Factory 409 Fuel Injection: No Really!
Pat spent an enormous amount of time tracking down information about his FI unit. Back in the day Chevrolet conducted a fuel injection symposium program involving no less than five different suppliers all vying for a contract to produce a cheaper fuel injection than the Rochester system used on Corvettes. The companies involved included Marvel-Schebler Products, a Division of Borg-Warner, Eclipse Machine Division-Bendix Aviation Corporation, Carter Carburetor-Division of A.C.F. Industries, Thompson Products Division-Thompson Ramo Wooldridge and Rochester Products Division-General Motors Corp.
Each company developed its own system independently according to guideline issued by the Chevrolet project manager. At the close of the initial design program all the different units were installed on test vehicles at a Detroit dealership under the supervision of development engineers who conducted driving evaluations. You will see some of their comments in the memos shown at the end of this story. These have been reproduced at full scale so you can read them easily.
Lobb acquired the Marvel-Schebler Products system that was installed on an Impala for test and evaluation. The story goes that one day an engineer brought the car back into the dealership with instructions to remove the fuel injection and return the vehicle to its carbureted configuration and scrap the injection unit.
The development group ultimately concluded that all the units were too expensive for the minimal gains they provided and the program was scrapped. The Chevrolet dealership mechanic that was instructed to remove it placed it and all the spare parts in a box and stored it under his work bench because the Chevrolet engineer said it was to be scrapped. After an extended period of time the mechanic cleaned out his work bench area and took it home. Fearing reprisals he wrapped it in Cosmoline and buried it in his back yard where it remained until a few years ago when he dug it up and offered it for sale. Lobb was Johnny on the spot to pick it up.
According to Pat it took a lot of research to track down all the facts about the system, but he was ultimately able to acquire copies of the GM memos and discover the original vendor that produced the all important diaphragm for the control unit. After all this time the company was still in business and it was able to make him a brand new diaphragm. Then it became a matter of cleaning, installing and timing the system which also included an original throttle body assembly. He says it drives quite well, but he can identify the comments made by the evaluators at the time. There was a story going around that the engine made 444 horsepower back then, but Lobb has been unable to confirm it. The big block Chevy Mystery Motor had also begun development in early 1962 and in many ways that sealed the fate of the 409 W-motors with or without fuel injection.