12 replies to this topic

[JackWhiteIII]

Hi all I'm not sure if this is where this is meant to be posted if not can admin move.

 

Can a stromberg carburettor be made to fit a mini? Just wondered if it was at all possible?

 

[Alex_B]

Big question is why, Su carbs are well documented with use on the a-series, 

Theoretically yes you can fit anything which meters the fuel and air mixture but will it work well? who knows, if you can get a stromberg carb the right size then all you need to do is make an inlet manifold which fits it and mounts it at the right angle, then jet the carb to suit. 

Personally I cant see why as I dont think strombergs are all that brilliant and if you wanted to play around with fueling I would look into injection, its the modern way and you  can get some very nice kits now which include everything (I think) which will be the best for setting up for performance and economy 

[JackWhiteIII]

:) it was just a general thought mate :) seeing what the outcome would be esp twins although I know they're awkward to set up properly

[DILLIGAF]

Strombergs come in all the same sizes that SU's do and work on the same way as a SU. They are a CV carb (constant velocity) carb and there has always been much discussion over the years as to which is best. With equalled good pints to both sides......

 

The one thing I'll say is, SU's are cheaper to maintain, as they don't have a diaphragm which can and does split..........

[JackWhiteIII]

Do you know of any mini's with them on?

[DILLIGAF]

No but I've got a set of twin 1.5's to try out sometime, they where quite a popular conversion back in the day........

 

Do a search on the NET, there'll be loads of info out there.........

[KernowCooper]

Alexander back in the day did a conversion which was a manifold and twin 1.25s or 1.5s, they never caught on with the BMC tuners though and compared to SUs they were always looked upon as such

[DILLIGAF]

Funnily enough it's a Alexander conversion I've got to try out, will get around to it sometime..........

[KernowCooper]

I served my apprenticeship in a Vauxhall Main Dealer (Wincanton Garages) and as you know Vauxhall were into Strombergs in a big way, I still have my old adjusting tools the round main jet key and the later down the damper needle adjuster. Other than the rubber diaphragms  they were quite robust carbs

[Tamworthbay]

MGBs were fitted with both so its fairly easy to compare the two designs. General consensus in the MG world is that it doesn't make a great deal of difference. A well set up SU will outperform a badly set up stromberg and vice versa. Diaphragms apart they seem reliable from all accounts (I have never used them personally). I gather they are preferred in the states as they are easier to setup with the stupid array of emissions stuff they fitted for the US market. If you have a good stromberg, use it. If you already have a good SU then its probably not worth changing.

[ANON]

have got a few mini and a series sets, alexander and 'standard' the stromberg is a cracking carb.

[dklawson]

As mentioned above, the U.S. market MGBs used both SUs (early) and Strombergs (late).

 

It is not as simple as saying "Strombergs".  There are early "CD" Strombergs which are very, very, much like a hybrid of the SU HS and HIF carbs.  Early Stromberg CDs had an integrated float bowl (like an SU HIF) and a jet that adjusted from below (like an SU HS).  Those carbs are great but there are issues with available parts and limited jet/needle selections.

 

Later Strombergs as used on a lot of mid- to late-1970s BL cars were the "CD2" emissions type carbs.  They have fixed jets in their integrated float bowls and the needles adjust from above (down through the oil filled dashpot).  They cannot be adjusted on the fly, their bodies are riddled with crossdrillings and external air bleed valves, and those "top down" adjustable needles tend to allow the dashpot oil to leak into the carb rapidly when the carb is old.  It is/was very common over here to fit early SUs in place of the Strombergs on any car you could find them for.  

 

My Spitfire came with a single 150CD2 Stromberg on it.  Shortly after getting the car I adapted it to use a single SU HS4.  It runs very well on the SU.  Later I purchased a set of the Euro-Spec HS4 dual carbs for it.  Those will be going on once my sons stop driving the car.  

 

In summary, there is nothing wrong with the Stromberg carbs and the early CD series with adjustable jets are great.  I have them on our GT6 and would never swap them out.  The later Stromberg CD2s with their fixed jets and adjustable needles are workable carbs but have no benefits that justify swapping them out for an existing SU. 

Edited by dklawson, 11 August 2013 - 02:01 PM.

[rikSTAR]

I have a set of twin 1.5's on a mini manifold if you're interested in giving it a go...