This may turn political but here goes....

[Stimpy]

Are there worthwhile benefits in swapping from 'the twins' to a single webber carb?

What is the likely change in bhp?
What is the likely change in mpg?
What is the likely change in driving experience (moment of torque, high speed overtake, reliability of cold star up and hot startup) ?

At 6000 miles a year is it an economical swap (my 'twins' are working fine, although I do sometimes wonder about the balancing).

My main things are;
-the last Q above
-if the conversation makes the 'naked K & N' induction noise (which I hate as much as dump valves)
-If originality plays a part.

Any thoughts?

Ta

[Highland Stag]

If your existing setup is working fine I would leave it as it is. Mine wasn't so after much hassle with cold starting, tick over speed and stalling when warm, I bought a Weber conversion. It now starts and runs perfectly from cold, ticks over better than it ever has since I bought it, and generally just works.

Performance seems about the same except at high revs where I feel it is weaker / flatter than my old setup. This may not be the case, just my perception which may be accentuated by the induction noise.

I have one thing that I don't like and that is, like you, the induction roar from the filter. I am now exploring if there are other options available to reduce this as it is my only real complaint. Beware that fitting a Weber may expose oil leaks that were not there before because of the difference in pressure in the engine which then necessitates sorting that out with a kit etc..

If I had a very nice Stag as opposed to a "using" one I would also consider originality before changing.

I don't regret fitting mine but have kept the original carbs in case I want to return to the original setup someday.

HS

[mike@thenook]

Hi Stimpy,

I've been running a 390 Holley for years, i did put the Stroms back recently just to see if it was worth returning to original but after re-building them using viton valves etc., etc., they were I am afraid just no match for the simplicity of the Holley.
Both the Holley and the Weber are similar in idea but I just prefer the Holley, it is designed for the American V8's, tried and tested by Tony Hart over many years and recommended by Monarch.
To get proper benefit from the Holley you need tubular manifolds and ideally the straight through centre boxes, doing this there is a significant power gain, particularly at the top end and I get 26 mpg on a run - There is marginally morer intake noise but nothing annoying.
You do need a catch tank fitted with either set up and a PCV valve - pleanty on here about how to acheive that.
Having said all this, if yours aint broke, don't try and fix it unless you do want more power and a simpler more reliable piece of kit.

Cheers,

[Stimpy]

Mike, you nailed it with the last sentence. It really 'isn't broke'. IF I had - say - 10 responses shouting amazing results from switching to a weber and the car was considerably more powerful, etc, etc, all for under 300 quid then it would swing me - but considering everything - I'll stick with the working-well stroms. I guess I was also thinking of what to do if the day comes when the stroms fail. Not that I'm expecting anything.

Right - thanks all - including PM's (I don't mean Mr Cameron, I don't think he has a stag). The jury swings towards staying with the original - even after the tasty features you mention, mike. It was very informative from you (mike) and HS who have 'done the weber', so to speak.

Thanks again - my mind is now set. Spend the money improving something else and adhering as much as I can to originality .
Cheers

[edd]

For me just the thought of the sound is enough . whaaaaaaaa whaaaaaaaaa it would be like I'm in my old escort mk1
These conversions are okay for some who lack the patience of getting a old car running right its a simple quick fix
The same argument could go to the whole car but we own a classic car and for me the challenge tinkering from time to time is something I look forward to as a hobby .Just my humble opinion
Edd

[Dave M]

Weber is good but the PCV valve issue takes a bit of sorting, nearly lost my Stag due to recon Stroms peeing out fuel faster than the car was using it. I've got the lowrider filter and haven't noticed any difference in induction roar..

[Mark Shutt]

I was quite surprised just how well my Stag runs on standard Stombergs, it starts on the button and idles very low and smoothly and give surprisingly decent MPG too, I would never consider anything else now. if your car is running rough then it's maybe time to overhaul the carbs!

[Bob Heritage]

Does anybody know the true cost of a Weber conversion? Taking into account fitting the correct jets, sorting out the asthma problems, fitting oil catch tanks and sealing all the enforced oil leaks etc. and does the improvement, if any, outweigh the overall cost? I have been talking to Richard Lane, who first sourced this conversion about it, any other comments?

[V Mad]

Does anyone know the true cost of buying a stag, getting it running, and keeping it like that?

The Weber is easy to fit, does not need rejetting or any special setting up. Works out of the box. Does not need any further fettling. The breathing is just the same as any other carb conversion, like the popular Holley; if your car is 'fit' then you can just connect the breather pipe to the air filter. And the original Strombergs can have breathing problems if the cam cover is chucking out oil or the old pipework is worn out or loose. All the Testimonials on my Weber kit are there for anyone to see, and have been freely sent to me.

