1965 - Were carburetors installed on SB engines in St. Louis?

[Jim S.]

Did engine assemblies arrive from Flint with carbs/injection installed? Or were they a sub assembly installed on engines at St. Louis? The question is in order to shed some light on whether a carb date code could be later than the engine assembly date but eariler than car build date.

[Joe L.]

Re: 1965 - Were carburetors installed on SB engines in St. Louis?

Did engine assemblies arrive from Flint with carbs/injection installed? Or were they a sub assembly installed on engines at St. Louis? The question is in order to shed some light on whether a carb date code could be later than the engine assembly date but eariler than car build date.

Jim------


Carbs were installed at St. Louis for all Corvettes, big block and small block.

[Jim S.]

Re: 1965 - Were carburetors installed on SB engines in St. Louis?

Jim------


Carbs were installed at St. Louis for all Corvettes, big block and small block.

Thanks Joe, then it is possible for a carb to be dated later than the engine assembly date.

[Wayne M.]

Re: 1965 - Were carburetors installed on SB engines in St. Louis?

.... Carbs were installed at St. Louis for all Corvettes, big block and small block.

Joe -- the usual rule of thumb I use for determining if an item was installed at St. Louis is if, in the AIM, there's a part # or, the note:"the following parts are installed the same as regular production", or, "the following parts are installed same as UPC x-yy".

A check of my '65 AIM shows carb #s and bolt #s and torques (to the intake manifold) for the base 250hp motor and the L78 big block. The L75, L76 and L84 show no #s or notes about nuts or torques for carbs or fuel injection manifold (dog house) to their respective intake manifolds. For L75 and L76 they do have an item # for the carbs, but no attaching hardware bolts/torques. UPC L84 section in the AIM doesn't even have an item # for the dog house.

Would almost lead one to believe that the F.I. engines arrived from Flint with the fuel injection unit installed. Thoughts, anyone ?

[Joe L.]

Re: 1965 - Were carburetors installed on SB engines in St. Louis?

Joe -- the usual rule of thumb I use for determining if an item was installed at St. Louis is if, in the AIM, there's a part # or, the note:"the following parts are installed the same as regular production", or, "the following parts are installed same as UPC x-yy".

A check of my '65 AIM shows carb #s and bolt #s and torques (to the intake manifold) for the base 250hp motor and the L78 big block. The L75, L76 and L84 show no #s or notes about nuts or torques for carbs or fuel injection manifold (dog house) to their respective intake manifolds. For L75 and L76 they do have an item # for the carbs, but no attaching hardware bolts/torques. UPC L84 section in the AIM doesn't even have an item # for the dog house.

Would almost lead one to believe that the F.I. engines arrived from Flint with the fuel injection unit installed. Thoughts, anyone ?

Wayne------


FI units were installed at the Flint engine plant but, of course, FI units are not carburetors. I don't know of any carburetors that were installed at the engine plants although it's possible they were for 53-55 6 cylinder.

[Keith B.]

Re: 1965 - Were carburetors installed on SB engines in St. Louis?

Joe that brings a question in FI motors. I know flint and St. Louis picked the engine up by the carb studs using a plate with a hook. How did they lift and move around the FI engines.

[Terry M.]

Re: 1965 - Were carburetors installed on SB engines in St. Louis?

Joe that brings a question in FI motors. I know flint and St. Louis picked the engine up by the carb studs using a plate with a hook. How did they lift and move around the FI engines.

Actually Keith for V8 engines until 1968 Flint, Tonawanda & St Louis picked up the engines with hooks under the exhaust manifolds. Following that engine lifting brackets were used at St Louis & Tonawanda and for most applications at St Louis.

John Hinckley was directly involved with the change to lifting brackets and has posted photos in past threads with respect to that.

[Duke W.]

Re: 1965 - Were carburetors installed on SB engines in St. Louis?

Wayne------


FI units were installed at the Flint engine plant but, of course, FI units are not carburetors. I don't know of any carburetors that were installed at the engine plants although it's possible they were for 53-55 6 cylinder.

The FI adapter and manifold were installed at Flint, but all other components - fuel meter, air meter, etc. were installed at St. Louis.

The manifold would be necessary to conduct the Flint hot fire engine test, and the '63 AIM does not list a part number for the adapter and manifold, but does for everything else associated with the FI system.

Duke

[Keith B.]

Re: 1965 - Were carburetors installed on SB engines in St. Louis?

Terry then why when you look at the pictures from the Tonwanda plant picture when they are painting the engines you can see them being picked up by the carb studs

[John H.]

Re: 1965 - Were carburetors installed on SB engines in St. Louis?

The FI adapter and manifold were installed at Flint, but all other components - fuel meter, air meter, etc. were installed at St. Louis.

The manifold would be necessary to conduct the Flint hot fire engine test, and the '63 AIM does not list a part number for the adapter and manifold, but does for everything else associated with the FI system.

Duke

Duke -

The entire engine-mounted portion of the fuel injection system was installed at Flint V-8; St. Louis only installed the small throttle linkage, PCV hoses, and fuel lines shown in the L-84 section of the Assembly Manual. It's not clear how Flint hot-tested F.I. engines - I wasn't there until two years after F.I. went out of production, so I didn't see it.

[John H.]

Re: 1965 - Were carburetors installed on SB engines in St. Louis?

Terry then why when you look at the pictures from the Tonwanda plant picture when they are painting the engines you can see them being picked up by the carb studs

Keith -

That photo of the Tonawanda paint booth was taken in '66 or '67; the engine lifting bracket system entered production in '68-'69.

[Duke W.]

Re: 1965 - Were carburetors installed on SB engines in St. Louis?

Duke -

The entire engine-mounted portion of the fuel injection system was installed at Flint V-8; St. Louis only installed the small throttle linkage, PCV hoses, and fuel lines shown in the L-84 section of the Assembly Manual. It's not clear how Flint hot-tested F.I. engines - I wasn't there until two years after F.I. went out of production, so I didn't see it.

Another mystery! I seems logical that Flint could have hot-tested FI engines with the adapter and manifold only using a different adapter for the natural gas-air mixture that fit the air meter opening in the manifold.

Upon further review of the '63 AIM I can see that there are no part numbers for the fuel and air meter assemblies - just the throttle linkage and other small part that you mentioned along with the air cleaner and associated parts.

The pump drive cable is not called out in the AIM, nor is there any note about connecting it, so maybe it was already connected and they did the hot fire test with the pump dry.

Duke

[Terry M.]

Re: 1965 - Were carburetors installed on SB engines in St. Louis?

Terry then why when you look at the pictures from the Tonwanda plant picture when they are painting the engines you can see them being picked up by the carb studs

Keith,
I haven't seen that picture. I thought John's brackets replaced the exhaust manifold hooks at both of the engine plants, but maybe I am wrong. It wouldn't be the first time. I would swear I have seen photos of big blocks hanging from hooks under the exhaust manifolds.

[Keith B.]

Re: 1965 - Were carburetors installed on SB engines in St. Louis?

So John from 65-67 how did they lift BB at St. Louis if they lifted SB by the exhaust manifolds.

[John D.]

Re: 1965 - Were carburetors installed on SB engines in St. Louis?

Info I got from my friend Frank Sciabics from RP in the old days was that the FI's were installed at Flint. They were first tested at RP in a special wide open room with a chemical that is similiar to cheap paint thinner. Chemical was sold by Barton Solvents. I don't know the correct spelling but here's a start.
Standsol or Stanasol. Help me out here.
The chemical was popular in the 50's and 60's as a cleaning solvent.
But you didn't ask this. You asked how Flint tested the engine with the FI unit at the factory.