Best non-Nikki set-up?
 

I am looking to get rid of all the "rats nest" stuff and go to a new carb. I know there are several options, but I want to keep the car as stock as possible. This means I am not looking for the most performance focused set-up, just simple. Let me know the set-up and why.

well i run a holley. but everyone will tell u holley sux cause so many ppl can't seem to get them to work for them. quite a few ppl run weber or dellorto, then there's mikuni to round out the big 2 bbl carbs. then there's the sterling modded nikki. the sterling might be ur best bet if ur looking for the cheapest way since it will retain the stock intake.

I run a 48 DHLA on a 13B and I know some 12A guys have run 48s on them before but I'm not sure if a 45 is better suited. I personally loved the DHLA once I got comfortable working on it and understanding how it all works, it's a very simple carb and after a full rebuild and reading some material from Dellorto, they are a snap to work with. The biggest con to the Dells is not many people outside the RX-7 community use them except on cult cars like the VW Bug, Triumphs and MGs so subsiquently there are only a few business' that still stock rebuild kits, jets and misc parts for them, CB Performance being the only US based one I know of. The 48 atleast being a big 2bbl also means that fuel economy is going to be alot less than stelar, I currently get about ~16mpg [driving nice] probably 18 on the straight lonsome Texas highways if I'm lucky. You will also lose your choke function unless you can find a way to rig up a push-pull as the choke on the Dells goes AWAY from the firewall as opposed to towards or parallel.

As with before, the 12A guys will have to chime in on what specifically they had to do to tie in vacuum lines and other stuff to make their conversions complete as my setup is about as stripped down as they get as far as blocked off OMP, vac lines, etc.

I would also suggest you invest in a Wideband O2 if you haven't already taken that into account. The Innovative LC-1 is about $250 and it comes with everything, the gauge, the controller [built in to the wire] and the gauge [analog is the most accurate and fastest responding] to help with tuning and subsiquently problem diagnosis.

Here's a bit of reading on how the DHLAs function so you can make sense of em yourself and decide if it's something you'd want:
http://www.motorcyclecarbs.com/Dello..._W168C1334.cfm

CB Performance Link for parts:
http://www.cbperformance.com/category.asp?CategoryID=6

get a sterling nikki. sounds perfect for your needs. or strip your own. the idea of changing the carb and keeping the car stock is very contradictory. there isnt much point in getting an upgraded carb to run stock performance. cuz with that youll also need a fuel pump. just to get the new carb enough fuel. that means a pressure regulator. you'll also need a new air cleaner. and intake manifold. also it will be much more of a hassle to keep cruise and a/c if your car is equipped. you'll also need to do something about oil injection. or start premix. or both

There may not be a 'best' overall aftermarket carb. Each setup has it's own strengths and weaknesses. One picks the carb that best suits their use of the car. Which means you need to provide more info on your intended use.

+1 on what Trochoid just said. You need to determine your needs.

I've run a dell 48 DHLA on my stock port 12A now for 20 years. Thats
right 20 years. Damn I'm old :lol: Anyway, to dispell some myths.

You can retain your choke as it should hook right up and work fine. It does on mine.

Most folks don't use vacuum advance because theres no ported vacuum source on
the RB intake or Dell carb. Its a presonal choice. I ran with it for many years and
then I stopped using it when I re-did my ignition because I felt I didn't need it
anymore.

The 48 with 39mm chokes works great with a 12A. My timing is set at about
24 degrees at 4000 rpm. I get about 17 mpg in town and around 20 to 25 on the
highway. The longer sidedraft intake from RB brings the power band down a
bit to make it a more civilized solution for driving in traffic. You loose some top
end but on a stock engine you wouldn't notice it.

Heres a good site for the dell http://www.gruntled.com/Dellorto

I get my parts from www.dellorto.com in the UK because they are better to deal
with and more prompt to ship than CB preformance. I would avoid CB if at all
possible.

I'd get a sterling Nikki. That way you don't have to switch manifolds and still have the oil injection, and I've heard nothing but good things about Sterling Nikki's. I've always thought the Nikki's were good carbs with decent size jets coming on them. The only downside to the Nikki's is the stock manifold, which doesn't come close to the flow capacity of the carb itself or an RB or similar manifold.

