ZEEEE06

How do you tell the difference between a fake and a real 62 fuelie?

sub006

Assume the worst, get expert help if still interested.

Cruzmeisters

http://i32.tinypic.com/ifwgmr.jpg

One way - that I've been told many times by CF members - are holes on the inner edge of the driver's side fender that hold the bracket for the hose(?) that runs from the hole in the radiator support to the side of the FI unit...

Ironcross

You really cannot....The fakes are good enough to not be able tell for sure....I know of three that passed scrutiny and were originally 340 hp cars...Both cars were converted several years ago and I know the owners... their buyers got what they wanted, a 62 FI Vette and thought they were real. They went away happy and with a much thinner wallet.....

The only way I would proceed to know for sure is to get the history on the car and then decide for yourself......Hell there all FI cars aren't they?.....If the seller knows everything down to the last detail about 62 FI Vettes It`s a fake....... I have owned mine since new and hardly know any more about it than its color ......

But its not a restored car either.....Heres the real one

gbvette62

There's supposed to be a difference to the firewall/trans tunnel area, of FI cars.

If you send me the leggy girl in your avatar, I might tell you what the differences are.

Kerrmudgeon

I don't really think there's much to gain to go to all the trouble to fake a 62 fuelie. The cost of acquiring the correct parts and having it all installed correctly and working well, on a non-fuelie car would be higher than buying a real one. Why bother?

vetrod62

The dimple is the what to know. Only works on 62s. Hard to fake from both sides of the fire wall. Most do not know. It is easy to drill holes or fill them. And this from a corvette Hot Rodder who could care less.

vetrod62

Not true, Trophy Blue asked me to look at a car locally that claimed to be a fuelie, had all the correct stuff in a box, but it failed the dimple test and a few minor things. He wanted $40K for a 20K car. I called him out.

Kerrmudgeon

Yes true! I'm not talking about a bunch of parts in a box, because then due diligence is expected to determine a fraudulent claim!
But,....to put together a restored fraudulent fuelie would be more costly than any profit made, over and above a restored non-fuelie!

DZAUTO

The original question was "How to tell a true 62 FI car from a fake".

It is VERY difficult if ALL the correct pieces have been acquired, say for example from a badly wrecked donor car, and installed on a non-FI car.
MOST pieces for FI are specific to the FI cars and were factory added. The most significant parts are the hardware for installation of the fresh air hose that goes to the FI air cleaner, the FI air cleaner and a few other misc parts. ONLY the 340hp and the FI cars had the high redline tachometer. So, for example, if a 340hp car (came with an AFB carb) were converted to FI, then it would already have the high redline tach.
The ignition shielding is slightly different (mainly the top cover), the rectangular FI side emblems would need to be added, and once the holes were porperly positioned and drilled for the emblems, it would be nearly impossible to know if they were the original holes or had been drilled by the owner.
So, bottom line, if ALLLLLLLLL the correct hardware for an FI car had been acquired and PROPERLY positioned and installed, it could pass inspection of even the most knowledgeable judges.
Very honestly, it is not difficult to clone a 62 FI car because there was only ONE version of FI in 62. They were ALLLLLLLLLL solid lifter 360hp/327 and manual transmission----------NO PG FI CARS IN 62! There were several FI versions 57 through 61.

Tom Parsons

capevettes

Looks like most everything has been covered. Anything can be cloned if they know what they are doing. So you have to take a look at the guy selling it. If he has a pinky ring and a gold necklace it's probably a fake.

Cruzmeisters

...the "dimple" that someone on the Forum provided a while ago:

http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/k...asherDivot.jpg

chris ritchie

Only characteristic that can't be easily faked is where the hole in the firewall goes for the tach cable. On the FI cars, the hole is drilled slightly off center. On carburated cars, the hole is on center. I'd say it's impossible to fill and re-drill that hole without detection. See the AIM for more detail on the placement of this hole.

Also in the AIM, you will see where all the other FI stuff is added to the base car. That is, all those FI characteristics can be added to a car that was originally carburated.

mashinter

Without documentation, I would insist that the car be judged at an NCRS Regional. Their new policy is that a counterfeit car will be so labeled permanently. It would be almost impossible to fool an experienced NCRS judge...particularly on a '62.

JohnZ

The stamped Pal nut on the heater air lever shaft goes on TOP of the coiled cable wire - it keeps the coiled wire from coming off the shaft.

62Jeff

And that's how I have it configured John, the picture shows threads cut into the heater air lever shaft from installing the stamped Pal nut, but the cable is truly below the nut.

JohnZ

OK, now I see (said the blind man) - shoulda looked closer; at first glance, the threads looked like wire turns.

jimgessner

Good photo. True, this plate has been installed on non original cars and 'faked', but if you have ever seen an original from under the fender where it is molded into the inner fender panel, you will see how an original if different from a made up car.

wmf62

there is another 'dimple', and that is the one that locates the center of the tach boot hole in the firewall. the spacing of the dimples is such that drilling the proper sized hole for the boot leaves the other one still visible (at least it did on my car...)
Bill