Monthly Archives: March 2013

Special 4×2 for Jalopy Journal

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Jalopy 4x2 1Wow, big mention yesterday on the Jalopy Journal. We built the carbs and a double tricky linkage for the Y-block mounted 4×2 blower plate for their Project 38 nostalgia drag racer. And it all turned out real nice.

Our buddy and Stromberg reseller Aaron Von Minden supplied one of his 6-deuce tops for 6-71 blowers and the car’s builder, Keith Tardel, cut and shut it (awesomely, I might add) into a very cool and unique 4-carb blower plate.

So why so tricky? Man, these carbs sat so close to each other that the accelerator pump rods were touching the carb in front! There is no space to get any linkage in between the carbs so we made some cool stainless steel throttle shaft extensions to get the right-side carburetors to meet the left hand linkage, but the fat ends literally hit the jet plugs on the left-side carbs. We solved that with a further lathe visit to skinny them up, then our ace fabricator Rick P made up some little support brackets with oilite bushes to keep the extension ends from waving back at us in the breeze.

Next? Well, race cars need a rod end linkage so we made each carb link individually adjustable – four swivels linked together on a straight rod like a convict work party just wouldn’t cut it.  We didn’t want weird-looking short links either. Rick came up with this crazy plan involving two levers on the front carb. Good on the intake and good on the eye too. But even then we had to shave some iron off the left-hand bases to ensure unhindered WOT on all four carbs (..too close together!). Remember that crazy Navarro 4-carb deal we posted recently? That was for a blower plate too. Same issues…no space. Anyway, problem solved. You can read all about it on the Jalopy Journal..

And….Looks like we might make some more of those throttle shaft extensions, by the way, as they came out real nice. They cover the steel throttle shaft bush, which helps the looks, and using stainless instead of brass helps reduce the torsional twist you get on all long throttle shafts. Stay tuned…

 

New Stromberg ‘fuel gauge’ banjos

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DSC_8990Looking for a place to mount your fuel pressure gauge? Look no further. We’ve just finished these neat ‘fuel gauge banjos’ which allow you to check the fuel pressure right at the carb. They have all the benefits of our super-popular stainless steel single and double-end banjo fittings, but with an 1/8th NPT hole in the end of the bolt to accept your hot rod fuel pressure gauge. Part numbers? 9082K-G for the single end, and 9083K-G for the double-end banjo. That’s G for gauge, right? Genius..

Just to remind everyone, Stromberg banjo fittings use large diameter stainless steel material with a recess lip on each side to hide the gasket and move the bolt head closer to the banjo. We had to increase the wrench surfaces a little on these models to give us enough meat for the NPT thread in the end, but we still knocked the corners off the hex and rounded the bolt head too. The banjos are sized to fit both 5/16inch and 3/8inch hose, and plenty of fuel flow is guaranteed. One word of warning. Don’t use them with a 3×2 progressive linkage (as the fuel line and centre carb lever want the same space) until we launch our new stainless banjo spacers. Smart solution coming soon!

Knowing your fuel pressure is all the more important with Stromberg 97 carburetors, because you need to ensure 2.5psi max, of course. So if you already have Stromberg banjos (9082K or 9083K), and want to add a fuel pressure gauge to your line, you can buy just the replacement bolt. Ask for 9084K-G. All three new kits can be viewed on the Stromberg website right now, so ask at your favourite Stromberg dealer today!

Navarro 8-barrel Stromberg 48 carb Update !!

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Navarro Stromberg 4bbl top viewUpdate! We got an email from experienced hot rod Journo, Chris Shelton, this week (thanks Chris!) with an update on this cool Stromberg 48 based siamesed carb:

I think I can shed some light on this crazy 4×2 setup.  I wrote the story about Navarro’s roadster in the February ’10 R&C. Barney built that car in the late ’40s—as far as we can tell his engine and the one he built for his then-employee Tom Beatty were the first Flathead Fords if not first V-8 engines ever to get Roots-type superchargers. So that sort of goes with the story that this assembly came to pass in the late ’40s.

The engine that Barney built for that car reportedly exists but Scott Perrott said he couldn’t talk the owner out of it and that it lacked the blower and carburetor adapter anyway. He was forced to recreate the induction system and he did so by Barney’s instructions. Here’s how he described it.