If we are going to have another Weber vs stromberg debate then fine, I am up for it. But lets please keep it civil and factual and not use 'put down' coments. And lets hear from people who have actual experience rather than the 'same old crowd' who seem to be trying to prop up their mates business or are just trying to bash the Weber for no good reason.

And, although he never produced a kit as such, Richard Lane wrote an article in the technical reprints praising his Weber conversion for anyone who wants to read it.

[Bob Heritage]

I didn't mention your name Chris, only the originator being Richard Lane. I might be a prospective purchaser and doing some research before spending my hard earned. I could of course just buy a second hand carb off an old Granada or Capri but as yours is specifically sold as fit for a Stag, then I would have some legal back up, being a Trader, if it was found unfit for purpose. Good to hear your side though-thanks and I agree with Chris, please keep it factual.

Bob

[V Mad]

True you didnt Bob but everyone knows I am the only one selling the Weber kit, and, apart from one or two I know of, thats the source of all the Weber 38 conversions for the stag. Its just that you used the terms athsmatic, and enforced oil leaks, both of which are a bit unfair to say the least, I just took it that you were back for a pop. Re oil leaks, there is no reason that should happen unless the breather is blocked, seals and gaskets are poor, or engine has excessive crankcase pressure due to wear/bad rings.

Anyhow, if you bought an old carb, you still need a manifold adapter, which is not an easy job to do yourself, although I know you and several other members here are quite capable to do that. I cut the first one from a block of aluminium, machined two large ports out, then spent hours with a ******* file getting something that worked. The engine slope correction made it harder too. Now its a casting, (made from a special tool) which is then milled, drilled, bored, and threads cut to finish it. I dont suppose Richard ever 'engineered' it to that extent otherwise he would have sold it for people to do their own conversions.

The file name Bast**d is the correct term, but happens to coincide with a banned word so was automatically starred out by the forum system. Bah.

[Kevin Garrod]

When I bought my Stag it had Strombergs as standard and ran ok, although it was a little smokey due to worn valve guides.
Later I had HGF and ended up rebuilding the heads and fitting tubular manifolds "while I was at it"
I looked at fitting a Holley to get the benefit of the exhaust system but went for the Weber 500 instead.
Next I had the inlet manifold modified to avoid the need for an adapter plate.
After a chat with Richard Lane, I fitted the Weber 38, making my own adapter to fit my modified manifold. I had to re-jet the carb on a rolling road as it came jetted for the Ford V6 and as I had the other mods anything else would be guesswork. (This should be borne in mind if you are considering the swap, Chris says his kit now comes correctly jetted, I assume for a standard Stag engine)
I never had any breathing issues with either Weber, but I found a plastic spacer for the Ford engine on eBay which came with a pcv valve. Unfortunately I couldn't use the spacer as it raised the carb too much with my slightly Heath Robinson set up, so teed the valve into the brake servo instead.
I haven't worked out the total cost of all the above and don't intend to!

[KOY 23]

Does anyone know the true cost of buying a stag, getting it running, and keeping it like that? The Weber is easy to fit, does not need rejetting or any special setting up. Works out of the box. Does not need any further fettling. The breathing is just the same as any other carb conversion, like the popular Holley; if your car is 'fit' then you can just connect the breather pipe to the air filter. And the original Strombergs can have breathing problems if the cam cover is chucking out oil or the old pipework is worn out or loose. All the Testimonials on my Weber kit are there for anyone to see, and have been freely sent to me.

If we are going to have another Weber vs stromberg debate then fine, I am up for it. But lets please keep it civil and factual and not use 'put down' coments. And lets hear from people who have actual experience rather than the 'same old crowd' who seem to be trying to prop up their mates business or are just trying to bash the Weber for no good reason.

And, although he never produced a kit as such, Richard Lane wrote an article in the technical reprints praising his Weber conversion for anyone who wants to read it.

So which category would YOU put me in?

[wilf]

Let's just defuse this please gents?

A good discussion going on here which no doubt many members are interested in, let's see it continue without any degeneration?

[Hettiherald]

Hi all.
Just thought i would put in my penneths worth. I have an auto that has a reasonably good engine. I use the car as a daily driver, and was getting a bit hacked off with the stromberg set up. I rebuilt them, and did a reasonable job on them, but still had a few running issues with cutting out, variable tickover speeds and the like, though no leaking issues.
The webber conversion from chris ran out of the box as claimed and has made the car much more reliable for every day use.
If i was using as a show car, i may have persivered with the strommies, but reliability was my main issue.
There were a few oil leaks that reared their ugly head, but these were problems waiting to happen, so fixed them a bit earlier than expected. The whole issue about wether to use one or the other is a personal choice, so please remember that this allows us to keep the beasts on the road and giving us a great deal of pleasure, so lets not alienate people with silly spats.
Just my opinion.
Dave