So what’s the best downdraft intake for a banger engine and why? Only new ones on the market I see are single carb Burns and Scalded Dog. Love the look of them but just curious if there are more options.
Currently available? Not very many. Check ebay. I see a Tattersfield and Ansen listed from time to time. Repops. I bought this one from Snyders 5 years ago or so. I’m not sure who made it. It had a Winfield type shape, but not exactly as smooth. And I’m currently modifying an old damaged Winfield to mount a Stromberg. There used to be a guy around on this forum who made custom ones. His name slips my mind and not sure if he’s still in business.
Have you searched 'model a intake' in parts for sale? Seems to be lots of options. Whether they are sold or not is another question. I'm running an Ansen with a single 97 myself and Reds headers. Warren
I could be mistaken, but I don’t think there are too many readily available options out there besides the Burns right now. Even the scalded dog one seems to only be available here and there. There was also the stromberg-bendix single downdraft intake. I pulled this from google images. Period correct too, if that matters. These come up for sale every now and then. PM me, I may know where one is, if you’re interested.
Might as well post pics. Somewhat available single downdraft intakes as of 2022 Scalded Dog Weber Ansen Tattersfield Burns
If all else fails, I've seen several stock intake manifolds with a 97 style flange welded/brazed to the topside.
There are tons of options - Do you want a single or dual? If running with a stock exhaust manifold I would get one that mounts / touches the exhaust manifold for heat . My opinion they work the best .
The original Winfield manifolds look (and most likely work) the best, and will work with your stock exhaust manifold. Belly button carbs will require an adapter tho
I'm partial to the Weber 32/36 set up as I have them on both my cars. In fact, I replaced the single throat Stromberg-Bendix shown in Post #5 on my CCPU. Unlike the 97, the Weber has a progressive linkage to open the butterflies. Good source for the Weber set up is Bert's Model A Store 800-321-1931
I was just about to mention Pete's Speed Shop, he is a top fella making some cool pieces. I've been to his place & bought some parts from him. - not a manifold though.
WOW...there seems to be more intakes for these motors, then the Chevy II four banger I'm working on. Gene.
I run a Weber manifold and carb on my B engine in my 31 coupe. I added a steel angle plate to take advantage of the heat from exhaust manifold so carb wouldn't ice up. Works well. Also doesn't need a fuel pump. Dave
For an all season street driven car I would choose a manifold that takes advantage of the exhaust manifold heat in some way, a lot of them don't. Unless you're after an authentic cast ally vintage look, and if you have the equipment, it's fun to have a go at making one. I surprised my self by making one that works for my '28 Chevy banger, it doesn't have smooth bends, but neither do some of the ones above, and it can be argued that on a low revving engine sharp corners keep the mixture in suspension better. Not sure about that but it does work so much better than the original setup. Now planing to make one for my Ford B banger but using the exhaust heat instead of water heat, it'll be cheap (free) and cheerful.
For a 1bbl? Go with either a Zenith or Tillotson, they're very good. The intakes shown are flanged for a 2bbl, you'd need an adapter. The 2bbl is mathmatically too big for the 4cyl making the air lazy and a poor signal for fuel.
Depends on the state of tune which 2bbl you choose to use, a 162 cfm Stromberg 97 may be too big for a stock banger, but the visually identical 116 cfm 81 with its smaller venturi produces a much faster airflow. I messed about with various carbs with not much success until I spoke with Clive at Stromberg, he recommended an 81, it came jetted for my stock Chevy banger. It's the one shown on my home made manifold, it ran really well out of the box, no flat spots, hesitation, or popping at all and gives a huge improvement over the stock updraft carb. Info here: https://stromberg-97.com/product-index/stromberg-81/?cat=stromberg-81
And, maybe he reccommended the '81' because they no longer make a 1bbl? remember that Stromberg/Zenith & Tillotson were pretty much joined at the hip at one time and they developed the 'Tube' style carburetor that when 2 of them are put together they'll make the '81' or '97' or even a Holley '94'. Carburetors are actually sized for the amount of HP the engine makes, not how many cubic inches.
A rather crafty marketing move was leaving the cast '97' in the body of an 81, the uninitiated will see that and reckon the old banger must be making decent HP, perfect for posers!
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