Hey fellas I have a question I hope somebody can help me out? I have a 1953 Chevy Bel Air with a 235 and three on the tree. I just put a new carb on it and it fires right up without putting on the small 4" air filter ..after letting it warm up for a while I try to put the air filter on the carb and it dies out. Somebody help me out please?
Yeah, 99% of those tiny air cleaners with lawn mower air filter elements choke the hell Out of a stromberg. That’s most likely what’s happening if it’s fine otherwise
Buy a scoop and use these this type of element. https://www.speedwaymotors.com/Carb...er-for-Stromberg-97-Holley-Ford-94,60439.html
Strombergs are finicky *****es. I have three of them on the flathead and I was running bug screens in the carbs and short velocity stacks with another bug screen in those. It wasn't running very well so I dropped it off at my dyno tune shop and he had the three superfluous screens in a baggy when I returned and said "sell these". Just those extra bug screens disturbed enough air to suffocate it. Get the lowest resistance air filter available.
It needs a filter, more so in dusty, dirty conditions. Mine is a street driven show car so I can get away with screens rather than filters but you can get low restriction filters. Post up what you are using.
No wonder it won’t breathe. I had 3 of those on my RPU and they made excessive carbon in the engine, choked it right up. I switched to the taller O’Brien truckers air cleaners and they’re great .
Set it on without the top, fire it up then put your hand over the top if it chokes out you found your problem.
If the fuel level is too close to the high speed outlet it will **** gas through there with very little help. An air cleaner could be just enough to make it do that and flood it.. Check the float level. Is the carb new, or rebuilt? Also check for vacuum leaks at the base and any body joints. If it has a bad vacuum leak it could cause it to starve for fuel at idle and low speed with an air cleaner. Check the gasket between the carb and manifold to see if it is plugging off any small ports. Sad as it is, new or especially rebuilt does not necessarily mean good these days.
Rebuilt carbs have never been good. I bought a few flunkies 40 years ago from retail outlets. Autolite 4100 w/ missing needle hangers on the floats, Carter YF-1 choke spring mounted backwards...... Joe
I don’t like those little filters, I’ve had problems too. K&N might not be the answer do a search. But if it’s dying at idle, I’d start with post 16. More than 1 thing going on. Who rebuilt it?
This damn 'rona going round has made me wear a mask most places I like going and like air filters, some masks are more restrictive than others. You can imagine wearing a thick heavy filter while you go for a run. You would be wheezing and short of breath by the 20th step. Same thing happening on the Stromberg. If you cant breath through it, neither can the 'berg.
I see your pic ... have you tried it with just the filter and not the chrome 'helmet'? I can't imagine there is much space left for air to enter the filter once that lid (which appears to almost completely encomp*** the filter) is installed.
yup, those helmet style filters leave a very narrow opening at the bottom for air to get in. I made some spacers the diameter of the filter about an inch tall to put on top of the filter to move the helmet cover up on my 40 and that fixed it
Not so much for your case, but this is what the little louvered filter tops do on a dyno. I suspected the helmet is worse. Bottom of page 9 on this ported Offy test. https://www.eatonbalancing.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/YBlock-146-Craine-3X2-Test.pdf
Go with the 50's Chevy dry filter and make an adapter if needed, I used one on my panel (with a Carter YF).
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