I bought a set of three SP tops at the Jalopy showdown this past spring. I have had them for sale for a while because of a lack of understanding as to how to use them. I am now thinking I should use them but have found I can't find any information on how to handle one major ( at least to me) problem. On original Stromberg tops, there is a slot right behind the accelerator pump arm where the pump return spring would go. Like this... On Sp tops, there is no slot or hole for the return spring to be attached. They are solid faced like this.... This lack of understanding on my part is what kept me from using the SP's. My 3 deuce setup is pretty much standard....runs on the middle carb with the 2 end carbs being dumpers. The middle carb has a throttle return spring which will close the accelerator pump arm when you let off the throttle. The dumper carbs DO NOT have the accelerator pumps hooked up to the butterflys. This is the setup that one of our local Stromberg heros did for me. There is NO mechanical connection between the throttle and the accelerator arms on the dumper carbs. The only thing keeping them closed is the mentioned acclerator arm return spring. I know I could just take out the accelerator pumps and the problem would be solved but I am not a fan of that look. How was this handled when Strombergs were the big deal ? Did people machine the SP tops to accept the spring? Did they use the return spring at all? Or did they simply eliminate the accelerator pump and spring all together? Inquiring minds what to know.
I'm interested too. I seen yours for sale and I really wanted to scoop them up but just didn't have the funds. I also started to do some research on them and there seems to be a trick to setting them up to flow right because a bunch of guys like enbloc has a set but every time he puts them on his car runs like shit. I heard somewhere that the choke flaps on normal 94's and 97's are what makes them flow right. Something about the way the air enters the venturi.
Without seeing the underside of your tops, the ones you have appear to be sand-cast reproductions of the original SP top. The original SP top is die-cast and I think they have the provision for the accelerator pump spring. I have a pair of originals, I'll dig them out and take a look.
Brian, when I bought these, the HAMBer who had them for sale said they were original but polished with the logo polished out ....based on the part number on the bottom......like this
I bought a couple of the newer repos and found that the threaded hole for the accelerator pump pivot screw was too small. I just assumed it was just another piss poor reproduction. The original Speed Product tops had the SP cast into the top. These have been reproduced more than once over the years so it can be difficult to know which ones you have.
Here are a couple of photos of mine. There is a little hole in the front of the throat for the accel. pump spring. It looks like you could just drill yours out.
Thanks Brian. I was wondering if I could do it that way. Is there anything I else I should look at before I put these on my car?
Hmmm this is interesting because I have 3 of those exact tops that are still in the original box. I can post a pic? The original part number that is under the tops are on the boxes too.
Who Me ? Aww......HEll no I bought them off another HAMBer at the jalopy Showdown. I have already contacted him. He had picked them up several years ago. I think this is all covered by Buyer Beware............At least I am not going to screw anything good up when I start drilling. Mr Hamel, I would love to see what yours look like....SP TOPS still in the box that is.........
<HR style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #e5e5e5; COLOR: #e5e5e5" SIZE=1> <!-- / icon and title --><!-- message --> the original "sp" tops were produced by Al Sharp and Gordon Pilkington, where the name comes from (S)harp(P)ilkington, the business i belive was SP speed producst, theres some really good history reads here http://www.wilcap.com/webdoc7.html Gene Scott reproduced the tops, so did wilcap There are also alot of repop tops, some with the "sp" on them some with out, also you can tell a crappy copy as they are cast aluminum and some are Die cast, which is much better i think those might be the wilcap tops my original sp tops dont have any part number on em either just like Bass's
I'd be interested in seeing yer setup....are the dumper carbs jetted rich to compensate for the accel pumps being disconnected???
Here is a different design SP top, repop..Same issues with spring. Drilled a hole and bent the spring, no problems.. Duane.
thanks Duane. Wednesday night is hotrod night so I will be at the garage then. I plan on doing my planning tomorrow and probably drill them on Saturday.......I know.........that's Christmas day...........going to the garage anyway.
Bringing this one back from the dead. Anybody ever figure out how to make these run well? hrm2k, did you ever put them on your car and run them? I just got off the phone with the former PSI/now Antique parts supply and they haven't cast any in years, does anybody repro these at this point? I have three usable matching 97 out in the shop with beat up top covers that these would solve...
So cal Sacramento had some decent repops, we were there just the other day and i was looking at them.
I have the three pieces nailed to the wall just under a window. I use them to hold shop towels as sort of a dispenser. Never put them on.
You probably should just start a new one. Photobucket has screwed the whole internet up including this thread.
Yeah, photobucket totally screwed a bunch of really good threads.............but since this thread, I sent the 3 SP top clones out to @need louvers ? in Arizona for his 3 stromberg 97's on his car
Been running SPs on this car the whole time, as it came with them. Other than getting dirty all the time, they run great, had very little trouble with them. I had a friend in Decherd, TN overhaul them a couple years ago, and he said they're the best running 97s he's every seen, wanted to buy them. http://www.americantorque.com/page/0/1123/
So, heres what i have learned over the last few years on my quest for some of this old junk, Original Sp tops were sold by Speed Products, which were very nice castings with the SP logo on the top and no part number on the bottom side. Trans dapt bought out either S.P. products or just the Sp carb tops, they are also very nice castings but have the SP103 part number on the bottom, I have 4 originals, once bought from a guy that bought it new and who told me the trans dapt connection as thats where he bought it. Gene scott from PSI in rosemead also reproduced them, they had no sp logo on them but had PSI on the underside and some other info, they are also pretty nice castings. Then you have Cecil Yother (i think) SP carb tops, also pretty decent castings, they come as cast, no part numbers on them no logos on them, ive bought a few of them and polished them up, they fit nice and look nice and clean up and polish nice. then there are Sp tops that have the SP logos on them that were recasted off an original top so they are a bit smaller and were recasted in sand so the quality isnt the best but they were casted for non-running show car replication, two guys went in togethor and recasted a bunch of them, one guy used them for his personal projects and wont sell to any cause they were not meant for that purpose to him, the other guy decided to sell some of his so they are out there floating around, usually raw-cast with no machining done. I dont have any pics of these but will dig them up. So.....theres all the info i have on them, i think i have it all down pretty close to being the correct info, theres probably more info or other tops out there but this as close as i can get to the real deal with supporting facts JEFF
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