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Tue Feb 22, 2005 2:23 pm

Solex, Del Orto, Weber, Kadron, Bug-Spray, single carb, multi carb, 2bbl, 4bbl.

I don't want to ask "What's the best one" on this one, but rather what do (or have) you run, and why? What worked, what didn't? What was simple, and what were the problems? There are alot of different setups on people's cars here, so I'm guessing there really isn't a "be-all end-all" of carb/induction combinations. From my background, I'm comfortable with Rochester, Cater, and Holley 2bbl/4bbl carbs, 3x2 and 2x2 Stromberg 97's on a flathead, that sort of thing. So, as you can see, my background is a little shy when it comes to the more popular setups for a Baja. As much as a carb is a carb, there are alot of differences none the less. I'm planning for a daily driven Baja that sees alot of trail/forrest/water/mud/snow for off road use.

So... what-cha got? :wink:

Tue Feb 22, 2005 2:37 pm

I figured someone would point here sooner or later. Just thought I'd throw this one in to add to everyone's own thoughts.

http://www.aircooled.net/gnrlsite/resource/articles/carbs101.htm

Tue Feb 22, 2005 2:43 pm

I have ran all sizes stock single carbs, Single Weber 40IDFs, 44IDFs, Single Progressives, Dual Weber 40 and 44IDFS, Dual Solexs, Dual Dellorto 34FRDs, Dual Dellorto 36, and Dual Dellorto 45's.

With the exception of the Weber Progressive, I think everything has it's place.

Performance wise, I think Dual Carbs are the way to go. One barrel for each cylinder. Throttle response! Webers and Dellortos are similar, most enthusiasts are Dellorto fans, but I like Weber for their simplicity. Dellortos are more expensive and apparently flow more than the similar size Webers.

Single Webers can be hard to tune, and fuel mileage suffers. They're popular with Baja guys because the carb is center mounted and out of the way.

Progressives suck.

The size of your engine and it's use has a big factor in choosing carbs, and there will be differing opinions.

Tue Feb 22, 2005 2:45 pm

If you do some scrolling throught the Forum, you'll see a Kadron posting by me. This is my current setup and allthough I still have some fine adjusting to sort out, I'm very happy with them. I really think that dual carbs are a good way to go (unlike what is usually preached). This of course is as long as you make your linkage rock solid and keep them from sloshing over (easy to do on most all carbs).
I ran 34 ict webers for alot of years before, even flat out wore out they got the job done. A little bubbly in the rough, but never failed me. I would not recomend them unless your getting a screaming deal and building a relativly small powerpant though.
I have heard from a few buddies that run pretty hard up in the national forest that the Dells seem to handle dirt etc. better than webers do if your looking for bigger setups (like 44's etc..) of course your not gonna get dells new though.

I have never run any carbs bigger than stockers in single forum, but if you do a little reasearch, you'll see that that bigger singles don't like to run too consistent, especialy when you take away the pre-heat.

Tue Feb 22, 2005 2:58 pm

Well MD, truth be told, it was your post on the Kadron's that really got me to looking harder into the whole carb setup thing. As I see it, the carb setup on an aircooled VW engine is probably more similar to a multi-carb setup on a motorcycle, than my experience with V-8's. In that respect, I certainly see how the 2 carb setup is better than the single center mounted one. I'm still working out my heat issues from another post I ran up, so that'll have to be part of my decision process too. That being said, it is as much "why something has worked" as "what I run" that I hope to learn from.

Thanks UncleBob. I haven't had great luck with spreadbore (progressive) carbs either unless everything is factory spec, bone stock. The idea is great, but in practice, they don't work as well as most other options.

Tue Feb 22, 2005 4:33 pm

Stock carb, dual Kadrons, or dual webers is all I'll mess with. I won't touch a single weber or anything Delloroto

Tue Feb 22, 2005 5:24 pm

Carb, you don't need no stinking carb. What you need is an EFI set up.Once you go injected you'll never look back.Guaranteed!

Tue Feb 22, 2005 8:37 pm

i like my carbs like i like my women: cheap and simple. So, I run kadrons. They'll give you decent performance on small to mid displacement engines (1600- 1915 cc), but once you start getting into bigger stuff, they run out of breath without major modification.

Wed Feb 23, 2005 10:13 am

Wow, I'm surprised at the early consensus towards running dual carbs, and Kadrons seem to be at the top of the list with Webbers close behind. I figured more towards the single setup being the more popular off road.

