A CCT Shop Tour With The Father Of Fuel Injection - Tech

In 1948, still a 20-something bachelor, Stu took a chance, quit his job, and began building and selling fuel-injection systems. He began by providing systems for midget racecars. Fellow mechanics, racers, and hot rodders didn't think you could keep the fuel flowing nonstop without problems cropping up. But, as more and more racers began to win with Hilborn-equipped engines, the tides began to turn. At the Indy 500 in 1949, six cars that made the race field qualified with the same Hilborn fuel-injection system, which was swapped from car to car. By 1950, Mauri Rose finished a respectable third with a Hilborn-equipped car. By 1951, 18 Hilborn-injected cars raced at Indy, with six of them finishing in the top 10. Since 1951, Carburetion Day at Indy no longer has literal meaning, as Hilborn fuel-injection systems have powered Indy 500 winners 34 times.

To this day, Hilborn Fuel Injection Engineering systems, both mechanical and EFI, are powering racecars and enthusiasts' hot rods. Stu's twin daughter and son, Edris and Duane, work in the family business. What's more, professional photographer and Edris' husband, Dan Snipes, has his studio within the adjoining building. With good reason, he does all Hilborn's product photography. Doing what you're passionate about and being surrounded by those you love are two ingredients the Hilborns and Snipes use to combat the passage of time, and in Stu's case, the onset of young age.