What are the best and worst carburetors ?

[C26Pinelake]

I am looking for the best one for a daily driver and not performance for long trips. Do some require more care than others or do some break down quicker than others ?
Thanks Wayne

[azmodela]

Well on VW's I like to run the Solex 34, I've run.... Oh, wait I think you mean for Model A's.

The zenith that the car left the factory with does fine for me for daily driving, interstate driving, or high speed highway driving.

What are your goals here? What's wrong with the standard issue zenith? Tell us more about what you want out of things and why you're looking and we'll help you out more.

[Milton]

All things considered I like the Zenith for a daily driver. Like a pair even better, had two of them in tandem way back when.

[Tom Wesenberg]

I like my original Zenith, but I haven't tried the aluminum carbs.

[montanafordman]

Originally Posted by C26Pinelake

I am looking for the best one for a daily driver and not performance for long trips. Do some require more care than others or do some break down quicker than others ?
Thanks Wayne

Uh oh! You might get a few different opinions so grab the popcorn! I think the biggest factor might be who rebuilt the carburetor or the individual parts that went into it. Some of these factors might not be easy to pin down to a single carburetor or rebuilder either. Heck even individual engines might have differing opinions on what "they" like best and if they need more or less frequent care so "individual results may vary." First decide if originality is so important or not - That will rule some out such as the Tillotson which was a popular aftermarket replacement some years later. Then if what you have doesn't suit your fancy or you have the money to try some others (or have club members willing to lend you some to try out) you can form your own opinion.

[steve s]

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I don't think that there is an answer to your question; the variability within a type of carb far exceeds any difference between types. It all depends on how carefully it has been rebuilt. None of them are prone to sudden structural breakdown, but all are vulnerable to crud coming down the line from the tank. There is no distinction between reliability around town and reliability on a trip.

My experience was that after several A & B Zenith rebuilds and a few Tillotsons, good running was finally achieved with the second brand new repro Zenith 1, EXCEPT for the vapor lock problem. That was finally solved with the new Zenith 13922; also ended the stalling on hard stops phenomenon.

Steve

[V4F]

Weber !!!!

[Logan]

When using a stock intake manifold, we used zeniths just because we have about 5 good running ones laying around the shop. We also have 3 tillotsons, which ive used before also. They both run about the same, but with the tillotson its best to run 2 gaskets on in-between the manifold and carb because they tend to warp a little over time. Another thing, no matter what carb you use, if you dont have clean gas/gastank your carb wont last very long. It will get gunked up. Something i always recommend is for people to start their cars often about every 2-4 weeks to get some fresh gas flowing threw carb to keep it from gumming up the insides, and when storing the car for more than over night i recommend turning off the gas flow valve and running the gas out of the carb.

Now i run a weber 2 barrel down draft and it works great for all types of driving, but it doesnt appear stock at all. After using the weber for almost 2 years, i wouldnt go back to a stock carb, but the weber does cost quite a bit of money and if youre a purist at heart then its not for you.

[rollingsculpture]

Zenith B 2 by far the best in my AA truck

[Jordan]

The ones that run usually run the best.

[al's28/33]

A ZENITH that is tuned to your engine.

[John LaVoy]

I like the Holly on my phaeton!

[mkmskm]

You mention performance but not necessarily mileage. I have a Zenith on my car now, its performs great and gets decent mileage. It has tons of parts availability and was the most widely used. Its also the most complicated, and in my opinion the easiest to plug up with those tiny passages. The Tillotson is another good option, has good parts availability and some feel has better performance. There are several in our club who swear by the Marvel. Its simple, easy to rebuild but there aren't many parts for it. Probably has the best performance and worst mileage. You could drink a soda through its main jet. They offer a rebuilt kit which is new gaskets, but commonly the float valve leaks and the lower packing is bad. Watch to make sure if you buy one, its complete. If you need a new float valve for a Marvel, use a Case V, VA, VAC replacement for their Marvels. You can get Viton tipped units from antique tractor shops that are a perfect replacement.