PostPosted: Yesterday 11:50 pm Post subject: Single Stromberg carb on 1600cc Reply with quote Edit/Delete this post
Hey guys, I've been search around for a while now but I can't seem to find much of what I'm looking for. I've read in some places that people use to run strombergs on earlier model beetles, I was wondering if I would be able to run one on a centremount set up on my 1600cc just to get a couple of extra hp out.
Also wondering what I would need to do like whether it would need a new manifold or if it just fits on the stock 34pict manifold and just stuff like that.

Also before anyone says just go dual webers they will come eventually but due to lack of money and knowledge I want to try this first and there are plenty of holdens I can get one off. I'm very new to this and will appreciate all the help I can get. Thanks in advance.

Look, it is pretty simple, step one: keep what you have, Step two: save until you can get dual webers as it saves doing two swaps and would be cheaper.

It could be done, but you would need a new manifold, the Solex one won't work with it.

there is a reason that they weren't the popular choice of carb for the vws.
from what i was told long ago it was the amount of mucking around to get them right and keep them there.

OK, I've done only 5 real-life conversions using 1BBL Strombergs, so here it is. Unfortunately it's only experience though, not current internet wisdom, so it might not be valid. The conversion actually was quite popular in the 70s and 80s.

With the current nice new/reco Solex's now readily available out there, I wouldn't run a Stromberg unless I had a really good one (and a really crap Solex) in the shed, because there is a bit of mucking around involved.

If you have one though, and are keen......
The throttle cable angle can be improved a lot by re-drilling the fanshroud holes, the manifold flange "holes" need to be made into "slots" then bolts used, and the flange also needs blending to allow for the bigger throttle plate size. Then basically you are in. Jetting is pretty close to bang-on by using the stock 161/173 settings on a 1600, while 1835s prefer the 202/Ford200 jets. The rest is a bit of mucking around, but vastly less involved than any other carb conversion.

The benefits are better float control on bumpy/corrugated roads, much better tolerance of dirt/muck in both the fuel and the air system, and a finer air-fuel mixture, which works noticeably better in cold long-runner manifolds. The real life difference is a definite improvement you can feel straight away in smoothness and throttle response, with slight pick-ups in power and economy.
Downsides are it's fiddly, and they splutter and nearly stall around fast sudden left-handers.......just like the old Holdens did too! You will need big sticky tyres to notice it though, 165s won't do it.

Here is a brand new NOS never-been-used one I've saved specially......

Thanks for your help modnrod, yeah I heard they were popular back in the 80's that's what got me interested. I don't have one lying around but I've seen some ones that look good for less then $100. Due to living in rural Australia single centremounts have interested me more and I live out on a farm too so this would obviously be better for that. I'm still not bang on about what I want to do with the engine that's why in the mean time I wanted to do a cheaper conversion that will get a little more hp and try and get rid of the notorious flat spot. So is it just the carb from the eh red motor?

Plus I'm so sick of seeing everyone on every forum put go dual webers or dells, obviously it works and when I eventually get more displacement I'll probably do it too but I just want some originality, considering old aircooled volkswagens have so much character I don't want it to be like everyone other one

Twin Webers are light years ahead of an old leaky Solex combined with a cheap crappy 009........but against a nice well-tuned Solex with a good manifold the benefits are much less than the marketing dept would have you believe. Under 3000rpm they are only marginally better, from 3000-4500rpm they are noticeably better, and over 4500 the difference is a lot, maybe 15%, but that's where stock stuff stops so why bother?
A well-tuned Solex 34, SVDA and DP manifold with good heads (which are sometimes cheaper than a set of IDFs) will be better everywhere than duals on a stocker all day.
If you want duals on a stocker coz you like the sound or the looks that's a good enough reason, why not? Each to his own, that's cool.

Personally I prefer the aesthetics of a centremount, and personally I prefer carbs with power valves for all-round street use, especially part-throttle economy tuning. There are heaps of happy people the world over using single Kadrons on 1600s to replace old Solexs too, same thing really (lots in Brazil of course).

Your EH red motor Stromberg will be perfect if you want to try it out. If it doesn't work the way you want there are lots of options out there for a stock original look while still having decent performance. Use the vac adv dizzy for the best result, you have decent manifold vacuum so might as well use it. Solex's aren't perfect, they need good fuel filters and air filters (I use oiled foam to stop the dust), but it takes 5mins to clean them out once a year.

PS: Oh, if you live on a farm, and your driveway is as badly corrugated as ours is and your highway trips end up at the dentist, you feel like mucking around just to amuse yourself, try to make a new manifold out of 1-3/8" exhaust tubing and throw a Holley 350 on it. Isolated runner, not plenum. Purists will excommunicate me for sure, but it's the best all-round combo for crap conditions I've tried.

Modnrod might have to look into the Holley combo, might pm you in a couple of days if I can't find anything if you don't mind

Also I'm very, very new to the bug scene so it means a lot for this advice

I ran a pair of early strombergs off an FC Holden on my 1500 single port in my 1955 bug a lot of years ago, there was a lot of jets available then,I used the venturi reducers smaller main jets etc made my own linkages and balance tubes. Initially I had a lot of trouble with flooding but this was rectified with a good filter and a tank on the top of the fan housing for constant feed. When they were balanced and running well the acceleration and top speed was awesome for the time and there wern't many cars that could touch the litt;e black beetle between Taree and Tuncurry and then I brought my Ghia and sold the bug in 1967. Happy ending, I still have the Ghia and enjoy driving it it immensely.
I also ran a pair of the 32PDSIT's off a type 3 on the Ghia successfully, not as much buggering around, just used a few stromberg carburettor insulators to adjust the height and modified the linkages to suit. these ran quite well ,not the same raw grunt as the strombergs but more economical.

Monrod, the solex set up sounds really good, you expecting the same 'performance' as the stromberg with this set up. I'd love to have a crack at a lot of these different, old school set ups it's just a bit hard where I live due to there being next to no enthusiasts/specialists and a lack of mechanical knowledge on my behalf.
Grumble, that sounds awesome, love the ghia's, they are just beautiful car. I also read in the only other post I've found about these stromberg set ups that you are the man when it comes to this stuff

So much customisation, makes decisions hard

Quote:

Originally posted by Greeny2798 So much customisation, makes decisions hard

How true, grumble. R & D ! Now that's a better way of putting it...I just knew it as 'mucking around with VWs'.

So much to learn from tying out different combinations. On a 36hp, I've tied Amal, SU, and Judson with stock carby. On 40hp, there was Nikki, SU, and Zenith.

Believe it or not, I had the best results from 2 SU carbies...once they were tuned right.

Yeah I've been reading forum threads since before I got my bug but with it being a 45 year old car with one of the simplest engines made there it just so much choice out there. At the moment I'm liking the idea of stromberg or the 350 Holley, although it may not be the greatest carb set up in the world it does have reliability, can deal with bumpy roads and dirt and still give slight performance increases.

Quote:

Originally posted by HappyDaze How true, grumble. R & D ! Now that's a better way of putting it...I just knew it as 'mucking around with VWs'. So much to learn from tying out different combinations. On a 36hp, I've tied Amal, SU, and Judson with stock carby. On 40hp, there was Niky, SU, and Zenith. Believe it or not, I had the best results from 2 SU carbies...once they were tuned right.

Those Datsun carbs are probably what I used. They were Nikki brand, and were progressive 2 barrel...with a handy glass window on the side, for checking float levels.

Here we are talking about this stuff (best conversation in years btw! ) so I had a quick look and.........

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/182451555723?ul_noapp=true 

TADA! I just bought some off him for a different carb.

Twin SU's