BTW Don't the RB Holley's have oil injection hookups??

doh! Read the title: it says "best non-nikki set-up."

yes but he also said he wanted to keep the car as stock as possible. which is extremely contradictory. which is why so many people including myself are pointing towards the sterling nikki

read between the lines. removing rats nest means non-smog exempt and his plan is to run a stock motor with the best aftermarket carb. My recommendation is an IDA as usual. It will cost you a little bit more than the "modified nikki" but you only have to buy it once as an IDA can be used on many applications.

having learned the Weber IDA, i would run that too.

my next choice would probably be a holley

I also have a dellorto DHLA 48 on my stock port 12a, it was jetted for a 13b so I made a thread about installing it. gas mileage is ok, prolly a little less than T_G farrel....i still havent gotten my stock electric choke to work...i broke the line..trying to get it to reach...overall the carb is fun...also has a great sound..i think my carb is louder than my full racing beat exhaust...lol

https://www.rx7club.com/1st-generation-specific-1979-1985-18/dellorto-48-dhla-swap-13b-12a-not-56k-friendly-773154/

I don't quite understand. If you're looking to keep the car as stock as possible and as simple as possible, why not go for a Sterling Nikki? It gives great performance and is extremely simple compared to all the crap on the stock Nikki.

A Sterling Nikki is a direct bolt-on swap, it flows as much air as a Holley 465 (but does a better job at it because it's got a much better venturi design alogn with MANY other mods), it looks good, works great with removed rat's nest, and the simplified throttle linkage can't be beat. They're easy to tune if you do decide to get on a dyno, and the performance implovement you get with it is awesome.

All of that to say, don't limit yourself to "non-Nikki" setups, because for what you've said you're aiming for, a Sterling Nikki sounds like your best bet.

Jon

I meant to say "non longer be smog compliant," instead of "non-smog exempt"

I have to disagree. its not easy to change jets on a Nikki and Holley (unless you have a weber plate) and if you aint playing with diferent size venturies, you are "guessing." but for the $1,000,000 question: what will happen if you decide to go with bigger porting say street, bridge or p-port?

for get about sterling.....aka .. the carb napper.....if you send him your carb you may never see it again.....weber or custom holley..

since he stated he doesnt want a performance based carb, im going to go out on a limb and say he wont be messing with jetting or plans to street or bridge port.

we wont know for sure until he chimes back in tho...

Try to stay away from holley though.... theyll work, and have choke functions, but
my GSL; before my brother wrecked it, had a RB holley. I switched to center pivot bowls, spring loaded needle and seats, road racing floats, and medium jet extensions with foam moroso baffles (both sides) and it *still* stalled out in corners/flooded. You couldnt park on an incline and there is virtually no tuning feedback even from RB. All I ever got was "every holleys different" or "then you must have installed it wrong". I dont wanna bash RB, but those things seriously suck unless you are dragracing.

I switched to a sterling nikki, (ebay purchase, used,and one of his early works) and it is flawless. Youll never know how much you appreciate the nikki until youve spent a few hundred just trying to make a holley work on your engine.

I dont have any experience on the webers and dells though. Maybe my next setup.

Carb napper? I dont know about any of that.:scratch:

custom holley= VERY custom. unless your really lucky.

Great feedback! When I stated "stock" as possible, I meant that I am not looking for more performance and a port is out of the question. I have an SE that I am doing some performance mods to, but I also have a GS that was a 1 owner, so I didn't want to squid it out. The Sterling Nikki sounds like it may be what I'm looking for. Even though I said non-nikki.

Well, the webiste for the Sterling Nikki says "no more orders". What is the cost?

Funny....Sterling hasn't chimed in.

good choice BTW.

Sterling has other priorities, so orders will have to wait since it's a side business/hobby for him.

However there are links in the FAQ page to threads made by him that will show you how to do some of the mods that he does to the Sterling with your own carb. It won't be a full blown Sterling, but for homemade it'll be pretty good and will improve the driveability and feel. You can also use Holley 10/32 thread air bleeds (slightly different thread pitch, but close enough for government work) to swap with the fuel jets, so you can do some minor fuel tuning with the stock carb. It's pretty well setup from the factory, but there are always improvements to be had. Check out www.sterlingmetalworks.com for tons of Nikki info.

And Wacky, it takes me maybe 5 minutes to change any of the jet's/air bleeds on my Sterling. That's if the hood is closed and the engine is hot. If I'm in a hurry I can get it done pretty quick. The mods done to it allow for very easy removal of the carb top. Maybe it can be done faster with a 2 barrel, but we'd be talking a difference of a couple minutes. Not a huge deal.

part of my sterling carb adventure involved swapping jets, just to get the car to run.

also sterling #1 had different jetting from sterling #2.

#1 got dropped by ups, so #2 was ordered.

I can change the jets on my Dell while the car is running! Try that with any 4 barrel
and let me know how it goes.