fuel injected 361?

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phaelax

phaelax

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I came across a Dodge custom 880 online with a 361. Not really knowing anything about that engine I looked it up online. Over 300hp and (1958 only) fuel injected? Why didn't they continue with the fuel injection back then?
 
Just like the early Corvettes, complicated and hard to keep in tune.
 
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It was electronic with 8 injectors and dual distributors, one for the injectors, one for the spark plugs, and was to expensive.
 
electrojector.jpg
electrojector control box.jpg
brian6pac said:
It was electronic with 8 injectors and dual distributors, one for the injectors, one for the spark plugs, and was to expensive.
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Mopar ahead of it's time again? LOL Never too old to learn. I learned today. Thanks @brian6pac .
 
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Other than expensive and complicated, how well did it work? From what I read, many folks who had that setup would take it back to a dealer to change it out for a carb.
 
phaelax said:
Other than expensive and complicated, how well did it work? From what I read, many folks who had that setup would take it back to a dealer to change it out for a carb.
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You answered your own question. Obviously it didn't work very well.
 
The fact is fuel injection has been around forever . Until recently , mechanical fuel injection was the only way diesels would run . It is half as complicated as electrical injection but is not as drivable . Go back to the old Mercedes-Benz for example .
 
My hat is off to the guys that took the time, and put in the effort to make things in this sport what they are today!

Most of us, me especially, are wimps when it comes to breaking new ground.

I want what works!
 
And remember they tried it again in 81 with the Chrysler Imperial. Another failure. Called them back for a replacement carb.
 
This it the biggest kluge of a circuit I think that I've ever seen on a commercial product. Even though it was 1958, that is extraordinarily bad.
electrojector-control-box-jpg.jpg
 
My friend had a 81 Imperial, beautiful car, I always wanted it and he drove it to Fl to Ohio a few times and always had the fuel injection. The last time I seen the car was around 89 or 90 and it was still looking good.
 
GM tried electronic FI in 75 on the Seville and the Cosworth Vega then nothing else till 83 on a production car.
 
Didn't chrysler try an electric minivan in the early 90s?
 
I meant like an electric engine. Sorry, I shifted topics slightly
 
There was a funny noise coming from inside the car. Told my wife to get out and the noise went away!
 
toolmanmike said:
Just like the early Corvettes, complicated and hard to keep in tune.
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I'll say this...........I do not beleave the Rochester FI used on the Corvette was all that complicated. Look thru a mid 70's VW FSM at the Bosch CIS FI system used on Rabbits, Jettat's, Sirocco's.....compare it to the Rochester system, they are almost carbon copies of one another in their operation. I would hazard the guess that the people servicing the system were more at fault for problems of operation.........

The Bendix electronic system used by Chrysler was a totally different bag of snakes......the transistor was only 10 years old, they were still trying to figure out how to use them and make them reliable, capacitors were hand wrapped...........they would have been better to have used vacuum tubes.......tube technology was very well established and reliable, just bulky
 
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