit on the engine that LOOKS authentic (to most people), rather than absolute period correct, there are often FI units up for sale that would work fine.
ALL 57-61 FI units had the choke (enrichment housing) mounted on top of the air meter. One quick distinguishing feature of the 62 only units is that the choke housing is on the side (facing firewall) of the air meter.
The 4 different 57 units were 7014360. 4520, 4800, 4960.
This is a 57 4520 unit.
These 2 are a 57 4800 unit.
The next 4 is a hybrid 57 unit. It has features of both a 4520 and a 4800 unit. It was modified many years ago by a knowledgeable FI person in California for Steve McQueen's 57 Chevy convertible, which is now owned by Ruth Buzzy and her husband.
This is a 1960 7320 unit
These 2 are a 62 unit. Notice the choke housing on the side of the air meter. A quick distinction between a 60-61 and 62 units.
And last of all, this is a highly modified unit on the SB400 in my 56.
It has an early finned top plenum (to resemble a 57) which was heavily ported, a 62 air and fuel meters and several other modifications.
Mike I had no idea one of those 4 speeds would fetch that much. my figure was for everything he needed. but I guess I was off a little. but come to think of it I never see a 57 FI until for sale so it seems it could be a uphill battle.
Pre-production and prototype B-W T-10 4spds were built in late 56-early 57, but they were NOT factory installed in a Corvette (NONE in a 57 pass car) until later in Apr 57. Thus, a CORRECT dated 57 T-10 will bring premium prices. BUUUUUUUUUUUT, a 58-60 T-10 are more reasonably priced, and to the NON-knowledgeable person, they appear NEARLY the same.
Although, since I am not a correct numbers person, I much prefer the upgrade to a Muncie for my 56 (OH YA 4spds were not even available in 56!).
The 57-58 T-10 had a round boss for the filler plug and 59-60 had an oval boss.
as Keith notes, about 20K to purchase the FI unit, fuel filter, distributor and air cleaner, and then have the unit restored. get copy of the 56-7 judging manual in the event u buy it so you'll know whether u need a 4360, 4520, 4800 or 4960 unit. it'll also point out the various distributors the 57 FI units used.
to replace the later muncie with a correctly dated 57 t 10 4 speed, you can figure of 7500 to 10K. the rear will be the least expensive item, about 1500 rebuilt. also its imperative the 57 has a real 57 FI throttle unit(again, see the judging manual). there are several 57 FI's for sale on eBay which have the carb style throttle unit so be aware. mike mccagh
thanks a lot for the information. I didn’t know Muncie would cost around 10k. This along with the fuel injection unit would roughly come up to 30k without labor.
Only if an EXTREMELY knowledgeable person observed the FI unit, would they know a 57 (and 4 different models) from a 59. They ALL have the finned top plenum, with the main differences being in air meter and fuel meter changes. Thus, for example, a properly rebuilt 58 unit (4900 or 4900R), to the MAJORITY of observers, would not have a clue what unit was on the engine. In 1960-62, the FI units VERY CLOSELY resembled the appearance of a 57 unit-------------------------EXCEPT-------------- they had a smooth top plenum. Of all the early units with a smooth top plenum, there are some noticeable differences in the 62 units. But again, VERY FEW casual observers would know the difference between a 60-61 and 62 unit.
SOOOOOOOOO, if the desire is to have a Rochester fuel injection unit on the engine that LOOKS authentic (to most people), rather than absolute period correct, there are often FI units up for sale that would work fine.
ALL 57-61 FI units had the choke (enrichment housing) mounted on top of the air meter. One quick distinguishing feature of the 62 only units is that the choke housing is on the side (facing firewall) of the air meter.
The 4 different 57 units were 7014360. 4520, 4800, 4960.
This is a 57 4520 unit.
These 2 are a 57 4800 unit.
The next 4 is a hybrid 57 unit. It has features of both a 4520 and a 4800 unit. It was modified many years ago by a knowledgeable FI person in California for Steve McQueen's 57 Chevy convertible, which is now owned by Ruth Buzzy and her husband.
This is a 1960 7320 unit
These 2 are a 62 unit. Notice the choke housing on the side of the air meter. A quick distinction between a 60-61 and 62 units.
And last of all, this is a highly modified unit on the SB400 in my 56.
It has an early finned top plenum (to resemble a 57) which was heavily ported, a 62 air and fuel meters and several other modifications.
wow I truly appreciate your thorough explanation. I got all the side questions answered as well. I believe, best would be to just purchase a 57 corvette with the correct date rather than sourcing these parts and installing them. I think, though the vette would cost more, it’d be costing less than purchasing this parts and replacing them, considering the purchase price I’m looking at for the current car.
thanks a lot for the information. I didn’t know Muncie would cost around 10k. This along with the fuel injection unit would roughly come up to 30k without labor.
I think you meant a T-10, not a Muncie. They can be had all day long for $500. BTW, $10K seems pretty steep to me for a T-10.
