Technical multi carbs why so popular?

The economy of a two bbl., the performance of 6

 

Performance wise...1 carb is good, 6 carbs is gooder! faster!!! Today, I think it's more about looking the part. Multi carbs look so much better on a Hotrod...even a Custom. If you never open your hood, single carb is fine. If you want to open some mouths...drop some jaws, multi-carb setups are so sweet. Many guys run 6 carbs but only two or 4 are actually used. All in what you like.
Another thing to keep in mind...multi-carbs take more fine tuning, setting up, more fuel, more possible leaks. Good carbs, like the REAL Strombergs are very expensive.

 

Well, I have a new saying as of today!

 

That's a rare and expensive manifold! WOW!!! Looks beautiful...

 

Because in your lifetime , cars have been looked upon as conveyances with computers & efi , o.d. transmissions & an overwhelming bent on economy ( now pollution) & safety , you weren't able to experience what the 50's , 60's & even the '70's car culture was like . my oldest daughter is your age , she grew up with performance cars , trucks. Motorcycles , boats & snowmobiles , she " likes " because her dad does , her family drives a Prius .

 

What a stupid question! This forum is about Hot Rods not practical daily drivers. If the sight of multiple carburetors doesn’t warm your pants this is the wrong place for you.

 

If I'm not mistaken, the same oval port 427 Chevy made 390 hp with single 4bbl and 400 with the trips, up into late '60s. Maybe looks also had something to do with it.

 

I as well.

 

The way it was explained to me is with progressive linkage, youre driving on 2 maybe 4 barrels, the idea being fuel efficiency but if you mash it, all 6 open up and you get ze powa. That doesnt really apply to race applications of course but more of the general daily driver stoplight to stoplight car

 

Probably a better set up….I just like the 3X2s, not sure why! Maybe it was because I was exposed to them at an early age? Not sure. And I have spent the last several years piecing a 3x2 set up for an FE together! I think I now have everything.






Bones

 

This reminds me of what you saw in the Q&A section of Popular Mechanics!

 

Yes!

 

The 327 in my '39 Coupe ran three Rochester two-barrels with progressive linkage; the first and third were blocked off.

I had no use for marginal power; it was the looks I was after.

 

Because it's traditional, although the electric fan is not. HRP

 

Better than any single four-barrel in both looks and performance.
Tuning isn't difficult.

 

I never open the hood on my car as it’s filthy and not detailed and generally just plain ugly but the dual AFBs sure make me happy when I see them.

 

A rare Weiand Hemi WC3D I want to run on my merc, because it's cool. It's one of 75.

 

many many years ago after a long day of wrenching i took my old truck out for a test drive with my daughter,
as we got in the truck she turned to me and asked "daddy, did they ever make a car with only one carburetor?"
i said, "not in my world honey"
as i peeled out onto the road we both laughed and laughed

true story

 

Multiple carbs , properly tuned , do not use more fuel

 

Originally it was done to hopefully increase performance by not only getting more fuel and air into an engine, but to distribute the fuel and air more equally to each cylinder. When you have one entry point for fuel and air and its in the center of the engine, the cylinders near the center of the engine tend to run richer than the cylinders at the ends of the motor. The reason for this is that fuel is denser than air and as the air makes the required turns to snake toward the end cylinders, it often loses some of the fuel. That is also compounded by poor mixing of the fuel into the flowing air. By that I mean that the size of the fuel droplets wasn't always atomized completely.
IF (and thats a big IF) the multiple carb manifold was properly designed, it allowed the air and fuel to enter the intake manifold at multiple locations nearer to each cylinder and more equal distribution to each cylinder.

Performance carburetors can be tuned to perform well but they lack some of the benefits of fuel injection.....where fuel is sprayed into the intake of each cylinder.
Then the air flows somewhat more equally to each cylinder without being affected by carrying fuel with it. They only conjoin just as they enter the cylinder.

So multiple carb set ups CAN provide more power if tuned correctly and installed on a well designed intake manifold. Many of the designs that originally were manufactured often provide no real benefit and can actually cost power in some set ups. So its as much about looks as it is about adding any real power in most installations. Basically if someone is really looking for power, they use either 3x2 or 2x4 set ups. Hope this answers your question.......

 

I blame it on Hoyt's Hardware. The store had a built up model of the Monogram Big T on display. It had three carbs.

 

"I just love the look of a 4 bbl on a flathead V8 ford" said no one ever!

 

I think Cadillac started with 2X4s on the 1955 Eldorado, but by 1958 or so some models had 3X2.

 

HAHA, That's funny. I bet you believe that....

 

Try learning to tune correctly , then you'll be a believer as well !

 

I dyno'd my flathead with a known Holley 4 bbl. It made more HP, ran better and had a snappier rev with it over the three 97's. But the 97's look soo much cooler sticking through my hood.

 

More is better.. except, well... a few things.

Nobody does this shit trying to be practical.
Practical is found on The Boring Ass Car Message Board.