63 Dated Intake Manifold Mystery

[Tim S.]

Story:

Today, I am over at a friends house bench racing all things Corvette. As we are rummaging through his parts, I see this intake manifold. At first glance, it apprears to be nothing more than a Hilborn fuel injection manifold. Upon further review, this has casting dates and a casting firing order much like GM would have used. Can anyone give some input as to it's history. The manifold has bosses cast in for injectors in what seems to be the stock 63 F.I. location as well as bosses cast in right behind the throttle body. Given the 63 casting date, could this be a part of the original Grand Sport program? As you can see, the manifold did not receive it's final machine work.
In advance, thanks for your consideration.

Tim

[Jim L.]

Re: 63 Dated Intake Manifold Mystery

Given the 63 casting date, could this be a part of the original Grand Sport program?

That is exactly what it is. It's incomplete, but if finished it would have mounted a quartet of DCO/3 or DCO/4 58mm Webers.

If finished and complete, it would have looked like this:



Is there a casting number anywhere on the manifold? If so, what is it?

Jim

[Dick W.]

Re: 63 Dated Intake Manifold Mystery

I also had one of the FI intakes, about 30 years ago. I cannot remember the complete story, but even though it had a 0-xxxxxx GM casting number, they were made for Mickey Thompson. I wish I could remember the whole story as I got it from Zora.

[Tim S.]

Re: 63 Dated Intake Manifold Mystery

Jim,

No other casting numbers. One difference I noted from your intake to this one here, the casting bosses for the injector nozzle behind the throttle body.



I spent some time reading the "Grand Sport" book last night. As best as I could make out in the pictures, the other intakes did not "appear" to have these. I must say, I have never really made a study of the Grand Sport program. I just question the casting date being so late in 63, well after the plug was pulled on the program. If I am headed in the wrong direction, spin me around.

Thanks again!

Tim

[Jim L.]

Re: 63 Dated Intake Manifold Mystery

Jim,

No other casting numbers. One difference I noted from your intake to this one here, the casting bosses for the injector nozzle behind the throttle body.

There were at least two variations in the GS manifolds, but neither seems to have those nozzle bosses. Yet the bosses on your manifold appear to be part of the casting rather than weld build up. I have no explanation.

I just question the casting date being so late in 63, well after the plug was pulled on the program.

That casting date makes perfect sense to me. The manifolds were being made in preparation for the assault on the Bahamas Speed Weeks to be held December 1 thru December 8 1963. That's where the Grand Sports first appeared with the 58mm Webers and other go-fast improvements. At this event they benefited from more Chevrolet engineering support than at any other outing....in spite of the GM ban on racing.

It was also, in my opinion, their finest hour. At that event, essentially a run whacha brung shootout, the Grand Sports were 11 seconds per lap faster than the Cobras.

So your buddy's manifold definitely has Grand Sport DNA, but was never actually installed on a Grand Sport.

Still, it's a neat piece. Cherish it.

Jim

[Stuart F.]

Re: 63 Dated Intake Manifold Mystery

The manifold is a beautiful piece of history. The coffee pot looks like the Hamilton Beach units I picked up from Walmart for $10.00 a piece. Great little pot for the garage. Does a good job brewing and maintaining hot coffee, and if you hit it with a run away wrench, so what!

Stu Fox

[Tim S.]

Re: 63 Dated Intake Manifold Mystery

The manifold is a beautiful piece of history. The coffee pot looks like the Hamilton Beach units I picked up from Walmart for $10.00 a piece. Great little pot for the garage. Does a good job brewing and maintaining hot coffee, and if you hit it with a run away wrench, so what!

Stu Fox

Better yet Stu, it was free Pulls enough amps though!

[Dick W.]

Re: 63 Dated Intake Manifold Mystery

The bosses very cast on the intake I had. I think I know who has that intake today. I will get photos of it if I can

[Clem Z.]

Re: 63 Dated Intake Manifold Mystery

these may have been cast up for stock block indy car racing

[John H.]

Re: 63 Dated Intake Manifold Mystery

Here's another one, set up for Lucas fuel injection, with GM experimental throttle bodies for Lucas injectors, cast in September, 1963; a friend of mine runs it on his small-block-powered Lola Can-Am car. This one doesn't have bosses for port injectors either.