After some thread search I see that backdrafts were apparently made by Holley (for Mercs) , Rochester (Olds/Stude) , Stromberg and Carter for who knows what . I want to run two of them on a 250 cid inliner Chevy , midrange cam ,9/1 comp , headers , no head work . So the question is .... which of these are the easiest to come by , work on and what flow do they have ? It seems , after some research , kits are available for rebuilding all of them but no doubt some are easier than others . Anyone run these puppies and/or have some advice ? I realize this is a little offbeat but that is why I pony up 50 clams every year because someone on here actually knows all this crap .
I'll tell you what little that I know about the Stude carbs. You see that they carry the Bendix and the Stromberg WW logo's. They came in 2 sizes. The smaller one is 1.285 butterflies. The larger 1.4something. If I were looking for a pair for a 6cyl., I'd be looking for the smaller variety. I've always heard them called Stromberg WWs. The Studebaker variety is the back draft type made for hood clearance. An Ebay search will usually pull up 1 or 2. You will need a jet wrench. The same wrench used for the 97 carbs.
OK, in alphabetical order: Carter made one O.E. and one pretty much aftermarket for the 1949~50 Oldsmobile 303 engine. These were WGD models. These are excellent carbs, and share many tuning components (jets, springs, rods, floats, etc.) with other WGD's. My opinion, too large for your application. Kits and other parts are readily available by mailorder. Holley made several model 885-FFC carbs for 1949~51 Mercury and Lincoln. My opinion, too large for your application, and VERY troublesome carbs; however, kits and other parts are readily available by mailorder. Rochester produced two model AA carbs 7001570 and 7002570 for use on 1949~50 Oldsmobiles. The very best thing I can say about these is that Carter WGD replacements are available. However, kits and other parts are readily available by mailorder. Stromberg produced several different models of WW with the laid-over airhorn for use on Studebaker. The WW models are excellent carburetors, once you install bushings in the aluminum throttle bodies. Choke linkage can best be described as "hokey". My opinion, these would be the ones to chase for your application. Kits and other parts are readily available by mailorder. For the sake of historical accuracy, Stromberg also produced a number of EE-3 models with the laid-over airhorn in the early and mid 1930's for use on Duesenberg, Packard, and Stutz engines. All are much too large for your application, and if priced, one might wonder if they were constructed from platinum. Again, kits and parts are readily available (but not inexpensive). There are also many single barrel carburetors with the laid-over airhorn. Carter, Holley, and Zenith (perhaps others, but these are all that I remember) produced carburetors of this type. Jon.
One other comment, although this is in the guise of semantics: Technically, there is no such thing as a "backdraft" carburetor. The "---"draft refers to the direction the air/fuel mixture is traveling when it enters the engine. An updraft carburetor (eg Carter BB-1 Chevy double duty) would have the air/fuel leaving the carburetor vertically traveling upwards; a sidedraft carburetor (eg Carter early Corvette) would have the air/fuel leaving the carburetor horizontally (hence the "H" in the YH model name); and a downdraft carburetor (eg Carter W-1) would have the air/fuel leaving the carburetor vertically traveling downwards. Jon.
I was gonna put " horizontal air induction tube " carbs but my carpal tunnel was acting up too much at the time to type that .
The Jalopy Journal
