63 Identification. Fuelie ??

[Tom H.]

I just looked at a car that a friend bought tonight. Major barn find project. Been sitting partially disassembled for 26 years. Car was originally silver with black interior. Past owner claimed it was a fuel injected car. ( Heard that before ) He got a roller with the traditional boxes of parts.

This car is basically a mess. Wrong engine and a transplanted automatic transmission.

How in the world would one try to determine if this thing might have really been a fuel car ? It has some of the signs, but are there some good tips you might throw in to look at ? It has the high RPM tach, but the cluster has been out, core support has the hole, but so did the replacements. Left inner fender has been replaced, so there are signs of S tube or air cleaner mounting.

I just hate to see him get started on this car if it's just an old car. If it's really a fuel car, he's OK, if not, he's got a mess. Any help from you experts would be greatly appreciated. VIN is 10809.

Thanks.

[Philip C.]

Re: 63 Identification. Fuelie ??

Hi Tom is the heater box still on fire wall? if its not take a photo of the emblem holes on the inside of the fenders and post and we will tell ya. Phil 8063

[Douglas C.]

Re: 63 Identification. Fuelie ??

Hi Tom,

You can also check for the lack of a steering damper and bracket. See if it ever looked like there was a steering damper bracket in place under the left front frame rail - indicating the presence of the smaller, low-horse oil pan. Solid lifter cars didn't have the damper and bracket due to interference with the larger 6 qt oil pan.

In general, the fuelie core support seems more common than an orignal non-fuelie '63 core support - hard to go by that. You may be able to check to see if its at least an original '63 fuelie core support - I belive they may be different from other mid-years.

--Doug, #13644

[Tom H.]

Re: 63 Identification. Fuelie ??

Thanks guys ! I'll try to get a photo of the emblem holes. Looked OK to me, but I have no fuelie experience.

The power steering setup is the other problem. It appears to have a 1970's vintage 350 in it, and of course it now has power steering.

My real gut feeling tells me this was an automatic car with a high RPM tach added and a fuelie core support added as a service replacement after some front end damage.

Maybe I should have asked for some clues to look for to identify a true automatic car ! Any additional tips would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks guys.

[Jack U.]

Re: 63 Identification. Fuelie ??

If the engine block was changed out, there will be little evidence to determine if it is a true fuelie. Paper evidence would be helpful.

It's a big change (and big decision by an owner) going from a 4-speed to an automatic.

Anything is possible on a car 44+ years old.

[John D.]

Re: 63 Identification. Fuelie ??

Tom & others, As Phil said check for the FI emblem holes on the fenders. Now say the fenders have been replaced or at least the one on the drives side. You said the inner fender on the drivers has been replaced so I assume the entire fender or top surround is history also.
An easy check is one that most people used to miss. On the drivers side check the cowl or firewall band abutting the fender to see if there is a hole drilled thru it that secures the fuel injection emblem. The emblem has three long studs and is held on with three speed nuts. The stud closest to the door or the firewall went thru the metal band around the firewall.Maybe the band is part of the firewall and I am not explaining it correctly. Anyhow you should see a hole for the emblem stud. If it is missing then you assumption could very well be correct and the car is a fake.
Also educate your friend as to the major bucks it is going to cost to make this kit car road worthy again. It would be easy to sink 100 grand in a basket case like this. John P.S. Since I can't look back w/o deleting my message I think you said the car was in the 800 #'s range. Wait unitil you start looking for an early 63 FI for that baby. It's not the typical 63 unit and is quite difficult and expensive to find. The # might have been 10,805 or just 805. Whatever.

[John D.]

Re: 63 Identification. Fuelie ??

Correction.: 10,805 FI unit is the usual 63 unit. That is one positive factor. Plenty of those units around although not cheap. I would guess that the FI unit is the least of the worries though.

[William C.]

Re: 63 Identification. Fuelie ??

Just a note on the core support, the '63 core support for FI had the "humps" on the front side like the '63 carbureted cars, a '63 only feature not included in the GM over the counter parts. If the car has been apart for 20+ years, that would be a very good indicator.