onepointone

i found a good deal on a weber 45dcoe for $200 with 25 miles on it, so the ad says, but it looks brand new. anyways, i hear they are a bitch to work on, tune, ect. is this true? i notice alot of people run side drafts, so it cant be but so bad right? would i be better off with a holley? can someone clue me in on the pros/cons.

WackyRotary

Sidedrafts are very simple design. Much more simple then the holleys, also they take less space under the hood and makes working under the hood easy. Jets are VERY VERY simple to switch and swap to find the best power. The only down side is there is no secondaries(opening the throttle opens all the ports at every rpm) causing mild bogging at low rpm if you slame the gas too hard. Nothing that can be figured out and driven fine everyday.

SilverRocket

Lots of people have trouble with lots of different kinds of carbs, stock Nikkis certainly included. The usual cause is that the carb has not been properly cleaned, rebuilt and tuned for the intended application before being installed, or has not been taken proper care of.

I was a total rookie with my Dellorto, and didn't have any trouble getting the car running nicely. You just have to realize that it takes a certain amount of time, research, trial-and-error and especially attention-to-detail to get the carb working perfectly. You can't expect to just get the carb, bolt it on and be ready to rock, especially with used carbs but even with brand new ones too.

If you're cool with the above, a sidedraft is awesome.

onepointone

im just asking because i need one for that motor i bought, and from what ive read, a 48 is recommended, but a 45 will work (6port 13b). well i found one on the partstrader.com, and when i told my dad would it "NO SIDEDRAFTS, they are a bitch to work on and are nothing but problems" but then i see alot of people on the forums use them who knows... i odnt know much about carbs, and im trying to learn as much as i can, but theres only so much you can read and actually learn because of varied opinions

DriveFast7

iTrader: (1)

i have a 48 dellorto sidedraft on my 81 bridgeport and 74 REPU. darn good carb. easy to work with once you understand what's going on. you can buy books on the carbs which go into detail how things work and why.

i say BUY IT and have fun!

SilverRocket

Could your Dad be thinking of running twin sidedrafts, like on a lot of piston motors? In that case you need to sync the two carbs which can reportedly be a bit of a biatch. It isn't an issue with a single Dell or Weber like you're talking about.

onepointone

yea, thats exactly what he was talking about. i asked him and he was talking about using mercury to make sure they were both setup the same. im deciding if i should go ahead and buy this carb, or wait to look around. its seems like a good deal, but i kinda dont want to jump of the first thing to see. what do yall think?

the guy said he bought it 4 months ago, and it has 25 miles on it. i didnt ask why he was getting rid of it though. he wants $200 plus shipping.

SilverRocket

If it's actually new and it's setup for a rotary, it sounds like a good deal if you want a Weber 45 - does that included intake manifold, linkage, OMP lines, etc? If I were you I would go through an escrow service (escrow.com worked awesome for me) to make sure you can inspect it in person before you agree to keep it.

FYI, you can get a used RB Dell 48DHLA kit (including everything you need to install - manifolds, linkage, heat shield, OMP lines, etc) for approx. $300 US plus shipping (what I paid and others I know paid for theirs).

Personally I like the RB Dell, but a Weber 45 is a nice setup too.

onepointone

where? pretty much every carb setup ive seen is between $600-$800. is the 48DHLA a sidedraft (newbie to carb setups)? would it be good for a streetport? im interested in where you can get that, because thast probably what ill go with then

jutny

i got my Racing Beat Dellorto setup for $300 used.


i love it, but now i gotta start tuning it.

bliffle

Jeez, I ran dual sidedrafts for years , SUs on old MGs and Sprites, and 40DCOEs on Alfas (and various DCOEs on Ferraris) with no problem. Once you adjust them, which is no problem if they are in good condition and you follow instructions, they stay tuned forever.

B