stromberg 97 on model A

J

Jonnyenglish

Member
My original tillotson is leaking fuel, so it needs a rebuild anyway. Im going to make an inlet and exhaust manifold (Headers, sorry) and am thinking of buying a new stromberg 97. I will be fitting a winfield head once Tod is making them. Is a 97 going to be too big..I have searched and cannot find the cfm of an original tillotson or zenith to compare the 97. I think it will be ok but dont want to waste money. Thanks in advance.
 
Jonnyenglish said:
My original tillotson is leaking fuel, so it needs a rebuild anyway. Im going to make an inlet and exhaust manifold (Headers, sorry) and am thinking of buying a new stromberg 97. I will be fitting a winfield head once Tod is making them. Is a 97 going to be too big..I have searched and cannot find the cfm of an original tillotson or zenith to compare the 97. I think it will be ok but dont want to waste money. Thanks in advance.
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A Stromberg 81 will work better than a 97.
 
Thanks Pete,i assume from that the 81 is smaller? I see a lot of places in the US who rebuild old carbs but it seems they all need an exchange unit, in that you send your old one in..which I dont have....As far as I can tell they only manufacture the 97 now so for a good as new 81 Id have to send one back to them for rebuild. As im in the UK postage costs are prohibitive for that. I can buy a new 97 in the UK for about £250 ($400), but if it wont work well then i need to look at other options...as you have suggested...any more opinions,
 
Jonnyenglish said:
Thanks Pete,i assume from that the 81 is smaller? I see a lot of places in the US who rebuild old carbs but it seems they all need an exchange unit, in that you send your old one in..which I dont have....As far as I can tell they only manufacture the 97 now so for a good as new 81 Id have to send one back to them for rebuild. As im in the UK postage costs are prohibitive for that. I can buy a new 97 in the UK for about £250 ($400), but if it wont work well then i need to look at other options...as you have suggested...any more opinions,
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The 81 has a 13/16 venturi. The 97 has 31/32.
Try Uncle Max on this forum. He sometimes has 81,s outright.
 
Tried up loading photos of my A with a pair of English 97's. Been running them with no problems for years. Tried 81's with poor results as were the 94's. Given the choice of a rebuilt 97 vs a new 97, I'll go with A new one every time.
 
Here's the photo showing two English 97's on an A motor.
 

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The NEW Stromberg 97 Caburetors (made in England, from original dies) - I have read and heard - are outstanding in every way. They will work on your car very nicely. Uncle Max is a U.S. dealer for them.

I have an original 97 on my '31 Coupe with 'touring engine' and it works great - except the constant danger of it leaking into my engine again ! The new 97 have a few 'improvements' over the originals, one of which is that (as NEW manufacture) they DO NOT LEAK !

- Doug Vieyra, Eureka, Calif
 
Doug, where is your Stromberg leaking from? All parts for the "New Strombergs" can be used on yours. And there are oversize throttle shafts available.

If you are using an electric Fuel Pump ensure it isn't over pressuring the float needle and seat. Strombergs don't like too much pressure ~2.5-3 psig.

I have three on my 318 ci Y-Block...

9495881349_8477cba761.jpg
 
Y-Blockhead : while it is true that old original Stromberg 97s are notorious for leaking, there have been several good threads/posts here on Ford Barn Forum that do an excellent job of helping us through to a "leak-proof" rebuild. I have had a good detail mechanic do such a rebuild on my 97, so now it does not leak. I keep my fuel pressure at 1.5 pounds and it seems to work well.

I do have about 5 94's, but they do not have the same 'cashe' as the 97, so it is the 97 I have on my '31 4-cylinder A 'touring' engine. Also I have mounted a FS electronic ignition and cast iron exhaust headers - so the 4-banger really does 'haul'. But I think it is the 97 that really is the 'power behind the throne'.

-Doug Vieyra
 
For those who need to or want to run an electric fuel pump, here is the Holley pump like the one I bought a week ago at the swap meet. This 12 volt Holley still has 15 lbs. pressure and too much flow of gas, even when running on 6 volts. At 3 volts it still has good flow and 4 lbs. pressure. At 2 1/2 volts it has 2.4 lbs. pressure and good flow.
A 4 ohm 50 watt resistor will work perfectly for my 6 volt positive ground 1950 Studebaker. A 3 ohm 50 watt resistor will give it a bit more pressure, if need be.

I prefer to run the pump slower on lower voltage, instead of running it full bore, then blocking the fuel flow with a pressure regulator.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Holley-Elec...ies&hash=item3f3abf352c&vxp=mtr#ht_276wt_1238
 
All good info, thanks. Interesting about the electric fuel pump. I know the webers are another choice.....but they dont look as good, so a new 97 it is.
 
Yes you will need a fuel pump and regulator. I have been running an original 97 on my A for about 2 years now and it runs great. Tons of power. ****** fuel mileage though.
 
This is an older picture of mine. It has been cleaned up a lot since then.
 

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jkeesey said:
Yes you will need a fuel pump and regulator. I have been running an original 97 on my A for about 2 years now and it runs great. Tons of power. ****** fuel mileage though.
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What kind of regulator would be best, and what pressure should it be set at? are they simple to plumb in? Not too worried about the fuel mileage, its for enjoyment! Yours looks great.
 
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I'm using a Holley low pressure regulator set at 2.75 psi and a generic electric fuel pump along with fuel pressure gauge on the regulator
 
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