FI drive shaft rotation direction

[Chuck B.]

I finally installed an electric fuel shut off solenoid and new drive shaft and viton seal on my 1960 7200 unit. I want to bench test it before I put it back on the car. Should I spin the cable clockwise or counter clockwise. The servicing guide mentions a fiber washer on the drive end of the cable. If I had one its gone now. Can someone give me the dimensions of that washer and tell me where it goes.
Thanks, Chuck Banks

[Tom P.]

Re: FI drive shaft rotation direction

Use a reversable drill with an old cable chucked up in it. You'll find out real quick which way it needs to turn (you WILL NOT hurt a thing if you turn it the wrong way the first time).
The fiber washer slips onto the flex shaft first, then insert the shaft into the cable housing. ALWAYS grease the cable thoroughly. I just use a good chassis grease.

[Chuck B.]

Re: FI drive shaft rotation direction

Thanks Tom. Just the information I was looking for. Is the fiber washer something I could source locally?

[Tom P.]

Re: FI drive shaft rotation direction

Thanks Tom. Just the information I was looking for. Is the fiber washer something I could source locally?

Mmmmmmmmm, maybe, but just order the drive cable washer kit from John DeGregory. It contains a BIG washer/gasket for the dist end of the housing, an O-ring for the pump end of the housing and the fiber washer for the drive cable. Price is right.

[Bill W.]

Re: FI drive shaft rotation direction

I finally installed an electric fuel shut off solenoid and new drive shaft and viton seal on my 1960 7200 unit. I want to bench test it before I put it back on the car. Should I spin the cable clockwise or counter clockwise. The servicing guide mentions a fiber washer on the drive end of the cable. If I had one its gone now. Can someone give me the dimensions of that washer and tell me where it goes.
Thanks, Chuck Banks

Chuck,
The washer you are missing is identical to the one that goes under the needle/seat assembly in your float bowl. If you have saved any parts from your last rebuild you may have one. Option "B" is I will send you one, but if I do that you must promise to give me first dibbs on the next "barn find" Corvette you stumble upon! Let me know if I can help. Bill

[Chuck B.]

Re: FI drive shaft rotation direction

Thanks Bill, I do have one of those left over washers and it looks like it will do the job. I'll keep looking for another "barn find", and keep you in mind.
Chuck

[John D.]

Re: FI drive shaft rotation direction

Chuck, Bill and others. Old JD here has been playing with FI's since 1961 and still hasn't figured out why we are supposed to put a "fiber" washer on a drive cable that rotates 1/2 engine speed.
If you left this fake washer off it wouldn't hurt a thing. Just to make sure of this I experimented with a driver 63 that I drove daily except when it snowed. I didn't have a fiber washer on the drive cable housing. Also I didn't have a drive cable housing either. The 63 was an original 340HP car with an early 63 FI with a wobble pump. So I used the long drive cable in the wobble pump and it never flew out in 10 years.
Recap: The fiber washer on the drive cable is not something to get too excited about. No damage will result if it's missing.

Chuck, 63 Corvette Shop manual. Pg 6M-41. Notice Clyde holding an antique drill. Albeit he is holding the drill with the cable incorrectly though. He must be the same dude that wrote a lot of the bad info in the FI section.
Never the less use your drill like your were drilling a hole in a piece of wood.
See Fig 84 for nice rear view of a wobble pump. They are really a neat pump. Unfortuantely not enough of them were recalled. I don't work on wobble pumps because I have no parts for them. Just a seal.
Meanwhile Chuck be careful if you are using gas to test with. A spark from your drill and it's all over.
I don't use pump gas to test FI's. I use 100LL. JD

[Clem Z.]

Re: FI drive shaft rotation direction

guys that road raced corvettes never used the outside cable cover so they could quickly change the cable if it broke durring the race. they kept the spare taped to the dash.

[Michael H.]

Re: FI drive shaft rotation direction

guys that road raced corvettes never used the outside cable cover so they could quickly change the cable if it broke durring the race. they kept the spare taped to the dash.

True. I didn't use a housing for the cable on the race car. Never lost a cable.

[John D.]

Re: FI drive shaft rotation direction

guys that road raced corvettes never used the outside cable cover so they could quickly change the cable if it broke durring the race. they kept the spare taped to the dash.

Clem, You story is almost correct. Back in the 60's when I helpd Dr. Blatchley and Timmy on the Grady Davis Gulf car we were at a race at the Connelsville airport. Doc's white car (LWC) was running quite well until all of a sudden he coasted off the track around the 2nd or 3rd turn as I recall.
I said to his chief mechanic. "Hey Timmy now what happened" (Not my exact words). Tim said the drive cable probably fell out. And so it did.

Here is how I fixed the problem at my house and gave the part to Tim for old Doc. I took a trashed drive cable housing and cut the end off where it attaches to the distributor. Then I had a big hex nut (from a 57) that I slipped over the end. Timmy was quite pleased with my invention. Not really mine as I stole the idea from another race car.
Never lost a cable again.
Chip Miller had two race cars with this invention. Purple People Eater and the Briggs Cunningham car. Both FI cars and both had my drive cable end and nut with the cable spinning in the breeze.
You guys could run your FI cars on the street today with that. The drive cable housing is a real pain in the butt. JD

[Clem Z.]

Re: FI drive shaft rotation direction

Clem, You story is almost correct. Back in the 60's when I helpd Dr. Blatchley and Timmy on the Grady Davis Gulf car we were at a race at the Connelsville airport. Doc's white car (LWC) was running quite well until all of a sudden he coasted off the track around the 2nd or 3rd turn as I recall.
I said to his chief mechanic. "Hey Timmy now what happened" (Not my exact words). Tim said the drive cable probably fell out. And so it did.

Here is how I fixed the problem at my house and gave the part to Tim for old Doc. I took a trashed drive cable housing and cut the end off where it attaches to the distributor. Then I had a big hex nut (from a 57) that I slipped over the end. Timmy was quite pleased with my invention. Not really mine as I stole the idea from another race car.
Never lost a cable again.
Chip Miller had two race cars with this invention. Purple People Eater and the Briggs Cunningham car. Both FI cars and both had my drive cable end and nut with the cable spinning in the breeze.
You guys could run your FI cars on the street today with that. The drive cable housing is a real pain in the butt. JD

you are correct i should have been more descriptive but i try and keep it as short as possible because i type only with 2 fingers.

[John D.]

Re: FI drive shaft rotation direction

Clem, You may keep it short when typing but not in person.
If the racers had left the drive cable housing on the race would be over before the mechanic could change the damn thing.
One of the last parts to go on my 63 FI car before it went onto the trailer for Marlborough was the drive cable housing. I said to my pal. No wonder the car owners complain about installing them. JD