1901 teapot question

[53_mercLuke]

I know everyone says to throw them away but I haven't had much issue with mine. My question is, is there a way to kind of hop them up alittle bit? I have looked around and haven't seen much of it. I plan on upgrading down the road but was just curious if anyone has modified them to get alittle more out of them for the time being

Thanks

[wga]

If I understand correctly, you want to make a tempest in a teapot?

[53_mercLuke]

Haha sure.. I think haha? I just want to see if its possible to step them up in performance alittle

[tubman]

I'm not an expert on these by any means, but I would think that anything that would increase performance would have an adverse effect on fuel economy and driveability. Even if you could get a small performance increase, it would be almost imperceptible by "the seat of your pants". The one upgrade that may help is boring out the manifold to match a small base 2G and use one of those.

[53_mercLuke]

Thanks tubman, I was just curious. I was there wouldn't be a big performance upgrade for a teapot but just been thinking about it as of late. I really don't have any issues with mine now so I was debating on changing it if there was anyways. Ill look into the manifold though

[rotorwrench]

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The Mercury 885 and 1901 carbs were the top of the heap for heavy cars & big trucks back in the day but the performance aspect was seldom considered since most folks wanted 2 or 3 Stromberg 97s with an aftermarket distributor. The carburetor and distributor are a system designed by Holley to work together. They are fine for mild street performance in stock form but not so much for serious competition.

[scicala]

Originally Posted by 53_mercLuke

I know everyone says to throw them away but I haven't had much issue with mine. My question is, is there a way to kind of hop them up alittle bit? I have looked around and haven't seen much of it. I plan on upgrading down the road but was just curious if anyone has modified them to get alittle more out of them for the time being

Thanks

This carb and most others are originally calibrated for peak HP at a certain RPM. The only way to increase the power is to increase the air flow and recalibrate the main jet accordingly. It would be a difficult task if you wanted to open up the venturi's to get the extra flow. I would recommend a Rochester 2gc that has the same bolt pattern to increase air flow and performance.

Sal

[Ol' Ron]

2GCc and a GM dist is the answer.

[wga]

If you want to go EFI, Holly has you covered - 2GC throttle body EFI

https://www.holley.com/products/fuel...parts/550-866K

[tubman]

On my way back from the post office today, I stopped at my shop and threw a caliper on a Merc manifold and a 2G, just to see how much difference there was. The throttle bores in the Merc Manifold were 1.300", while the 2G has 1.4375" throttle bores. A little basic math and I came out with a total throttle bore area of 2.654 sq in for the stock Merc setup and 3.418 sq in for the 2G. That means the throttle bore area of a 2g is almost 30% larger than the Merc. Definitely a significant improvement.

Of course, this means that, although the 2G will bolt to the Merc manifold, it won't do a lot of good unless you bore the manifold out to the 2G size. I have done this on both aluminum (Canadian) and cast iron manifolds without a problem. I used a scrap 2G base as a guide and a tool called a "Rota-Broach" in my $89.95 Northern Tool benchtop drill press. The cast iron cut easily, not to mention the aluminum.

Then again, if you want to get the cheapest performance increase from a flathead, have the heads milled for increased compression and optimum quench. This is not just a plain mill job, but requires some measuring before to determine the optimum cut (which may not be the same on each side) and some work with a die grinder after to get uniform clearance over the piston. Valve to head clearance is not a problem with mild cams.

[tubman]

Originally Posted by wga

If you want to go EFI, Holly has you covered - 2GC throttle body EFI

https://www.holley.com/products/fuel...parts/550-866K

That setup looks real interesting. I'd sure like to try one. However, the price is quite discouraging and I don't suppose it comes in a 6 volt positive ground version.

[Ol' Ron]

Yes, almost 2 grand for the complete system. I wonder how conr=trolable the ignition is. Like vacuum advance under load.???

[Robz51]

I've had pretty good luck with mine. Ethanol gas is a not good for these carbs. The varnish gums them up and they leak-alot! I think they get a bad rap. I had Sal Cicala rebuild mine and I runs great.

Sent from my SM-G955U1 using Tapatalk

[scicala]

Originally Posted by Robz51

I've had pretty good luck with mine. Ethanol gas is a not good for these carbs. The varnish gums them up and they leak-alot! I think they get a bad rap. I had Sal Cicala rebuild mine and I runs great.

Sent from my SM-G955U1 using Tapatalk

I agree. Teapot style carbs get a bad rap and a lot of old tales, mostly by people that don't even touch carburetors.

Sal

[tubman]

If your car is stock, I would also suggest getting the "Teapot" redone. Going to anything else leads to linkage, fuel line, and air cleaner incompatibility. We're lucky to have an expert like Sal available. I would take advantage of his services, especially since you have two of these.

[Brendan]

Originally Posted by wga

If I understand correctly, you want to make a tempest in a teapot?

i would rather have a Coffee Pot...LOL