I think you meant a T-10, not a Muncie. They can be had all day long for $500. BTW, $10K seems pretty steep to me for a T-10.
thanks for the correction. That’s right. I’m calculating the cost of replacing the mentioned parts to restore the car to its original condition and it’s adding up to more than a correct date corvette for sale. I’m relatively new to this hobby and haven’t had luck finding the correct date 57 vette. Mostly just advertised as correct but after inspection, it turned out to be something else. I found a couple but the prices were mostly “make me sell it.” Rather than reasonable for the market. Not giving up hope though. Hopefully I’ll find the right one these days. Thanks
Hi User, When I was looking for a C1 my desire was a 59 or 60 vette. The engine, transmission etc. were secondary, if at all considerations. Originality was unimportant. Drivability was my main concern. I wanted a C1 that looked like it did in the 50's yet was reliable enough to get me around town and to the local car shows. IMHO, perhaps you should consider what you want in a first generation vette. Fuel injection is a thing of beauty, but consider that not all mechanics know how to work on them. Originality is also a beautiful thing, but are you willing to pay the extra price? An original everything vette certainly will not perform any better than a modified one. For example, my 59 has a 350/350 power train with disk brakes and a dual master cylinder. Would the original items make my car perform better? So, I think you must decide whether you want a "driver" or an "original numbers matching" show car. The latter will be worth more but the former much more fun IMHO.
as Keith notes, about 20K to purchase the FI unit, fuel filter, distributor and air cleaner, and then have the unit restored. get copy of the 56-7 judging manual in the event u buy it so you'll know whether u need a 4360, 4520, 4800 or 4960 unit. it'll also point out the various distributors the 57 FI units used.
to replace the later muncie with a correctly dated 57 t 10 4 speed, you can figure of 7500 to 10K. the rear will be the least expensive item, about 1500 rebuilt. also its imperative the 57 has a real 57 FI throttle unit(again, see the judging manual). there are several 57 FI's for sale on eBay which have the carb style throttle unit so be aware. mike mccagh
2020 Corvette of the Year Finalist (track prepared))
2019 C1 of Year Finalist (track prepared)
I think you meant that the engine is stamped for high horsepower FI with manual transmission, not A/C. So it’s stamped EL? As Tom said, if the car was built before late April that transmission would have been a 3 speed, not 4, so I’d leave the Muncie. But it sounds like you’re just wondering about the cost of adding FI, and I think you could do it for about 20K as Keith and Mike said. Does the car show other signs of having been a fuelie? There are things to look for, but ‘57s are probably the easiest ones to fake. Without some history of the car you would never know for sure if it was built that way, and originality seems to be important to you.
I think you meant a T-10, not a Muncie. They can be had all day long for $500. BTW, $10K seems pretty steep to me for a T-10.
However this seems to be the ASKING price for a date coded 1957 T10. Some people seem to forget an item like this is a supply and demand thing. Just because you HAVE one doesn’t mean there is a big demand for it, ESPECIALLY at these kinds of prices.
Hi User, When I was looking for a C1 my desire was a 59 or 60 vette. The engine, transmission etc. were secondary, if at all considerations. Originality was unimportant. Drivability was my main concern. I wanted a C1 that looked like it did in the 50's yet was reliable enough to get me around town and to the local car shows. IMHO, perhaps you should consider what you want in a first generation vette. Fuel injection is a thing of beauty, but consider that not all mechanics know how to work on them. Originality is also a beautiful thing, but are you willing to pay the extra price? An original everything vette certainly will not perform any better than a modified one. For example, my 59 has a 350/350 power train with disk brakes and a dual master cylinder. Would the original items make my car perform better? So, I think you must decide whether you want a "driver" or an "original numbers matching" show car. The latter will be worth more but the former much more fun IMHO.
first and foremost, what an astonishing car. 👌 congrats. Thank you for sharing your experience and the explanation. I wasn’t looking for a fuel injection corvette. I came across a very clean 57 corvette with the explanation above. However, I’m looking for a matching number / show car. I just love the originality of the car. It’s more like a painting on a wall to me.
I think you meant that the engine is stamped for high horsepower FI with manual transmission, not A/C. So it’s stamped EL? As Tom said, if the car was built before late April that transmission would have been a 3 speed, not 4, so I’d leave the Muncie. But it sounds like you’re just wondering about the cost of adding FI, and I think you could do it for about 20K as Keith and Mike said. Does the car show other signs of having been a fuelie? There are things to look for, but ‘57s are probably the easiest ones to fake. Without some history of the car you would never know for sure if it was built that way, and originality seems to be important to you.
hi Todd,
the engine is stamped EL. And the approximate birthday of the car matches the engine stamp pad date. The car was built in August 57 and the engine in late June 57. But you’re correct, the originality is important to me. Also, thanks a lot for all your help along the way.
the engine is stamped EL. And the approximate birthday of the car matches the engine stamp pad date. The car was built in August 57 and the engine in late June 57. But you’re correct, the originality is important to me. Also, thanks a lot for all your help along the way.
If that's a Real Deal EL engine, it's an extremely rare piece. It would be worth, IMHO, finding a correct FI unit for it (a 4960 unit) and installing it. Forget the Muncie vs T10; no one will see that. Ditto the rear end. But make it a real fuelie again. That's my $0.02, offered up for free.
If that's a Real Deal EL engine, it's an extremely rare piece. It would be worth, IMHO, finding a correct FI unit for it (a 4960 unit) and installing it. Forget the Muncie vs T10; no one will see that. Ditto the rear end. But make it a real fuelie again. That's my $0.02, offered up for free.
Agreed. Also know where abouts of a bonafide,
overhauled 57 T10. if that helps.
1957 Corvette
However this seems to be the ASKING price for a date coded 1957 T10. Some people seem to forget an item like this is a supply and demand thing. Just because you HAVE one doesn’t mean there is a big demand for it, ESPECIALLY at these kinds of prices.
