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Thread: Engine Question

  1. #1
    Senior Member
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    Engine Question

    Starting to think about the engine for the '33. It's definitely a 350ish Chevy SB with auto tranny. This would be a no brainer except I have my heart on installing 3-2 barrel carbs - more for the look. One Engine guy basically said they don't do it because of the tuning...question, has anyone gone this direction and it is NOT a big mistake (versus 4-barrel)??? And not that much of a problem to properly tune???
    As a side note, I also wanted to go to fuel injection when I build my MkIV - the company selling the fuel injection actually at that time told be much the same; go to a 4 barrel and save yourself a big headache - still would love the look of fuel injectors!

    Wheels & Tires next!
    Thanks!!!

    Walter

  2. #2

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    RoadRacer's Avatar
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    Can't help you directly, but I've seen 3x2 EFI! Here's one example I found quick.. http://fitechefi.com/products/39610/

    Best of both worlds?

    P.S. I can't resist 650dp.. inefficient but old school fun
    James

    FFR33 #997 (Gen1 chassis, Gen2 body), license plate DRIVE IT says it all! build thread
    My build: 350SBC, TKO600, hardtop, no fenders/hood, 32 grill, 3 link, sway bars, 355/30r19
    Previous cars: GTD40, Cobra, tubeframe 55 Chevy, 66 Nova, 56 F100

  3. #3
    Ol Skool
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    [QUOTE=racephotoman;315822]Starting to think about the engine for the '33. It's definitely a 350ish Chevy SB with auto tranny. This would be a no brainer except I have my heart on installing 3-2 barrel carbs - more for the look. One Engine guy basically said they don't do it because of the tuning...question, has anyone gone this direction and it is NOT a big mistake (versus 4-barrel)??? And not that much of a problem to properly tune???
    As a side note, I also wanted to go to fuel injection when I build my MkIV - the company selling the fuel injection actually at that time told be much the same; go to a 4 barrel and save yourself a big headache - still would love the look of fuel injectors!

    The guys telling you not to do something are the guys that don't know how to do what you want to do. Find other resources for help. While the tripower set up (six pack in my world) doesn't have any performance advantage today, it does have a great nostalgia look and certainly will perform well if matched with the correct cam profile. For a small block chevy I believe you can still get a complete top end kit set up to be close to the tune you need. Or as RR said there are EFI set ups available also. There are still guys that can set up a tripower and even one of those Quadrajet things that used to be on old big blocks...

  4. #4
    Seasoned Citizen NAZ's Avatar
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    Well, how bad do you want that Tri Power look? Many hobbyists have trouble tuning a single carb but if you have the skill (or have a competent tuner nearby) you should go for it if that's the look you want. As long as you know what you're getting into and the end result is worth the extra work and expense then go with the Tri Power set-up but make sure to post photos.

    I grew up with carburetors and as a professional auto technician in the dark ages before EFI I've tuned more carbs than I can count. I get it -- the cool factor can be worth the extra effort. For me form follows function and I still prefer the simplicity of a single carb over multi carb systems unless there is some compelling performance advantage.

  5. #5
    Consummate Learner TxMike64's Avatar
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  6. #6
    Seasoned Citizen NAZ's Avatar
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    TxMike64, that is too cool for school. Try-Power EFI is cool but EFI Strombergs is just nothing short of Wow!

  7. #7
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    Here,
    With a multiple carb setup, you have decisions to make. Will you be using an IR (individual runner) intake manifold or an open plenum intake manifold. An IR manifold requires you to use all three carbs for idle air/fuel (must balance) and the open plemun (GM tripower) allows the center carb to control idle air/fuel (easier to maintain). The IR setup requires direct linkage (all carbs open at the same time) and the open plenum allows progressive linkage (center carb is primary and the other two open at full throttle) Note:This application makes less HP than a single 4bbl, etc. and requires lots of attention to jetting to set up......Looks cool, though!

  8. #8
    Ol Skool
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    FXM brings up a couple good points. A dual quad is slightly different in that you can have primary to primary progressive plus primary to secondary progressive, but a similar issue can arise with 3X2 setups. Individual runners make tuning more of a challenge and that is something I would stay away from unless your confidence is justifiably high. I have gotten over aggressive with linkage and throttle blade timing on strong motors in light cars. If you have enough engine to respond to the faster opening on 6 barrels the car is quite hard to control. I would recommend a common plenum using the outboard units like secondaries. My memory is the Pontiac setups had the best instructions, but, I think they were vacuum secondaries and they came in real smooth. A cam with conservative overlap and wide LSA (112 or so) helps. I had a flash back memory to a time we got frustrated, unhooked the outboards and the car ran so good we left it that way until we got a good 4bbl manifold and the Rochesters went under the bench.

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