97 or 94 what's your preference?

[felix37]

Just wondering...if you were running a single carburetor and authenticity was not a factor, what carburetor would you choose?

[f1builder]

i have been told by many that the 94 is a better carb but i always run 97's just because back in the day they were the preferred carb for rodding.

[Ol' Ron]

The 94, especially the later ones have a better buster. I've been told.

[Dick's Hot Rod Place]

No question, the 94, which is a much improved version of the 97 and instead of 150 CFM for the 97 you have from 175-280 with one of the 17 different varieties. So, put a bounce in your step.

[Alaska Jim]

Ol' Ron and Dick, what would you run for jetting and power valves if you were going to run a tri-power set up on a Y- block ( I know this is the early v8 forum ) using 94's ? progressive or straight ( all 3 at once ) linkage. I am thinking of doing this on my 30 coupe with a y-block in it. sorry about Hi - jacking the thread------Jim

[Tim Ayers]

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97's. 94's may be a better carb, but I love the simplicity of the 97. If I was racing and trying to squeak every last HP out of motor, I would consider 94's. Since I'm not and I got a hoard of 97's, they'll have to do !

[uncle max]

OK, I am going to my room.

[Talkwrench]

Lol!

[G.M.]

Originally Posted by uncle max

OK, I am going to my room.

97's without any doubt. You can come out now. G.M.

[Admiral]

I've never run a 94 on my car, though I've got two rebuildable cores sitting on the shelf if I ever get the bug to try one. I really like the Stromberg for it's simplicity. You can tear one apart on the side of the road at night during a thunderstorm in about two minutes if you had to.

[Charlie ny]

Felix,
I sure lean towards Tim. I build both Stromberg and 94 style carbs and the
simplicity of the Stromberg with its all mechanical power circuit gets my nod....but
just by a nod.
Regardless of the carb if you choose to "do it yourself" forget any other
rebuild kit supplier other than DAYTONA PARTS in New Smyrna Fla...386 427 7108,
ask for Gena. The key to a happy 94 is the vac power valve, DP has the closest to
OEM. All of their kits are superior regardless of what carb is on your bench.
I should shut up now but I won't.....for some reason 94 style carbs are
extremely sensitive to throttle shaft slop. Anything over .005 is too much in my opin-
ion. This condition causes crappy idle and the dreaded fuel drip after shut down.
These are my opinions only and I respect any and all others.
Charlie ny

[38 coupe]

I like 94s better than 97s since I think 94s have a more consistent fuel / air ratio. However, I find 97s to run longer before needing cleaning and gaskets.

[Talkwrench]

I was given a 94 today that although was dirty came off a low mileage car, 272 Y block. Seems to have a dash pot and and external power valve ( economy valve) ? Might clean it up in time and try it.. Possibly a little big for my 221..

[Ol' Ron]

I love topics like this, because they're personal as well as technical. Ford only used Strombergs for a short time between late 33 and 36(not sure of the dates.) I have no idea why he changed carbs. AS a youte I thoughr=t the carburetou was a mystical thing that only a wise man could fathom, I still do. For years I was bafacated ( that's a word I invented) by the fact that you could install two carbs of the same type and one worked and one doesn't. Again, one of the main reasons I didn't like the Strombergs was they cough fire, leaked gas.
A few years ago I had Strombergs rebuild by a professional. installed them on the 294 and for reasons I couldn't figger out didn't work.
I sent these to Uncle Max and now the engine runs better than we expected.
Duribg the 60's the multi carb setup was replaced by the 4 barrel became king and many people including me found that replacing a bunch of carbs by a 4 barrel ran much better and and got better fuel mileage.
Now comes the kicker!!
Tuning, In the early days tuning was tweaking the little jets on the back of the carbs. Changing jets and putzing with the distributor, was again forbidden Territory. Drag/Stockcar racing changed all that, now these things worked together, amagine that. Working on these old cars is an education that taks time, at 82, I'm still learning and my latest project is an complete engine management system, based on the 88-92 GM system.
Might work, might not. But we'll learn sumpin.

[40 Deluxe]

Talkwrench, that external "power valve" is a 'spark valve', used to control ignition advance for that wonderful Loadomatic distributor vacuum only system. A MOTOR manual from the day explains the theory of operation.

[Talkwrench]

Ahh well said Ron

Ohh thanks for that, spark valve hey..

[Ralph Moore]

94's are easy to build (for me anyway),easy to run, but the 97's have the nostalgia and the looks .
I guess I'll have to learn how to rebuild them properly before I put the ones I have to use.
Till then I'll entrust them to Uncle Max.

[felix37]

You guys make my decision hard! I have rebuilt my 94 a few times. I'm still running my original 37 intake which I polished and platted. I guess one advantage to running a 97 is that I wouldn't have to worry about blocking the extra hole on the gasket surface?

[scooder]

Yes Felix, that hole stays open with a Stromberg.
Martin.

[Talkwrench]

How did you block it off just with the fibre gasket? Or is that not enough for a holley?

[scooder]

No a fibre gasket is not enough, I use a fiber gasket then a thin (about 0.030") stainless plate to block the hole, looks same as gasket obviously no heat hole, then another fiber gasket, then the carb.
This would end the worry.
Martin.

[felix37]

I used an old fiber gasket to block off the hole. I suppose I could make a thin metal plate.

[Ralph Moore]

Uncle Max makes a nice metal block off plate that is nearly invisible when installed. I'm using two of them on my triple setup, till I get it broke in.

[Kahuna]

94's suck

[Dick's Hot Rod Place]

Sorry, but opinions are like belly buttons, everybody has one. The more you ask, the more you get. Still say the 94 is a much better carb than the 97, (my opinion and no one else). I guess so did Henry, that's why he changed.

[tubman]

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I'm with Dick (above). Do any of you know how hard that is to say?

[boo]

did't hear anyone mention speedways 97, looking to maby wse 3 on my 331 stock cad. eng any thoughts? have a lot of 94's laying around, whitch is better??

[LazarusLong]

Originally Posted by felix37

Just wondering...if you were running a single carburetor and authenticity was not a factor, what carburetor would you choose?

A 94. They flow more air than the 97's. People in olden times used to run multiple 97's on flat v-8 engines because flatheads don't breathe very well,and most street cars with multiple carbs run better with smaller carbs that don't flood them out.

Truth to tell,even 3 97's overcarbs most street flat engines. That's why the 2x2 intake was the most popular.

[LazarusLong]

Originally Posted by Ralph Moore

94's are easy to build (for me anyway),easy to run, but the 97's have the nostalgia and the looks .
I guess I'll have to learn how to rebuild them properly before I put the ones I have to use.
Till then I'll entrust them to Uncle Max.

I'm with ya on that one. I bought a 3x2 script Edlebrock intake with 3 chrome 97's on it and a set of early script Edelbrock heads for the flat 8 in my 38 tudor in a deal so sweet even I have a hard time believing it happened.

I think I am not going to have much of a problem adjusting to them. They even came with the louvered chrome breathers and progressive linkage.

[JWL]

If running a single carb the choice for me would be the new 250 CFM Stromberg 97 or BIG 97 from England. Looks just like the original 97 from outside but bigger inside. Perfect for the mild street Flathead.