Finally scored the 354 I’ve been wanting for a while. Plans are to rebuild it and take my time looking for a 33-34 3 or 5 window to put it in. My question is, I’m not sure about the 6x2 set up. Yeah…….it looks kool as **** but in reality what will the drivability be like? I want to keep the 6x2 but I’m also contemplating running a dual quad. Just looking for input from personal experience from members running either of these 2 intake set ups.
Hey, Scott; Not exactly sure of what you're after, but: I had a 6-2 on a mildly modded early Olds. Manifold was a Cragar log. They were holley 94's, linkage was for all 6 to work simultaneously. I had modified the carbs as per an early back-east little pages mag, which I found out later was quite wrong, but I got them to work well enough so that when I lightly forced the throttle blades shut, the engine would idle at ~400rpm & you could see the chrome fan blade turn. After ~ 2 minutes, it would lope, & get worse so that it'd be rockin". . Didn't do that too often, but it was fun once in awhile. Engine would idle @~650rpm or so w/o issue. Car('32 ford 5-w) wasn't a dd, nor a powerhouse, but ran rather smoothly. I don't think I ever got the carbs working properly(never accelerated like I thought it should've, & had an initial bog @ instant-idle-to-wot too)., esp after the mods, but you could turn the key & go. I never checked fuel economy. So you have a few choices to nail down: you can run all-6-at-once linkage, 4 outer-2s then center 2 progressive linkage, or center 2s then outer 4 progressive linkage. & then there's the carbs: Stomberg 81's, 97's, holly 94's, or Rochester 2g, & /or other makes. What do you want to screw around with, &/or what's available? What ever you need, it'll be x 6... . Other than the Rochesters(read: newer-types) you're gonna need very low pressure at the carbs, like literally 2-3 psi, or you'll "enjoy" the benefits of flooding/etc. One thing to make sure of, esp since most carbs are worn out by now, is that the throttle-shafts fit correctly(this means correct clearance in thousandths) in the base-plate - this means new shafts & properly bushed base-plates(or sealed-bearings) & also the ****erflies fitting correctly to the baseplate(misaligned ****erflies in shafts, ****erflies installed upsidedown, twisted shafts, etc). Leaky shafts &/or improperly adjusted ****erflies will drive you stark-raving-sane trying to get the carbs properly dialed in. You'll have enough fun dialing them in w/o those issues too. The linkage was from some old speed-shop-type, probably Eelco or maybe Moon, consisting of double-threaded-end rods, heim-joints(both left & right hand threads), proper jam-nuts, & 2 round flanged bushed blocks at the back to align & sync the linkages up. Took a bit of fiddling to get the adjustment(s) correct so's all the throttle plates were the same at closure. But once correctly adjusted, it held it the setting. I never found good air cleaners, made my own from chrome exhaust tips, fine foam & course foam on top of that. Lousy filtration, & I never drove it all that much, but I'd never do that again, nor ever use any itty-bitty air cleaner setup. They don't work well, on soooo many levels. There is at least one thread here that covers a lot of this. It was some kid that found an older guy to help setup his multi-carb(Man-A-Free?) carb-setup, in his Milner-copy/tribute Deuce 5w iirc. Don't have the thread handy. Marcus...
Well, I guess it depends on how much you like adjusting and tuning carbs. And if you have them already. Holley 94s are used alot due to being a bit cheaper than Stromberg. But some prefer the mechanical power valve on the Stromberg and not all manifolds will accommodate the slightly bigger size of the 94s. It's a lot of work, but also rewarding, getting six carbs configured to work together. I run all six all the time - straight linkage. I also know you loose some HP potential compared to 4 barrel setups. But I like the old school factor. Some guys like working on hotrods as much as driving them, so a 6x2 isn't really an issue. But if you want something closer to a set and forget a single or dual 4 barrel setup would be a better choice.
