Technical Rochester Ramjet Fuel Injection

They Look Great...Work Great...You Have To Read A Book..

 

From the research I have done so far I can use the distributor from any rochester setup. I wont need the tach drive though but an old cable drive tach might be a cool add on to the car.

 

I have a '58-'9 unit in a '57 Utility Sedan I describe as a Black Widow trib car. 283 has 9.5 forged pistons, 097 cam, so it's happy on cheap 89 gas. My biggest issues have been with the Cranking Signal Valve - a good idea on paper, but one not well exicuted by Chevy, the repops slightly better. The valve allows the main diaphram to pull into a 'full rich' mode via cranking vacuum, then closes the moment the engine fires, via engine vacuum. I use a needle valve inline with the C.S. valve, just crack it open. A shot of ether in the intake scoop on the core support helps a TON with starting, I blip the throttle some to keep it running - somtimes it stalls, somtimes not. I have a prop rod I place between the gas pedal and seat bottom, holds the idle at 12-1500 or better, while I close the needle valve and close the hood. Once the engine reaches temp, it starts well. If not, out comes the ether!

The ethenal and other crap chemicals in today's fuels has dropped the VAPORIZATION POINT from blends of decades ago, so it can be tempermental as hell to drive at low speeds in hot weather. The KEY is keeping fuel moving through the system before absorbing enough heat to percolate in the brass spyder, copper lines. I use Marvel Mistery Oil with every fill-up as a counter-measure, can't hurt I figure - but can't say how much it really helps. Some guys use a blend of race and pump gas, but at $10 a gallon for race, sucks the fun out of driving the car any distance, so never played with that. For parades, I use wet flannel rags over the lines and fuel bowl, fuel line from the pump to the filter, worked pretty well through 2 events.

I've had a couple issues with driveability, the first one solved by cleaning the nozzles with carb spray, tapping out particles of crud. The second one, it was running RICH to the point of no throttle response. My GURU Tom Ordway, discovered a very slight catch in the movement of the axial link - not allowing the main diaphram to return back to its economy mode. At cruse, the injector runs in 'economy' mode, above 9" of engine vacuum. Push on the gas, vacuum drops below 9" the unit enters 'power' mode. Limit screws are used for mixture control for both modes, with idle speed and idle mixture screws.

Ya, it can be a PITA at times, but it's the price I pay for the novelity... See one V-8 with a 4-bbl, ya seen them ALL - no matter what color you paint them or how much chrome!

 

I believe They sell an “adapter ” that helps with the angle of the drive cable plus gives you a little bit of extra. Try corvette central or exclers.


Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

This is good stuff right there. There are many opinions out there bother from back in the day and now but when you find someone who actual drives their car with an injector that is the guy to talk to!


Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

Mine did not like the blended gas as mentioned-was ok as long as I was driving but when shut off it was hard to start unless you let it cool down but never failed to start..The electric choke on the early units were also very sensitive to get right. On mine dead cold-floor it-let off- crank it and count-would fire in about 6 seconds then stay on fast idle for at least a couple of minutes-sometimes longer.-about 1500 rpm then drop back to 800-850. Another issue with the early units is that they would leak by and cause motor to hydro lock. Mine did it early on and bent a rod. I installed an electronic gas shutoff valve in the spider line (1977) and never had that issue again. The fellow that rebuilds them does the same on ones he does. On my 57 with a 905 distributor the dist was set by a pin on the manifold-the top section at the clamp turned to time it.

 

I know a guy that has one of these for units for sale.

 

Finding them for sale typically isn’t the problem. It’s the price.


Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

Here is a rare Pontiac F.I. unit.


https://www.hemmings.com/stories/20...ay-1958-pontiac-rochester-fuel-injection-unit

Neat Rochester fuel injection I.D. article.
Here:
http://www.superchevy.com/how-to/9196-rochester-roster-id-guide

 

Me thinks the 60 Pontiac needs fuel injection!


Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

Another one rarely heard about is the 1959 Impala fuelie.
Check out this 59 advertisement, may need to enlarge it to read it though.



https://www.curbsideclassic.com/blo...-car-for-five-another-not-niedermeyer-mobile/

 

I've seen a few '57 fuelies, but only one '59. It was at Carlisle maybe 25 years ago, black two door sedan. A friend's father had sold it when new.

 

I Always Make The Stock Choke Work And Follow The Factory Guide Lines...The Tach Drive Hits The Firewall On Early Applications...Install And Support Your Local Credit Union..

 

Might as well post some pictures from one of those sites....

 

I never understood the 63-65 units having the line from the oil filler tube plumbed directly into the plenum. It put the crankcase under vacuum. I plugged it and ran a normal fill tube.

 

I have never had any difficulty with the electric choke on the 2 units I have one since 1963,one since 1968......both early units........always worked well for me. On my '40 Ford coupe, I machined a brass fitting blank-off for the tach drive on the distributor to clear the firewall.....use a SUN tach instead.

They do not like ethanol........I use 100LL to avoid percolation.......one is a 283/315 HP, the other is a 327/375HP.

 

On the 365 horse cars with the 600 Holley that fitting is metered to control the amount of vacuum it sees. Don't know about the FI cars. D

 

I only had the one to work on. The line from the filler to the plenum had no restriction. It was pulling a vacuum on the sump. Maybe someone changed it. I removed the unit from a running car in 1968. It was a 65 green convertible. I put a Holly, new manifold, and a different dist on the car and it started right up. I had built a tunnel ram from a base and a plenum in 65. I used a piece of pipe to shim up the normal distributor. The FI distributors use a spacer with indexing dowels to lock the rotation. There is a ring on the body to turn to set the timing.
I ran the FI for 20 years on my 32 3W. Yes, I did have to notch the firewall for the dist. I could swap back and forth with the tunnel ram. I had raised the floor in the tunnel ram and it actually ran stronger but the FI was more responsive. It was instant to full on.

 

Same as the 1965 327/350 h.p. engine, the 66's went to a pcv valve.

 

It might not be very “purdy” but after years of waiting it’s finally mine


Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

See post #34.

 

I’ve got a ‘58 “R” unit with distributor and air cleaner that I bought and had rebuilt for the 283 in my ‘32. I’ve never installed it and lately I’ve been thinking about building a 283 for my ‘58 Impala and installing it on that........ wonder what the 348 Tri-power would look like in my ‘32....

 

1962 Chevy II Stuffed With Corvette Performance Parts




https://www.hotrod.com/articles/bil...vrolet-chevy-ii-bad-bascom-to-go-road-racing/

 

Very cool!....

 

My friend did this same thing back in 1966, on a 327". Looked really impressive when you opened the hood!
Back then he just cut into the original top plate, which did not have the rib lines on it. Bob

 

The Rochester Fuel Injection Is A Excellent System And Requires Reading And Asking Questions...Proceed...

 

I had 2 early model Corvettes that I put Rochester F.I. on. I used L 79 cams in both of them.
Both preformed great. I loved how they sounded with that whistle that most people did know
where it came from. The 57 Vette was the most fun to drive. It had a 4-11 rear gears & the only
Corvette I ever owned that I could run till it flatten out and would go no faster. It would just
set there and pull. I have had 13 old Vettes but that is the one I would love to own again. I tried
to tracked it down with the serial number but no luck. It is gone but not forgotten...memories
that still leave a chill.

 

Streetrodder71, thank you for sharing. The L79 cam seems like it would be a good choice! I just got a 61 315hp with 4:11 posi that I am working to get running. The L79 would have been my 1st choice had the car not actually been a factory 315hp. I hope the 098 does me well!


Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

I have a 59 Fuel unit on a 283 in my 34, with a wide band fuel/air gauge hook to O2 sensor for tuning. Runs great with 100% gas mixed with racing fuel.

 

Allot of great information in this thread.

Reading the tag on the side of the units, how do I identify what they came from?