Any direct replacement Carb upgrades?

[Dod]

Have only just got the car going but its running no injection and just carbs. Its only a 14sr item now but is there any other Vauxhall carbs that'll give me more power, lift or top end, or benifit me in anyway?

[dan-hipgrave]

dont know about Vauxhall carbs, but a weber 32/34 dmtl is a cheap and effective upgrade..

[Dod]

Unfortunatly i've been here before. I've got one off an XR3, some say it'll fit, some say it wont. So i'm none the wiser!!!

Also, i'll need to make a base plate and get manifold gaskets. Anyone got the dimentions of the base plate and any ideas where to get a gasket?

[Aragorn]

what happened to the SPi?

ive just got some really nice results from my spi tuning adventures and theres still more to come

i found i had to manually adjust the idle screw on the throttle body but apart from that it goes nice

[Dod]

Well mate, the car was struggling for fuel and woudn;'t idle under 2000rpm and was only running right over 5k. It still had the 1200spi brain but my mechanic said it wasn't running right even with the 1400 or 1600 spi brains. He eventually told me that we'd need to take the cam out. Then 2 brick layers down the road stuck a 1400 Sr carb and inlet on it and it idled perfectly, apart from the lack of throttle cable. We're going to set the idle and the rest going properly tomorrow. But what i'm wondering is, is there a certain type of carb that'll fit or, (for example, my scrap man has several pre87 type petrol 16 and 1800 Cav's,) will any that bolts on work? This is it, my Deabail Beg (Gaelic for Wee Devil) debut on the roads and i want it to perform accordingly and scare a few Civics and Corollas.

[Adam]

Carbs for different engines will be jetted wrongly for your engine.
Either get a weber 32/34 thats jetted to your engine or just stick with the pierburg.

What was the engine originally??? :? an spi??

[Dod]

Ya, twas a 1400 spi many moons ago, now its ported with a 270 deg cam and a 4 branch and the 1400 sr carb. I wanna try a bigger carb on it like the 1600 or 1800 see if they work, idealy i'd love to use the weber 32/34 but no one can tell me for definate if it'll work or not.

[Adam]

Ya, twas a 1400 spi many moons ago, now its ported with a 270 deg cam and a 4 branch and the 1400 sr carb. I wanna try a bigger carb on it like the 1600 or 1800 see if they work, idealy i'd love to use the weber 32/34 but no one can tell me for definate if it'll work or not.
Just get a weber 32/34 thats been jetted for a 1400 engine, and fit that. You will also need the other parts like adaptor plate etc.
A carb off a 1.6/1.8 will be jetted for that engine, so it will just flood your engine.
May be a stupid question, but are you using the spi exhaust system still, with the cat?

[Dod]

Na, i've a four branch and a Powerflow System, straight through pipe to the back box. Is there any way to rejet my XR3 Weber as getting a 1400 Weber 32/34 is not going to be possible over here!! I hope i'm not getting annoying or repetitave, repetitave.

[johnny27]

i don't know if it would work allright for you but if its an option, i bought my webber 32/34 from ebay with all adapter plates, choke cable and so on from ebay, paid ?150 stg and was here in 4 days. Baragin at that price, anyhow if you bought one from ebay, u can send it to my address, and i'll post it to you down south, as i'm 5 mile from the border, i can post it in dundalk and it would probaly get to you in two days (thats if you trust me, i've been chating to you b4 remember, and i know ebay won't post it to the south)
On the other hand though, i put a 2e3 twin choke carb from a 1600 astra, on my 1.2 engine moded nova for some time. Had it rejeted and it worked a treat, used a 1300sr manifold on mine, cause it was the same shaped ports as on the 1200 head. Altough if yours is a 1400 head, u'll need to use a 1400 sr manifold, or i'm almost sure that the 1600 astra manifold (the twin choke one) has identical shaped ports as the 1400 head so you can use it. Hope this helps

[Dod]

Johnny, you are a star mate!! Thanks a lot hi, not many;d stick their necks out like that. The 1400 sr inlet has three threaded bars to bolt onto the Carb, like the 16 and 18 Cavs and Astra's and the Weber has holes for 4 threaded bars in it, and as far as i'm told they fit the 13sr inlet. If anyone can tell me how deep the adaptor plate is i'll make my own one instead, but how do you go about re jetting the carb, although i'm not intirely sure it'll need it?

[johnny27]

not too sure about the depth of the adapter plate, if i can find a ruler about i'll measure it. Jetting the carb is very easy, altough its best and easiest to take the carb off, since you have to remove the throttle cable linkage, and its a real c*nt to load the spring back up on the throttle arm, since you have'nt much room and it could take off in the air and u'll never find it. The webber carb splits in 3 places, but you just need to split the breather adapter part as far as i can rember, to see and change the jets. When i got my carb it was running terrible, it was jetted for a 1400, i rang a company in england, and they sent jets to suit my engine spec, ran perfect then. And yes the webber carb will fit both 1400sr and 1300sr manifold, as you were saying, u have to remove the 3 long studs, and screw down the new bolts and the plate. If you want any pictures of the adapter plate, i might have time to take mine off tomorrow and post u up some pics. Cheers

[Dod]

Johnny mate, you're a goodin. All i got off the XR3 was the carb, nothing else. Does the sr throttle cable fit right or is there some other one i need? I'm hoping the Base plate's gonns be straight forward and i'm not too sure where i'm goingg to get the gaskets for it but if all goes well i'll just use some gasket sealer instead. Basicially, i dont know what i'm doing and all this help is apprecciated, Thanks again Johnny mate, you're a star!

[johnny27]

I had to change the little cup on the end of my throttle cable, it was changed to a end like the one on a bicycle brake cable, all though on the throttle arm, there is a little ball which will accept the cup on your sr cable, but i could'nt get my to mount right so thats why i changed it. Don't use the silicone sealer for the gasket, as u know it will melt with petrol. Best job is to use gasket paper, its not hard to find, or even some thick cardboard (ish) paper will do, hard to describe, but it you'd know it if you seen it. I'll try my best to get the carb off my nova today if i've time, and in anycase i'll measure up the adapter plate for you. It'll be abit difficult for you to get the carb to fit i know, but with the power increase its well worth it, plus it makes the car sound alot better, i noticed with these carbs and a decent exhaust, it makes a szzzz sound identical to a corrola twincam under engine breaking its pretty cool, if you know what i mean, its like a twincam and even the rally MK2 escorts will do it. Will get back to you later.