Masochist's Fuel Injection Collection

[Carmine]

A friend has a 37,000 mile Frank Sinatra Imperial, still running the EFI. I just suggested he buy this to create the aforementioned car collection.

MOPAR 1958 Chrysler 300D 392 Hemi Fuel Injection

MOPAR 1958 Chrysler 300D 392 Hemi Fuel Injection - $45000(woodinville) hide this posting
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1958 Chrysler 300D

fuel: gas
title status: clean
transmission: automatic


Selling a 1958 Chrysler 300D 392 Hemi head factory fuel injected car. One of 16 cars ever made, this is number 12 of 16.......loaded with every option and this is the only one with front and rear AC...needs total resto. call for more details. show contact info

 

[commando1]

The resto will be 125 easy. Who's left that can and will do it.

only one with front and rear AC...

If I could do a last hurrah car, this would do it.

 

[Davea Lux]

Sad to see such a rare car got such poor care. Might be a Jay Leno project, but this will be a very expensive car to ever bring back even if one ignores the FI. I would be very skeptical that it still runs.

Dave

 

[65sporty]

I have never seen the early Chrysler fuel injection, but it looks like someone has already put a carb on it.

 

[Davea Lux]

See attached

 

[mr. fix it]

I know my eyes are getting worse as I get older but I sure don't see any trace of a fuel injected anything here...

 

[Clover]

No tangible premium to being factory FI if all the parts are gone. Talk about rare!

 

[Davea Lux]

Also missing AC compressor, another hard to find item for this vintage Chrysler. Lines are cut at firewall connector, which probably means the evaporators F&R are trashed from being exposed to atmosphere.

Dave

 

[CBODY67]

I believe that a correct factory carb retro-fit would have been to the normal 300D 2x4bbl set-up? Rather than a normal NY single 4bbl? I understand that most were retro-fitted under factory warranty?

An expensive car to restore "right", factory FI or not..

CBODY67

 

[Davea Lux]

I believe that a correct factory carb retro-fit would have been to the normal 300D 2x4bbl set-up? Rather than a normal NY single 4bbl? I understand that most were retro-fitted under factory warranty?

An expensive car to restore "right", factory FI or not..

CBODY67

You are correct, the factory could not get the FI to work and replaced them with the 2x4 setup. There is one of these cars known to still exist with a functioning FI system that did not get the retro fit. Was featured in Hemmings Old cars about a year ago.

Dave

 

[Fury Pursuit]

The running fuel injection car you referenced is a DeSoto convertible, not a Chrysler 300 D.

There are 3 or 4 F.I. 300 D’s with their injection systems remaining. Only one is recently running, and it has some modern electronics to help her run, as they all should being electronic systems, nothing wrong with a modern up grade there.

This is a super rare car, and worthy of a sympathetic restoration. The hardest part is the intake manifold. I know where one is if anyone is intersed. Super cool car needs to be restored!

 

[hergfest]

No tangible premium to being factory FI if all the parts are gone. Talk about rare!

I disagree 100%. A 426 Hemi car minus the Hemi still makes it a Hemi car. A Fuelie car is a Fuelie car. There are several items on this car that are unique to only the FI cars.

 

[Clover]

I disagree 100%. A 426 Hemi car minus the Hemi still makes it a Hemi car. A Fuelie car is a Fuelie car. There are several items on this car that are unique to only the FI cars.

But you can get a hemi. If you’ve got all the FI parts, that’s a different story! I agree that the car is worth a correct restoration. Maybe somebody will step up. How about you?

 

[CBODY67]

A 426 HEMI car is defined by things other than just the powertrain. There are about six or seven items on the car body which are unique to HEMI cars, other than the emblems. Few people know what they are, but they are there.

Similarly, a '67-'81 Camaro Z/28 has a few items on it which are unique to Z/28s and their standard 15" wheels, other than the wheels or stiffer suspension. Two related items which very few people know are there, which relates directly to the wheel/tire combination, but are not available in the repro/aftermarket industry that I know of.

I have seen pictures of the DeSoto, which is a very nice restored vehicle.

I could see an energetic electrical engineer reproducing the electronic injection control module in a solid-state configuration, provided the original schematic could be located. That, plus better RF shielding of the unit would probably take care of most of the earlier performance issues? I remember reading that mercury vapor streetlights causing some RF interference issues.

The particular 300D is, firstly, a very collectible and ultimately valuable vehicle. The fact it was allegedly a factory FI car DOES mean something in its ultimate value, but without a functioning system (or parts which were removed when the 4bbl replaced it), the higher ultimate value would be decreased, to me. Just as a '68 Road Runner 426 HEMI car would not reach its ultimate value with a 440 replacing a long-ago blown-up 426 HEMI. It's still a "HEMI car" with a 426 HEMI transmission and rear axle, and related suspension items, but not in its full glory, value-wise.

The only way for any collector car to reach its full ultimate value is to be in its "as produced" factory configuration. From there, it's all downhill with respect to ultimate financial value. In respect to some minor mechanical upgrades to replace the OEM items which might have been troublesome of poorly designed, especially if these changes were done under a factory TSB, possibly less financial impact, but still a variable financial impact.

Just some thoughts,
CBODY67

 

[commando1]

Its VIN matched up to documatation makes the car what it is.