A $400 option, then, put you on the cutting edge of progress. At least that was how it looked to the few purchasers who put their money on the line. They were soon disappointed. Bendix EFI was too complicated. Injection was regulated through "valves" actuated by a solenoid, itself electronically actuated (miniaturized transistor electronics were then in infancy). Even with periodic adjustment the system was unreliable. The customer had to take his car back to the factory for installation of the twin carburetors it had been born with. Apparently Chrysler never got to the point of a general EFI recall. The superintendent of the DeSoto plant has said that between Jan. 20 and July 15, 1958, 35 Chrysler 300Ds were equipped with fuel injection, along with 12 Dodges, 5 DeSotos and 2 Plymouths. These figures dont agree with the microfiches, which show 16 EFI-equipped 300s. Several of them have survived with their replacement carbs, and one 300D has come down the years to us with its EFI intact - its undergoing restoration. Chrysler didnt carry its EFI experiment into 1959 or subsequent years. Only at the end of the 1980s did fuel-injected Chryslers reappear on the market. Since last year (2002) an '58 ADVENTURER F.I convertible has been restored. It'st he only one DeSoto with F.I ! Pic of the electrojector below and other pics at http://www.chrysler300club.com/jhstuff/fuelie/fuelie.html |
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