I'm rebuilding 4 Stromberg 97s right now for my Hemi, and I've run across a couple things I'm curious about. I searched the forum and didn't find any info on these... Number 1: has anyone tried the new Grose Jet fuel inlet that takes the place of the needle and seat? It looks like it would eliminate the "sticking needle and seat" problem. They're about $16-17 apiece, so I wanted to see if I could get any feedback before I dropped the cash for four of them. If the standard needle and seat works fine, then I'll stay with that. Two: Emulsion tubes...is it absolutely essential to pull them? My carbs are pretty clean, and I can see through the emulsion tube when I hold the carb body up to the light. Is that good enough, or do I need to actually pull them from the carb body? Three: Idle jets...I've got at least two different varieties of idle jet in the carbs I've pulled apart. One style is tapered like the ones below, and the other is straight, not tapered. Does it matter which ones I use on a multi-carb setup? Do I need to pull them altogether out of the outer carbs? I'm figuring that if I run the idle jets in all four carbs, they need to match, right? Thanks in advance for any help. -Brian
Good questions - probably a few different answers. I've built many 97's over the years and my perspective is different today than it was 25 years ago, when every $15 made a difference. (I'm now kind of like an 18 year old with a bit more money . . . trapped in a 46 year old body). 1) Fuel Inlets: There is nothing wrong with the original style inlets -- if you build the carbs right and make sure you run LOW inlet pressure (high quality regulator). This is where many folks screwed up -- too much pressure makes it easy to hang the float open, flood the carb and maybe catch the car on fire. Today - I'd run the better inlets . . . as my car/engine is worth too dang much to risk a flood/fire . . . and it's a small price to pay for the extra "carb insurance". Also - I really don't want to "tap" the carbs to "fix" a stuck float. (We've all seen stromberg tops that are half beat to death). 2) Emulsion Tubes: I never used to pull them . . . but I also had carb cleaner that would rot your hands clean off -- and I always had compressed air. Today - I'd pull them . . . as it's easy to do, doesn't cost you anything (other then a couple cheap tools) and it's worth knowing there isn't crap in them, maybe cracked - or some of the holes are clogged, etc. (the ones you can't see). Also - because you can buy these parts NEW today, I'm probably going to replace all the tubes in my 6-deuce setup . . . making sure they all match and operate the same. 3) Idle tubes: Are you running the idle circuits on all four . . . or just two? It kind of depends on your manifold/setup. As long as they are good tubes, you shouldn't have to worry about the style. I'm only running two idle carbs in my setup -- but will make sure the other four carbs CAN run as center carbs if I need them. (I'll just have the idle screws turned all the way in). To me, I'd rather have all 6 carbs the same -- just in case I have a problem out on the highway and need to "swap" things around to get home. 4) Bases: This is where plenty of people screw up . . . they have worn out throttle shafts, plates and pitted base bores. Make sure you really check your bases out -- potentially ream and replace the shafts, plates, etc.. I spend lots of time making sure everything is top-top here -- as it makes the adjustment of multi-carbed setups possible, the engine will idle correctly, etc.. If there bases are leaking air/fuel . . . there is nothing the rest of the carb can do to correct it -- you'll spend your life trying to get the damn thiings to sync, to idle, etc.. Hope this helps . . . just one mans opinion! PS: Thank gosh for companies like "Stromberg 97" --- as having a complete set of new parts available for "do it yourselfers" like you and I make this a much better world than just a few years ago.
Bass - The new "s" jet or gross jet that takes the place of the needle/seat works just fine. They not only eliminate sticking problems, but will tolerate a little more fuel pressure. You still need to keep it under 3 lbs. As for the emulsion tubes, yes they should be pulled. They might look clean, but the chamber surrounding them is a catch-all for debris, especially if you've beadblasted them. The tubes and the series of small holes must be clean for proper fuel atomization. Idle jets should all match and be left in place. If you need more help or parts, PM me, I'm a dealer for the new stuff. Lots of new and old parts.
Pull the Emulsion tubes. One of mine looked like new. The guy I bought it from had rebuilt it, the car wouln't idle so I finaly broke down and ordered the tools to pull the tubes and they were full of gunk.
Thanks Uncle Max and Bored...that helps a lot. I'm running all four carbs on a Cragar 4x2 manifold. The manifold is an open plenum design, so it shouldn't be as tempermental as say, a SBC Man-a-fre intake. Should I run the idle jets on all four? I'm going to balance the carbs with a Uni-syn, and I'm adding idle adjustment to the ones without choke linkage ala CadillacKid: http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=78383&highlight=stromberg+idle Here's the intake that I'm using, for what it's worth: As far as the emulsion tubes go, what's the best method to pull them? EZ out? Just screw an EZ out into the hole at the bottom and turn them out, right? My bases are in pretty good shape fortunately...so I'm good there. Thanks for the help!
I ordered the "tools" from Charlie Price. It is basicly a tap and a machine screw. Just tap the tube turn in the screw and pull them out. They are just pressed in.
Thanks...I was just reading this thread about pulling them: http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=72027&highlight=emulsion+tubes I'm going to go give it a shot here in just a second.
You can go to the hardware store and buy a 6-32 tap, #8 flatwasher and a 6-32x1-1/2" machine screw with nut. Tap the tubes and use the screw, nut and washer like a wheel puller. Presto! out they come. Some are easy, some are not, but this always works. . . Keep the idle jets where they belong. Also, the old thinking was to remove the chokeplates for "more flow". Not true. They are necessary to provide a smooth airstream over the open ends of the emulsion tubes for optimum atomization of fuel, like God and Henry intended. They also cut down on siphoning at speeds of over 120 mph! . . . Strombergs do their best work gathering air from an unrestricted dead-air space. I'm running all four carbs on a Cragar 4x2 manifold. The manifold is an open plenum design, so it shouldn't be as tempermental as say, a SBC Man-a-fre intake. Should I run the idle jets on all four? I'm going to balance the carbs with a Uni-syn, and I'm adding idle adjustment to the ones without choke linkage ala CadillacKid: http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=78383&highlight=stromberg+idle Here's the intake that I'm using, for what it's worth: As far as the emulsion tubes go, what's the best method to pull them? EZ out? Just screw an EZ out into the hole at the bottom and turn them out, right? My bases are in pretty good shape fortunately...so I'm good there. Thanks for the help![/quote]
looks like you got some good information from Bored&Stroked. I would have to agree with all of his points and by the looks of your project the upgraded inlet would be money well spent. The only thing I would add on the emulsion tubes; if you do not want to mess with pulling them the bodies can be successfully cleaned if you have a sonic emulsion tank. Of course not everyone has access to one of these but it works very well. being that you are in Dallas,Tx. one should not be hard to find.
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