Stromberg 81 vs 97, rebuild or new?

jason78613

jason78613

Junior Member
I have a 1938 Standard, 60hp. My carb is leaking fuel and mechanic suggested 3 options:

1. Have mine rebuild by Carburetor Center in CA. (around $300)
2. Use a $60 rebuild kit, with shipping/labor will also around $300
3. Purchase a new Stromberg 97 (costs around $500)

He seems to like option #1 best, but not sure which way to go as I'm not very knowledgeable in this area. He did mention the 97 has a different CFM than the original 81 so it may feel a little more sluggish at acceleration, but may provide slightly more torque/power at cruising.

Also, he isn't sure that the new 97 will have all the same linkage for throttle, etc.

He also isn't 100% sure if mine is even an 81 as there is no markings that indicate so, but said that's what my car is supposed to have.

Thoughts/suggestions?
 
jason78613 said:
I have a 1938 Standard, 60hp. My carb is leaking fuel and mechanic suggested 3 options:

1. Have mine rebuild by Carburetor Center in CA. (around $300)
2. Use a $60 rebuild kit, with shipping/labor will also around $300
3. Purchase a new Stromberg 97 (costs around $500)

He seems to like option #1 best, but not sure which way to go as I'm not very knowledgeable in this area. He did mention the 97 has a different CFM than the original 81 so it may feel a little more sluggish at acceleration, but may provide slightly more torque/power at cruising.

Also, he isn't sure that the new 97 will have all the same linkage for throttle, etc.

He also isn't 100% sure if mine is even an 81 as there is no markings that indicate so, but said that's what my car is supposed to have.

Thoughts/suggestions?
Click to expand...
Uncle Max or Charlie, either will be great without question.
 
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I completely stripped & rebuilt mine with the help of Clive @ Stromberg here in the UK, but I think parts were about $70 + a good day of my labour, and I bought a sonic cleaner - any excuse to buy a new toy! Those hockey sticks are really tricky.
But then I'm one of those who likes to learn, and know who to blame if it goes wrong.
 
I would try to find a nice 81 core and have that rebuilt by Max. The 81 is a slightly smaller carb than the 97. If you call Max he may have a nice unbuilt core available.
 
There is a lot more to rebuilding a carb than just putting in a new kit. Plus not all kits are created equal. I had CharlieNY rebuild my 94 and couldn't be happier. Charlie is the go to guy for 94's just as Uncle Max is the go to guy for 97's. But of course this is JMO.
 
I'll second that. When I said I completely stripped I meant COMPLETELY went through it, just fitting a kit won't fix everything that could be wrong.
 
Uncle Max did my 81's (actually French 22.2's)

Geoffrey
 

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