Hi, I'm hoping someone here can direct me to a good home, marketplace, or something for a weird bit of auto history. My parents are going into senior living and my dad has a bunch of his father's things in storage -- one of which is the original, first electrojector for Bendix -- which my grandfather Robert Winfield Sutton invented. He had 32 patents on electronic fuel injection, worked at Bendix his whole career (40 years) in South Bend, IN, Elmira, NY, and then Detroit. My dad has the first electrojector (a brass nossle thing) and all of my grandfather's notebooks, and illustrated patents. And a bunch of other stuff, God only knows what. It's in bins in their senior center storage room. My grandfather was an engineer at Bendix and started out in aviation. He converted something from airplane carburetors for use in automobiles. He drove concept cars, tinkering with EFI for years. My dad can tell a lot of Bendix EFI, early Chrysler stories. (Apparently my grandfather was fond of drag racing on Woodward Ave. with cars no one knew had EFI.) I found this forum by googling Bendix electrojector. Whoever @Gotgas is showed up on a thread when I searched, apparently people collect this stuff. What to do with these things? My dad would love to donate it to an automotive museum. Or find a home with someone who would appreciate the significance of his dad's work. Would love any suggestions.
Cool! I just looked it up -- in Kalamazoo! I went to college there. Can't believe I didn't know this place existed.
Try The Bill Smith Speedway museum in Nebraska . That would be the right place that a lot of people could be able to see and enjoy for many years to come. Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.
I think they closed their museum. You might try the Henry Ford Museum. They have all kinds of stuff, not just Ford stuff.
@Tracy S...good on you for reaching out and trying to find someone to showcase some of your Grandfather's accomplishments...it's all part of the big picture...some great suggestions already... All the best on locating a museum...
Relevant info on Robert Sutton's Accomplishments... https://www.allpar.com/cars/desoto/electrojector.html https://patents.google.com/patent/US2980090A/en?q=sutton&assignee=Bendix&scholar&oq=Bendix+sutton https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bendix_Corporation https://www.hemmings.com/blog/2017/06/25/the-rambler-rebels-fuel-injection-the-dream-and-the-legend/
If memory serves me correctly, Bendix was first with FI for autos. They gave up on it and sold to Robert Bosch Corporation. Bosch had it on VW’s in the mid 1960’s or thereabouts. From this stemmed modern FI as we know it today. Bosch licensed much technology to Nippon Denso and another Japanese manufacturer. I’m a bit out of touch as to who’s supplying what on cars today, but presume the German cars are all Bosch branded, Japanese still building under license, and Domestic using some Bosch components. Somebody in the know, fill me in please.
Herb McCandless would probably love to have this, and the stories, for his mopar museum. Sent from my iPad using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Hey, Tracy; Before this disappears forever into some museum or somesuch, would you consider doing lots of detailed pics, specs, possibly measurements, & posting whatever your grandfather had, + what you father knows? Fabulous history. At least here it'd be saved for posterity. . TIA. Marcus...
These are at the link I posted in an above post with each of the links referencing Robert and or his Accomplishments...he definately is an influence on the big picture... https://patents.google.com/patent/U...+Robert+Winfield&assignee=Bendix+Corp&scholar
That's a start, thanks. Seriously find this interesting. I probably have some of this stuff, since iffen it's different or "oddball" - I'm in, but it's buried away deep, & I couldn't find it now if you gave me my weight in $100 usd/lb. ;( . Thanks so far. Marcus...
This Patent stuff is online for anyone leisure to research there is much more at the link at Google and yes it is highly technical. There is more at the link describing the patent and it is pretty technical in nature... His Accomplishments are noted in relevant press on these systems that were used in industry that needed it including automotive. You are correct that the items and literature @Tracy S has could be valuable and an addition to the patented and invented items...publically accessible....
Vintage hand and technically done illustration...yes really cool its dated 1961...Actually it was drafted in 1957... Searching Google Patent isn't exactly User friendly but you can find really cool stuff...even from the very early auto era...a lot of incredible designs are archived for good in there...
Were they first...doesn't say but here is data on its release... From Wikipedia... In 1956, Bendix introduced "Electrojector", a true multipoint electronic fuel injection system, which was optional on several 1958 models of automobiles built by Chrysler Corporation.[4][5][6]
This is the only picture I've ever seen of the injected 392 in the 58 Chrysler 300. If you look close, this picture is a mirror image. the valve cover lettering is backwards.
G'day Tracy, Thanks for speaking up about your grandads historical electrojector cache. What I'd recommend So that your Grandfather's information isn't ferreted away forever in a meseum only the select few will visit, is this: Before you do donate to a museum/sell it off , allow the archivers at archive.org to digitally scan and save (archive) your Grandads literature so that all of us and future generations can view it. I believe I have a high up contact at archive.org that can help you with this. He drives the computer litrature and software Preservation at archive.org. He and his team is experienced in preserving these things from the 60's 70's and 80's . What I wouldn't suggest is selling your Grandfather's cache to collectors. In my experience these collectors hoard these documents and won't share even for those who want to repair and recreate these systems. But use these documents as a way of increasing their restored cars $$$ before they sell it. I recently tried asking gotgas to share documentation for a recreation of the circuit board of the Bendix efi, although he is on here most days,he has never even replied. If you'd like to make your Grandfather's documents, art and history available for all before going for preservation to the museum/selling it off, I can help start the ball rolling with archive.org,Message me on this board if you are interested. God Bless, Barana. It's a cool privilege to be chatting with the grandaughter of the father of modern electronic fuel injection, aka EFI.
Interesting, that conversation went dead. Tracy S, if there is any doubt as to archive.orgs integrity in public archiving, I encourage you to contact them direct.There is no requirement or need that you should archive via my contact. God bless.
The latest YouTube video from Jay Leno's Garage features a fuel injected Chrysler 300 owned by one of his employees. He is using the original throttle bodies, but with a modern computer.
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