1963 FI "S" Tube

[Chuck G.]

A friend is restoring an early FI car.

Attached are some photos. What is everyone's opinion on this S tube?

It's not for sale.

It's roughly configured. There are DEEP creases and folds where it was formed. It's thin metal like the later ones, not thick.

It's spot welded, and you can easily see the spot welding on both the top and bottom seams.

It has the ITI logo on the clamp.

Thoughts? I think it's an early original, but I haven't looked at that many to be sure.

TIA

Chuck

[Chuck G.]

Re: 1963 FI "S" Tube

More photos.

[Dan H.]

Re: 1963 FI "S" Tube

Doc, the ITI looks NTP and rest is way too crude looking, I vote as a 'nice try' at a repro.

[Rick A.]

Re: 1963 FI "S" Tube

Doc Chuck would tend to agree with Dan as an early attempt at repop

[Bob J.]

Re: 1963 FI "S" Tube

Chuck,
I agree with Dan on both points.
The ITI looks hand stamped.
Bob J

[Chuck G.]

Re: 1963 FI "S" Tube

Thanks to all so far.

When I first looked at it, I thought repro, but the more I looked at it, I thought............ Hmmmmmm, maybe it might not be. It is crudely made.

This is from an early FI car...built in 62. Has the correct early AC cannister with the clamps in the right places. Has all cad/zinc plated fuel and vacuum lines... early FI unit with nozzle block recesses, etc. etc.

[Dan H.]

Re: 1963 FI "S" Tube

Chuck, my friend here in San Diego has 63 Vin 697, nice early original unit, and his 'S' tube is as you would expect it to look, nothing unusual about it like that one. Just sayin!

[Joe R.]

Re: 1963 FI "S" Tube

The S-tube shown is a very early attempt made in New York state! All the FI guys know him as he has made many reproductions of FI parts that are still being used. Right John???


JR

[Chuck G.]

Re: 1963 FI "S" Tube

The S-tube shown is a very early attempt made in New York state! All the FI guys know him as he has made many reproductions of FI parts that are still being used. Right John???


JR

Hi JR.

Does this guy in New York have the initials JN ?

[Joe R.]

Re: 1963 FI "S" Tube

Hi JR.

Does this guy in New York have the initials JN ?

Chuck,

That would be him!

JR

[Chuck G.]

Re: 1963 FI "S" Tube

Chuck,

That would be him!

JR

Thanks, JR...

And, thanks to all who responded.

My bud is coming by today to pick it up. Guess he'll be looking for a correct one.

I know that "some" early 63's supposedly have a very thick metal S tube. I've actually never seen one.

Chuck

[John D.]

Re: 1963 FI "S" Tube

Actually guru's I don't completely agree. Got on this post late.
First of all the JN repro s tube was made out of FIBERGLASS Joe Ray. Whew!!!!! LOL
Second of all just last week a new customer brought in an S tube for me to look at. It was definitely original but let me tell you it did not begin to be hammered up/dented/squished as the one in the photo.
Dr. Chuck. That S tube looks like it came out of wreck. I mean look at the bends-dents. Compare it to your '63 FI car. I assume your AC is original.
Meanwhile the very early '63's had an S-tube all on it's own. Much thicker gauge of sheet metal. The overlap on the thick s-tube was not like the later '63, up S-tubes. In fact the early early S-tube overlap very closely resembled Podell's old repro S-tube. The one he made many years ago.
As far as the clamp goes on S-tube I think it's massaged/suspicious.
The bolt logo is EL. I don't know the length of the bolt.

QT: I have a question about some of the 63 S tube clamp bolts, My 63 FI car known as the LWC (little white car) has a weird clamp/bolt
setup.


The bolt and bracket are spot welded upside down. Meaning when you are standing looking at the s-tube you do not see the head of the bolt.
All you see is the treads of the bolt. When the car was re-restored I was going to fix that issues and was told by Master judges who know FI's not to touch it as they have seen others like that.
Have any of your see the clamp backwards so all you see is the end of the bolt?????

I have seen around three thick s-tubes on restored cars. One of them got dinged at a big show cause the judges (one of them on the board here all the time lol) show it was a repro cause of the seam.

Maybe RJ will put up nice pic of a thick S-tube and the seam. Too bad Mike Hanson isn't on here as he probably has that pic. JD

[Don H.]

Re: 1963 FI "S" Tube

QT: I have a question about some of the 63 S tube clamp bolts, My 63 FI car known as the LWC (little white car) has a weird clamp/bolt
setup. The bolt and bracket are spot welded upside down. Meaning when you are standing looking at the s-tube you do not see the head of the bolt.
All you see is the treads of the bolt. When the car was re-restored I was going to fix that issues and was told by Master judges who know FI's not to touch it as they have seen others like that.
Have any of your see the clamp backwards so all you see is the end of the bolt?????

I have seen around three thick s-tubes on restored cars. One of them got dinged at a big show cause the judges (one of them on the board here all the time lol) show it was a repro cause of the seam.

Maybe RJ will put up nice pic of a thick S-tube and the seam. Too bad Mike Hanson isn't on here as he probably has that pic. JD

yes sir,
I have an S-tube like that.

[Chuck G.]

Re: 1963 FI "S" Tube

Thanks for the response, JD. You're saying that JN's repros were fiberglass. I don't know. I never bought much from him, as I found him difficult to deal with.

This S tube does not look like it was involved in a wreck. It looks to be formed this way. The deep bends/folds are smooth, not jagged. Doesn't look like it was crunched from front to back.

My bud came over to the house the other day, and although we didn't try to install it on my car, it looked to have the correct "length" to fit between the air cleaner cannister and the core support.

IIRC, it had 10 spot welds on the top, and again, IIRC, 8 welds are what one normally finds.

[Joe R.]

Re: 1963 FI "S" Tube

Actually guru's I don't completely agree. Got on this post late.
First of all the JN repro s tube was made out of FIBERGLASS Joe Ray. Whew!!!!! LOL
Second of all just last week a new customer brought in an S tube for me to look at. It was definitely original but let me tell you it did not begin to be hammered up/dented/squished as the one in the photo.
Dr. Chuck. That S tube looks like it came out of wreck. I mean look at the bends-dents. Compare it to your '63 FI car. I assume your AC is original.
Meanwhile the very early '63's had an S-tube all on it's own. Much thicker gauge of sheet metal. The overlap on the thick s-tube was not like the later '63, up S-tubes. In fact the early early S-tube overlap very closely resembled Podell's old repro S-tube. The one he made many years ago.
As far as the clamp goes on S-tube I think it's massaged/suspicious.
The bolt logo is EL. I don't know the length of the bolt.

QT: I have a question about some of the 63 S tube clamp bolts, My 63 FI car known as the LWC (little white car) has a weird clamp/bolt
setup.


The bolt and bracket are spot welded upside down. Meaning when you are standing looking at the s-tube you do not see the head of the bolt.
All you see is the treads of the bolt. When the car was re-restored I was going to fix that issues and was told by Master judges who know FI's not to touch it as they have seen others like that.
Have any of your see the clamp backwards so all you see is the end of the bolt?????

I have seen around three thick s-tubes on restored cars. One of them got dinged at a big show cause the judges (one of them on the board here all the time lol) show it was a repro cause of the seam.

Maybe RJ will put up nice pic of a thick S-tube and the seam. Too bad Mike Hanson isn't on here as he probably has that pic. JD

JD,

Your not comparing this S-Tube to the one on the Repo-Mobile (LWC) are you??????

JR