[1]Stuart Hilborn, the inventor of Hilborn Mechanical Fuel Injection system, passed away this morning at 96 years old. He was born on October 19th, 1917.
[2]Hilborn had a passion for racing and going fast. This led him to invent the constant flow mechanical fuel injector. All of his competitors said that the system would never work but he proved them wrong. Stuart flew past the 150MPH mark on the dry lake beds, setting a world record back in 1948. His Hilborn Injection went on to win the Indianapolis 500 and anything else that “required maximum speed and an internal combustion engine” states the Hilborn Facebook [3] page. Stuart was also inducted into the SEMA hall of fame for his injection.
Most will recognize a Hilborn fuel injection system by the iconic ‘stacks.’ These were flared tubes that went directly into the cylinder. They were usually polished or chrome and are very popular in the hot rod crowd and in the 60’s on drag racing cars. Even today they are popular in the Sprint Car world. These systems were designed for wide-open-throttle applications and not for street use. Unlike a carburetor there is no float, idle circuit, or accelerator pump.
However if want that look but with street manners, there is a solution. Newer technology has been adopted to this design. Now they have the same stacks with a modern fuel injector attached. All available applications can be seen on their website, Hilborn Injection [4].
Hilborn was an innovator and way ahead of his time. His legacy will live on in the automotive world for years. Stuart leaves his wife of 60 years, his son Duane, daughter Edris, four grandchildren and two great grandchildren.
[5]The iconic stacks of the Hilborn Fuel Injection system