Tunnel Ram Idea: 2 barrel Holley Gurus?!

This thing I am getting has a low plenum on top (removable piece), it's not the traditional size "large palunka" that came with the real early TR1s. and backfired all the time. Friend tells me he might have two fairly clean Autolight 2100s, which were Ford and Jeep's model 2 barrel. He claims they are the workhorse of the industry and bullet proof as long as they are kept clean. Might consider them. Anyone have any info. on that model carb? Rebuilt kit, cost, complications? I don't intend on dropping 40 bucks each in rebuild kits untill I give it a test fire. Gotta make plates to convert to 2 barrel opening size on top of the ram. Maybe this weekend, but gotta work- damn money.

 

I mess with them all the time, wicked pieces - no boosters in the venturii, the venturii itself has a ring around it and the fuel discharges from it. Webers are similar. They were never offered on a street vehicle, race only. 2" throttle blades, same as dominator. I've seen 2bbls as big as 820cfm. I wouldn't even think about trying to street drive one, they are designed to work at WOT only.

 

If it's a fairly stock engine, what is all this "fill up the manifold" noise??? The cylinder is what creates the suction, so as long as there is a hole for the air and fuel to get in, it will end up in the cylinder...right????

There are plenty of better ways to make horsepower, but it WILL run just fine with twin 2s. Turn them sideways (throttle linkage forward) for better fuel distribution.

 

They still make those...

 

Hey! My bus was yellow when I went to school. I don't, however, remember how long it was; why and how do you know some are shorter?

 

Above is the pic of the Autolite 2100 (350 to 500cfm, my friend suspects). Again, anyone built one of these on your Ford or Jeep driver/beater? Of all the cars I've owned, never had one with one of these carbs. I think I can get a hold of 2 for free (six pack).

 

Another

 

My ol' buddy, Stu took it one step further. He ran 2 holley 2 barrels on a 671 blown 350 in his 31 chevy coupe..I rode in it and it was very well mannered...hit the pedal and it scooted. I don't know if this setup will work on your chimp.

 

Well, I will soon find out. Since it is not costing me much, the worst thing that can happen is it bogs and it isn't workable. In which case, off with the set up an back to the alum Edelbrock and my trusty Q-Jet .... Dhhooooooohwwwwaaaaaaaaa! Oh the sound of that stutter as those secondaries slobber raw fuel down the back 4 cylinders and she slowly pulls out of slumber to all out hell and fire!

 

Hopefully the 2bbls will work out for you, but if you go back to the Quadrajet there is an adjustment for the spring that opens the upper ****erfly which will stop the bog, it's on the shaft on the p***enger side of the carb. The metering rods are also very easy to change to richen and lean the mixture, they come out without taking the carb apart.

 

I have rebuilt hundreds of them when you shop for them look for the ones with the big venturies thay made many sizes. Nothing specieal about rebuild just read the instructions.

 

Here's a really weird idea for you fellas !

How about weld an intake flange length wise on a pipe -
Weld three or four 2 bbl carb flanges on the other side of the pipe-
Make another one opposite hand-
Connect the pipes together with rubber hose.
Mount a gaggle of carbs on top .
Cool, yea ?!

How about we take a blower off a 2 stroke diesel and mount carbs on it and make an intake manifold to bolt it on top of your engine. Cool , yea ?!

How about re retread a tire but don't put grooves in it ! Cool, yea ?!

Everything we do is weird

 

Ah, ok, see, I just wasn't getting it. NOW it makes perfect sense. So the thought process goes something like this. "Gee, I dont have the tuning chops to get my q-jet to run right. HEY! I KNOW! I'll replace it with a tunnel-ram with two autolite 2 blls, that should be MUCH easier for me to dial in."

Wait, hang on. Is this, by chance going on a "G***ER!"??

 

I hear you 31 V. That is what I thought this whole thing was about, attempting to do cool and fun stuff because it's a challange. I do this stuff to keep the mind interested and to see if I can actually pull off some of the stupid **** I day dream. Why? Why the hell not? If it doesn't work, like the old farmer said when he spied the many deep holes in his field, "Oh well, oh well, oh well!"

 

FG,
If you read the post, I said there was nothing like that hesitation. I mean it in a pleasant memory way. I have never had my car on the road yet, so I don't know if my qaud will bog as I have only started it when I fabbed and welded in the engine and trans mounts. I love QuadroSlobs! I think they are the best white trash carb in the history of GM. Nothin' wrong with keeping one on a hotrod, but having had several rams before on small and big block Chevys, a QJ just doesn't fill an engine bay like a tunnel ram. In fact, nothing does, except a 671.

