Re: Triple Strombergs or Triple Webers
Hi again,
Well, that changes things a bit.
If you already have a set of 40DCOEs (hopefully along with the manifolds and linkage), you might as well go ahead and give them a try! One of the biggest drawbacks to any DCOE conversion is the initial purchase price, the question if the little bit of extra performance is worth all the extra dollars. But you've already made the purchase, so I say slap em on there and go for it!
Did the set you have come off a TR6? If so, they might already be set up and jetted pretty close to what you'll need. Fine tuning is still highly recommended for your specific engine, but if the carbs came off a TR6, everything is probably close enough to get the car started and running initially.
It especially might make sense to try the DCOE if you are already going to be doing other engine mods anyway. You can always switch back pretty easily. Later you might want to give the triple ZS, and then will be able to tell us yourself which one you like better. (BTW, like one of the other responders, I'm a little biased toward SU over ZS. But you can opt for either one with the same triple manifold... the one from Goodparts, I assume).
Let me clarify, with DCOEs you won't be getting them tuned every 6 months. In fact, that's one of the main appeals of the Weber sidedrafts. They have very few moving parts to wear and get out of adjustment, so there is little or no ongoing tuning to be done over time. It's just initially that they need to be set up right for your engine, and that should probably be verified and might need a little tweaking after the engine has some miles on it and everything "settles in". Using a dyno and a pro Weber tuner might be expensive, but it's a one or two-time deal. A trial-and-error tuning approach at home usually ends up being more expensive, not to mention frustrating.
At the same time, the fact that the are few moving parts is somewhat of a drawback with Weber sidedrafts. The fixed jet and venturi arrangement means they can't self-compensate, if, for example, you drive from sea level up to a ski area at 4000-5000 ft altitude in the mountains. Assuming it was correct when you started out, the mixture will be a bit rich at the higher altitude. To some degree the same is true for varying climate conditions and air temps. But, unless you drive up into the mountains alot, you'd likely only get into changing things around frequently if you were racing and trying to shave 1-2 seconds off a lap time.
Plus, swapping things around is dead simple. All the key items (primary venturis or "chokes", auxiliary venturis, main jets, air corrector jets, idle jets, emulsion tubes, etc.) are highly accessible for just that purpose. Once you know where things are and have the parts to swap, you can change it all around in probably 5-10 minutes.
The downside is cost... There are six of most items in that set of carbs you've got. Multiply six primary venturi times $20 apiece. Maybe you'll want a smaller set and a larger set, for different situations, so double that (taking into account that the carbs already have one set installed). Main jets might only cost $6, but who knows, you might end up with a range of five or six sets to give rich, normal and lean across a couple different sizes of venturis, then multiply times six in each set. The same applies to air correctors and emulsion tubes... six of each. How much you end up spending really depends upon how much you want to fool around with things. On the other hand, I set up my car once and drove it for 8 or 9 years.
Another thing to think about.... I'd suggest you keep your stock carbs handy. If your car ever has to be inspected (emissions or ?), DCOE are illegal for street use in California, last time I checked.
On my TR4, I can swap from the Webers and their manifold to a set of SUs on a stock manifold in about 10-15 minutes, after which the SUs will need maybe 15 min. or half hour of fiddling to get balanced and all. So, swapping doesn't need to be all that big a big deal, either.
Again, one extra thing you'll need to figure out with Webers is the car's distributor. A stock one would need to be modified to eliminate all the vacuum controls. The only manufacturer of an aftermarket, centrifugally-controlled dizzy is Mallory (either a dual point or an electronic Unilite), and that doesn't provide any means of hooking up a tach cable, so using one of these means changing to an electronic tach, too. Either a modified Lucas or the Mallory might need some tweaking to get the advance curve set up initially.
There are a number of books available regarding Webers. In fact, Haynes publishes one that also covers both ZS and SU carbs. I recommend a little reading to help understand the functions of the carbs, at least. Weber books include guidelines for selecting and jetting carbs, and usually a table showing standard "kit" jetting recommendations for DCOE installations on a wide range of cars, including TR6 in stock form. Keep in mind this is just a starting point, though.
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