I had a 4x2 setup on a Chrysler that would idle at 600 rpm and ran really well, but it took ALOT of work. My advice would be honest with yourself regarding how much effort you want to put into this and how patient you are when it comes to tuning and setting up such a system. For something like this to work properly, EVERY carb needs to be rebuilt and be tight. And by tight, I mean no vac*** leaks from worn out throttle rods / bores, worn out ****erflies, or leaking between the bodies. When I rebuilt the 48s on my setup, I reamed the bores and reaplaced the thottle rod, used new ****erflies, and decked every mating surface. Then I went through each carb and made sure all p***ages were clean and clear and that the jets were spec'd to size. Careful attention was paid to the idle/air screws as these seem to get ran tight and the tips of the valve broken off in the body of the carb. Then, each carb was adjusted individually (air/fuel screws, float adjustment, jetting, etc) and the whole enchilada sync'd. It took some time, but the effort was worth it. If this sounds like too much work, go with the dual quad setup. You won't be disappointed.
I have a question for the several-carb setup folks. On a manifold like this, is it possible to just run the center two carbs, and install dummies on the corners, with block-off plates beneath them? I ***ume there might be some mixture distribution differences between the center vs corner cylinders, but it seems that you could have the look of a half-dozen carbs with fewer ***ociated setup and tuning headaches. Pros and cons?
Scott, first off, that is a nice looking 57 in your avatar! Since I have had zero luck with multi-card systems I shant opine but I do have fond memories of a 6x2 back around 1968. The best part is that we didn't know what we didn't know..... Here is some reading material: HEMI Tech- INDEX | The H.A.M.B. (jalopyjournal.com)
I am running a 354 in my avatar roadster. I have been involved since we used 3" wide wheels (or so it feels). I have had just about every multi-carb system known to man and got fed up with them. I have a Hot Heads hi rise manifold and a 670 Holley Avenger carb. It functions great and is dependentable as L***ie. It's not eye candy, but it works well and has seen constant use since 2009.
I appreciate all the feedback and is what I expected to hear but really like the look of the 6x2. I have a DQ already located and will go that route and put the log up for sale. Thanks again.
Scott, running a 6x2 is not rocket science, but does take some dedication. But it makes sense to be honest with yourself. If the potential work of getting a 6x2 up and running outweighs the cool factor for you, I think you made the right choice. Nothing wrong with dual quads. Good luck getting the hemi together and running.
Jimmy Six, Not planning on multiple Hemi’s, just this one. Kind of a bucket list thing. Battling cancer has sped up some on the list. Will be looking for a 33 or 34 coupe to build next, for the 354 to go in.
A friend of mine had a 354, he said it had been in a 50 Ford many years ago, it had a log intake, I don't recall how many carbs, also said it was around 12/1 compression. It sat in his shop since the 70's (uncovered), looked cool as hell, I asked what his plans were for it and he said it was going in his 57 BelAir but not with that intake and carbs, he said it was a pain in the *** way back, wasn't gonna put himself through it again. It had chromed, original tin rocker covers which in my view makes a hemi, he said he was going to spend his tax return and rebuild/update the 354, put a 2x4 intake/carbs, air cleaners, finned rocker covers, front accessory drive, bracketry, alternator, water pump etc, and also adapt a Turbo 400 to it. He said he was out of the loop on available aftermarket parts for hemis' and asked me what was out there, then he said he had been looking at a Hot Heads catalog because they offered most everything he needed and might call them, all I could do was bite my tongue (I know, I know). So he had the engine rebuilt with lower compression pistons, balanced it, etc, called to have me look at it, sure enough, it looked like the Hot heads catalog had exploded. I think that must have been a pretty sizable tax return!
Ebbsspeed; Yes, having only "live" center two will work. Not much difference than running a 3-2 like that & using dummy outers. Fuel distribution probably isn't as bad as you might imagine. Not like a modern manifold, but it'll work. I've seen 2-4bbls on a hotheads mini-ram work, then the owner disabled the front 4bbl, engine runs fine on the rear carb only. Even though it's an "open" manifold, fuel distribution isn't bad, surprisingly. Marcus...
Hell, I could get all 6 to work, whether they're 48s, 97s, or 81s, but it would be cost prohibitive for most! I think the best advice would be to contact Clive at Stromberg and buy six new carbs jetted and ready to go. That would get expensive, but it would be better than trying to revive some of the junk Strombergs we've all seen lately. Not sure if Holley still offers this, but they used to sell OE carbs for particular setups. I bought a pair of 4 barrel carbs for a 2x4 Hemi setup from them that were the same as the factory Hemi 2x4 carbs. That would definetely be more HAMB-friendly than a pair of modern double pumpers.
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