 

NOOO cant be the truth. Heard here the sbc run for ever and
is indestructibel. Run one milion mile without using any oil
are you sure you have a sbc?? must be another engine

 

On stock engines they are a**** the most reliable carb there is
dont know how they work on a TR
Many are used on 3x2 ford intakes to replace the Holeys
to get better reability and drivability
That one in the pic with the short acc pump
is the one to use and move the fuel inlet to the side
to have space enough on a sbf

 

How about this! Speedway sells a 3 2 BBL adapter plate for a 4BBL intake, Get two of those adapters, mount them sidways on the tunnel ram with 350 CFM Holleys!!! Now you got 6 carbs or a full 12 pack!!! How flippin' cool would that be!!!! ********* out the linkage is your problem, I just come up with the ideas.

 

exwest,
It is basic induction theory, in order for a plenum to function and distribute properly you must keep it full of air. That is how intake manufacturers determin the suggested carb for a specific intake. The larger the plenum the more air flow it takes to keep it full.

All this is a rather moot point if you are setting one up on a worn engine, when you throw it on a fresh engine it will have to be setup all over again.

 

Years ago, I had (2), 390 cfm vacuum Holley 4-barrel carbs.

One was off a 361" FE and the other off a 391" FE, both big truck engines.

I still have a couple of old 1850's out in the garage.

pdq67

 

Nick, I don't even know how to picture a linkage for that set up. I can say that people from quite a ways off would certainly know and remmeber the car should something like that be done!

 

Thanks Heo. My buddy only has one in running order, so as soon as I get the ram and that carb, I will start Ebayin' for the sister carb. Anyone know if the jets can be got smaller/larger at sat autoclown or some other chain?

 

HotRodBuilder. Thanks for the tip on the QJ. Will mess around with it if I run that carb. I really do love me some QJ! Those huge *** air ****ing manual secondaries just put shivers down my back bone. Nothin like that hhhhWWWwwwuuuuhhhhhhhhhhhhh sound at 2500 on up to 6000 !!!!!!

 

Gotta say, for all the cuff the sbc picks up around here, it is such a beautiful work of machinery. I have done things to a small block when I was young and stupid that a slant 6 Dodge couldn't handle (wasted several of those on purpose as well). What other engine can you run at 55-6 grand all day long, stock, beat the everlivin' snot out of, float valves, and side step clutches, only for those little Chevies to keep on coming. They are the Rocky Balboa of engines; they block all the punches with their face and still get up round after round, and then still win in the end. They do get noisy in the valves and burn oil after they are put through the ringer.

 

if you really wanna be different try a pair of Q jets on your tr! I always wanted to try it but never had anything to put a tr on. with the tiny primaries and huge air valve secondaries it should work well on the street. try it and let us know so I can live vicariously through you.

 

Take a look at some of this info in one of my old threads

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=216320

.

 

have a boss 429 in my 34, had a tunnelram w/2 4bls, wanted something diff,4 2/bls, no manifolds made so i cut down the tunnelram and got two 2bls to 4bls adapters from charlie price [vintage speed] and welded them to cutdown manifold and now have inline 4/2s. progresive linkage,run on middle two, then out open later. only one and looks kool.

 

You are absolutely right, Benno; at WOT, and only at WOT.... Whenever there is manifold vacuum, the plenum is by definition not full of air.

Again, I'm not saying the OP is on to a new speed secret......, but the engine will run fine at less than max air demand.

 

There was a racing cl*** in sweden for Volvo 140s
Where you could use only factory availibel carb and
intake. they used the Fuelinjection intake that
have a plenum but mounted the carb on that
and gained some power how much i dont
remember
If i was LOW on money and had to run the tr
i would trye 4 autolite 2100 mount them with
the foatbowls outwards
but with all fabing of linkage and jetchanges
its probably cheaper to find two holley4bbl

 

No not full but when demand is high you have to give it every break that you can. My problem is that I think that everything should be optimized, I am a form follows function type of a guy [I would not run a tunnel ram or multi carbs and etc to look cool]. In theory an intake plenum should be full of a fog of air fuel mix, if you have an open plenum intake if you keep it full you eliminate the carb placement problem. This can only happen when you are running with everything built to go with everything else and are running within the RPM range of the intake design.

Now I am not sure that the OPs original question ever got answered, to make the tunnel work at least in a drivable fasion he is looking for carbs from an FE. They will be in the 350-400 CFM range, best to get two identical carbs if at all possible. And plan on rejetting when the engine has some compression and is not running on a spent valve grind.