Comparing Weber kits .... advice sought

[krswen]

I've been researching Weber kits on-line and would like the benefit of the experience you all have had.
XK's kit is $3500 .... way more than anyone else, but maybe better made and better jetted?
SNG Barrett kit is $2749, but the linkage seems to have cheap-looking stampings.
Terry's Jag Parts is $2495 and the linkage has heim joints and looks more substantial.
What experience have you guys had with these kits? My engine is a bone-stock 1974 XJ6 in a Panther J72 (so I have plenty of room under the hood). Do some come with optimum jetting right out of the box and others you need to fiddle with?
A few hundred dollars either way is not an important factor if the kit works well.
I'll be using a Pertronix mechanical distributor. Haven't ordered the fuel pump yet. Any recommendations there?
The SU kits are so expensive they are out of the picture, but Paltech makes a triple Zenith kit which might be an alternative if the feedback from you guys is that the Webers are more trouble than they are worth. The car came with a pair of Zeniths with the mickey-mouse secondary throttles which I have removed and sleeved the bores.

Ken

 

[vrracing]

Don't have any experience with any of the kits but you didn't include ClassicJag so thought I'd pass on the link.

https://classicjaguar.com/cj/webers.htm

There are people who hate Webers and say they dump fuel and cause global warming. And there are people who say Webers work great on the XK engine as long as you can tune them correctly. Classic Jag makes a point that theirs are properly jetted for the XK engine. I don't know about the other folks as I wasnt even aware they offered kits!

Good luck

 

[why]

First car-work efforts in '61, SUs on Volvo, then in '67 on to Webers on Alfa and it was a revelation their precision turning screws instead of nuts and being able to really find with some sense of suredness that spot between rich and lean. Since then same mix of carbs with no change in attitude, webers a pleasure to tune, SUs always a bit iffy. Years ago looked into putting Webers on the Climax in my Elite, many stories of how difficult to figure out correct jets in Webers having to evidently juggle several parameters at same time, a lot of effort to get it right. In '95 built a Caterham 7 as daily daytime driver and made sure kit came with prejetted Webers, once set It seems I have to retune maybe once a year. Weather here pretty even, if you live with real seasonal changes, maybe have to do a few time a year. Good Luck, J

 

[PhilW]

Hi Ken,

I've worked in a Jag rest. shop for years and have put Webers on many E-Types, mostly series 2's. Most of the kits are very similar, except for the linkage geometry connecting the carbs. Since you're starting with a new slate, you can mount your linkage anywhere on the firewall, or better yet, a cable throttle set up. We like the Terry's Jag kit, but they'll all work. Be prepared - They will ALL need to be set-up properly on a rolling dyno when you're done. Every region in the country has different fuel blends over the year and you have to dial in your fuel and the engine compressions can vary widely. One size doesn't fit all. We rarely use the stock jets. Once set up, Webers are wonderful, but I personally like the SU's. You can buy an SU manifold ( Terry's ) and put on 3 Stromburgs (you already have 2, they'll bolt right on), but they are a pain to get right. Be sure the Webers are made in Italy. We've had problems with the similar knock-offs made elsewhere, though they might have gotten better.

Phil.

 

[krswen]

Aahh, good input. Thanks Phil.

Ken