“The hard thing was fitting all those carburetors over the opening in the blower. The holes don’t go straight down; they go at an angle. There’s also a slot cut in it so you can get to the bolts to tighten everything down. I mean it was just a lot of work for a very simple thing that turned out not to be.” But by the benevolence of Scott’s friend, Bob Coutts, it and the other difficult-to-make parts found new life. “He’s just one of these guys who’s been racing his whole life and working out of a little one-man machine shop. He and I are longtime friends and he can make anything I want. And he makes me do all the things that he doesn’t want to do.”

Click here for a photo of the finished product. 

Now did Barney remember exactly how he built that induction system? If so, did Scott understand exactly what Barney described? Supposedly Barney approved of the recreation but there’s a chance that he would’ve politely nodded in approval even if they got it wrong. I met Barney once or twice and he seemed like a thoughtful man.

There’s a good chance that the modified assembly could’ve been a design revision. That would give the carburetors a straighter shot into the narrow 4-71 opening and I can see Barney seeing potential in that. Regardless, that assembly really looks as if it was intended for a blown application

Stromberg linkages now with kickdown!

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DSC_8943Got a Chevy or a Ford with three 97s and an auto box? You need our new 9136K Cable Throttle Bracket plus our new Stromberg TwoStep progressive carburetor linkage with auto-trans kickdown capability.

What’s the secret? Our totally new center (primary) carburetor lever, which extends below the throttle shaft center line to pull the kickdown cable at a point set by the owner. The ‘kickdown’ end has a ¼”UNF thread, which accepts the special fixing common to most hot rod aftermarket auto-trans kickdown cable kits.

Linkages with the new kickdown capability simply add a KD suffix to the regular part number, so the 9246PRO 3×2 kit for small block Chevy intakes becomes 9246PRO-KD with kickdown. For small block Ford, choose 9253PRO-KD. Chrome versions are also available. All KD linkages come with two of our Snapback torsion-type throttle return springs, by the way. We have shown the traditional springs in our ‘assembly’ pictures to highlight a typical conversion from a Lokar-equipped 4-barrel carb to three 97s.

To be honest, kickdown is an issue we rarely encounter with flathead Ford applications, but with more hot rodders choosing a 97 tripower for their small block Chevy or Ford, our new ‘kick-down compatible’ progressive linkage, coupled with our new 9136K Cable Throttle Bracket, is a real problem solver. Just one note, if you have one of the more modern auto-transmissions like the 700R4, for example, please seek professional advice about the TV cable requirements. It’s not as simple as with an old-style Turbo 350, for example, as the rate of cable ‘pull’ is as important as the distance pulled. We are looking at special solutions, but they’re not ready right now.

Here’s the full KD range, available from stock. The new center carb lever (Part No: 9096K-KD) is also available separately, complete with swivel and clamping screw. If you need something else, please ask!

9246PRO-KD – 5-1/2″ carb centers – typical small block Chevy 3×2

9251PRO-KD – 4-7/8″ carb centers – Offy Y-block & Cad 3×2

9253PRO-KD – 4-3/4″ carb centers – Edelbrock small block Ford 3×2

All these new Stromberg linkages are on the website under the Linkage & Fuel Delivery menu. Prices are the same as the regular linkages. And as ever, full installation instructions and ‘how-to’ help are also available at the Stromberg Tech Center at www.stromberg-97.com.

New Stromberg bracket for cable throttle – and kickdown!

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DSC_8981Here’s a piece we should have launched years ago. Say hi to our new cable throttle bracket (Part No: 9136K), making your Stromberg 97 3×2 tripower set-up even easier to use, particularly on small block Chevy and Ford engines.

You mount it securely between the carburetor and intake manifold (it comes with an extra gasket), and it positions the cable for optimum, bind-free ‘pull’ on the Stromberg premium progressive linkage. There’s a fixing hole for the small extension bracket supplied with most hot rod auto-trans kickdown cable kits. And a separate side arm provides a mount for a traditional return spring – or you can chop it off if you use our Stromberg 9154K torsion return springs.

We have a lot of customers nowadays converting their small block Chevy/Ford from a 4-barrel carb, and many already have Lokar-type throttle and kickdown cables in place. Our new cable bracket, coupled with our new ‘kick-down compatible’ progressive linkages, help make that swap as easy as possible. You can keep all your cables, and even your 4-barrel Lokar® return springs.

While it was principally designed to work with small block Chevy and Ford motors, our new stainless steel bracket is also compatible with most Ford Flathead tripower intake manifolds, (though not with the stock fuel pump). We’re sure you can find a heap of other ways to use it, too. As ever, help with installation is available from the Stromberg Tech Center.