Sidedrafts

[cjc]

I have owned my BJ8 for over 30 years and have concluded that my back will give out long before my car will. Call it mid-life crisis if you want but I would dearly like to try a set of Webber sidedrafts just for the heck of it. Just because I have a triple set of 45 DCOE's and a set of Weber manifolds collecting dust on my shelf of AH odds and ends. I would like to know if anyone would care to offer their experiences and opinions on the pros and cons of making the switch. For me it doesn't have to be an act of no return. My AH has a mild cam and custom built exhaust headers so I suspect it breaths easy. Has anybody tried the OER's and how do they compare? What about various manifold designs? Talk down to me, like I just bought my car yesterday and am atill wondering what to do after I turn the key to off and the car keeps running.

cjc

 

[Keoke]

OH CJC, I don't know anything about those webbers but,when you turn the key off ,put your foot on the brake and then put her in third gear and let the clutch out easy she will stop runing.---Keoke- /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[MotorHead67]

Like you're wondering where the oil goes?
The subject has come up in the past and, while I haven't run them myself, I think the general concensus is that they work well in a narrow rev range.
I drove a Weber equipped BJ8 once...engine sounded great.

 

[Dave Russell]

[ QUOTE ]
Just because I have a triple set of 45 DCOE's and a set of Weber manifolds collecting dust on my shelf of AH odds and ends. cjc

[/ QUOTE ]
Hi cjc, welcome to the forum,
With your mildly modified engine, using three 45DCOE carbs, you should probably start with 30 mm choke, or main venturi tubes. The 45 doesn't particularly like very small 30 mm tubes & you would be better off starting with 40 DCOE's & the 30 mm tubes. Anything larger may be impossible to get tuned. Since the 45 will accept chokes up to 40 mm, this carb is really overkill for the engine. You will need 6 tubes plus a whole box full of jets, quite expensive, & a lot of messing around. I would suggest that you contact Redline - Weber or one of the other distributors for specific recommendations. In the end, you will likely not see much gain over a pair of HD8 SU's. Wow factor aside. Good luck with your project. Hope it doesn't drive you nuts.
D

 

[Randy Forbes]

I have 45 DCOEs on my car; I don't know where you live in Michigan, but you're welcome to venture down to Toledo and make a record of their parameters. Off the top of my head, mine are setup with 36mm chokes to increase the velocity through the venturi for improved throttle response.

I did not find that they were only a benefit in a narrow power range, and throttle response over the SUs is better throughout.

 

[57_100_6]

Hey Randy,
I am currently in the process of rebuilding 3 45 DCOE Type 9, they are also equipped with the 36mm chokes. Any tips? In your photos the shafts are still in, did you remove after the dip? Mine have been sitting from the previous owner and there seems to be a lot of varnish which makes everything pretty tight but figured once I gave them a dip they would come apart all right. I have everything off but the throttle shafts on carb 1. Thanks for any info you can provide.
Don

 

[Randy Forbes]

Hey Randy,
I am currently in the process of rebuilding 3 45 DCOE Type 9, they are also equipped with the 36mm chokes. Any tips? In your photos the shafts are still in, did you remove after the dip? Mine have been sitting from the previous owner and there seems to be a lot of varnish which makes everything pretty tight but figured once I gave them a dip they would come apart all right. I have everything off but the throttle shafts on carb 1. Thanks for any info you can provide.
Don

Hi Don,
Most manuals caution you NOT to remove the throttle shafts, unless absolutely necessary. I did not need to remove mine. I think it has a lot to do with special tools required for the shaft's bearings and seals. Besides, it's very easy to distort the shafts by twisting them (not much resistance where they're slotted).

I was able to clean mine with a NAPA sourced carb cleaning "bucket & dip basket." BE SURE TO WEAR YOUR RUBBER GLOVES AND SAFETY GLASSES, nasty stuff! They were nicely varnished up, but there was no corrosion of the castings.

I would recommend getting one of the popular books on servicing/tuning Webers, if you don't have some already. They really help to understand WHY we tune them the way we do. I just missed getting another Italian (genuine Weber publication) manual on Ebay. I have one of the "official" manuals already, but I'm always interested in seeing if a newer/older edition has additional useful information.

The carbtune tool made balancing the airflow a cinch!

 

[57_100_6]

Thanks Randy,
I am using the Haynes manual which shows the removal of the shafts. The rebuild kit contains nothing that needs to be replaced so I think I will just dip them and see how they look.
I have ruined an SU shaft and had to drill out throttle plate screws in the past and would like to avoid if possible this time around. The only reson I can see for removing would be to lubricate the bearings.
Mine are the early Type 9 Italian Webers and they do not have any way to hook up that carbtune tool which would be nice. I plan on using the colortune for each cylinder when I get around to installing these carbs probably some time next year.

 

[AJAX50]

I've got triple 45's on my BJ8. They were set up on a rolling road by a Weber expert. They are just as flexible at the bottom end as the SU's but carry on pulling so that you really need to watch the rev counter. The only draw back is fuel consumption, down from approx 20 mpg to 15. But the car is much more fun to drive. Agree with the comments about being conservative on choke size.
The workshop I used to set up mine charged £70 and a small fee for exchanging the jets. I've got the full details of a number of set ups, I'll pass them on if you want, but I think the best way is a specific set up on a rolling road.