Baja5, EFI setup? Are we talking a mechanical unit like a BOSCH type with an EFI conversion, or an aftermarket setup? EFI was definitely the ticket when racing tough truck. Bouncing the hell out of it didn't make much difference to how it worked. Throttle response and fuel efficency were of course much better too. Are you running EFI? Any pics of your setup?

Wed Feb 23, 2005 10:52 am

I found my set up here on the classifieds section. It's a CB performance, dual throttle bodies,and the adjuster unit mounts up under the dash. You're right about throttle response and fuel efficiency. I can run all weekend on a tank of gas. The car will spin close to 7000 rpm and still pulls pretty hard. They are'nt cheap, but there are deals out there. The guy That sold me my set up said he built a rail buggy for a guy and at the last minute he decided to go with a turbo set up. The car had beed run down the street a few times and that was it. He shipped the whole set up to my door for $1200. I couldn't pass it up. and I had 44 webers that i sold for $350..I think the Kads run pretty well on motors under 2 liters, but when you get into bigger stroker motors webers seem to be the way to go if you are going to run carbs.Just my thoughts.

Wed Feb 23, 2005 4:07 pm

B5, I had a look at their EFI system. VERY nice! 8) It looks like what Mooneyes has recently done with the old Stromberg 97 carburettor, and made a throttle body that resembles the old carb, and uses the same mounting and accessories. http://www.mooneyes.com/MISC/drive.html CB Performance's system looks alot like a re-worked Webber-turned-throttle body, with an injector system added, and managed by an ECU. I like that the end product still looks "Traditional". That system looks like it would solve choke/cold start problems too. Thanks for passing that on, it's worth some serious thought. Any chance you can pass on a pic of your setup? There is some mention of having to re-work the engine bay, did you find this to be the case? Does the EFI setup present some limitations as to exhaust systems you can run? (I was considering the "dual cannon" style, but this may put the exhaust/mufflers too close to the throttle bodies.)

Wed Feb 23, 2005 4:21 pm

I'll try to get you some pics. I cant ever seem to post em right so I have been sending them to Brad and he does it for me. As for fit, my car was already cut for baja fenders so it just bolted up. And i just run a trimill exhaust with the U bend and muffler. I'm not sure about fit with cannons but from what i've seen i doubt it would be a problem.

Wed Feb 23, 2005 4:23 pm

if i ever get my digital camera around your car, you'll never need to post another pic. I'll have detailed shots of every aspect of that thing

Wed Feb 23, 2005 4:31 pm

Thanks B5, I'll look forward to the pics when you and Brad get them worked out. I've got to admit, that setup really has me thinking about the EFI option, cost or no.

Wed Feb 23, 2005 7:28 pm

Wed Feb 23, 2005 7:36 pm

Thanks Brad.

Thu Feb 24, 2005 3:56 am

"Ooooooh........aaaaaaahhhh!"

(too bad there's not a jealous emoticon)

Nice!

Thu Feb 24, 2005 8:18 am

Wow, very nice Baja5! 8) What a nice, clean set up. Nothing blocked or crowded at all, everything accessable. I guess they were talking about a stock engine bay when CB Performance refered to having to modify the engine bay. The linkage looks well thought out, and well made too.

Thanks for the Pics guys, I really appreciate it.

Thu Feb 24, 2005 8:43 am

The set up is really easy. you have to drill and tap a boss in the drivers side head where the stock valve cover clip goes, and you have to run a return in the fuel line but its only a 3 wire hook up in the engine compartment. it has a data stream connector that i mounted near the pcm under my fuel cell inside the car,and from there you run the dash module to where you want it. It has a high pressure-volume fuel pump and an adjustable fuel pressure regulator.The most time consuming part was routing the fuel line. I used the Earl's high pressure.The linkage is the same as dual webers.Easy deal.

Thu Feb 24, 2005 5:37 pm

Well, I've done a little homework, and poked around. I've found an older Hillborn unit for sale near Toronto, but it sounds like it needs work. Also, it's straight mechanical injection. There are several places that will convert it to EFI, but it would add up to more than I would want to spend. I like the CB unit from everything I've read. There are some Programable EFI units out there, but to be honest, I'm not sure the benifit would match the increased cost, plus having to mount all the extra sensors. Likely, from what all I've read, I'll be looking at a set of Kadrons initially, then swap up later. I'm about 85% sold on upgrading with a CB unit as part of the definite plans.