I have a 30 model A roadster with a 350 Chevy & th 350. I am currently running a Holley 650 w/ vac secondaries. After many years of asking, my buddy will sell me the tri- power setup he used on his 1960 Chevy, Offenhauser manifold with Stromberg 97s. He has had this on a shelf since 1964 when he sold his Chevy. I have rebuilt many other carbs over the years but never a 97. I really like the idea of using something my friend had in storage for 59 years. What should I expect to find as problems with these old carbs? I am not expecting a performance increase just feel the look of tri- power will go with the 60s style of my car. Any help is greatly appreciated.
Just pull the 3 main parts of the carbs apart and soak them well. Only real problem I've ran into is stuck idle jets. Oh and definitely buy the Stromberg brand rebuild kits.
If it’s your first tri-power set up. Be very prepared to get frustrated. I’d use a progressive setup. The carbs are fairly easy to rebuild but study up. Lots of info here on rebuilding those. You will have to check your power valve and jets size for your application. It’s not easy but there’s a good reason you don’t see many of these running.
I think the biggest mistake made while rebuilding a 97 is not cleaning the emulsion tubes. That will cause you to run lean. IMHO, they have a perfect look
My lady and I recently purchased a 28' roadster on a 32' frame. It's powered by a 350 sbc with Offy tripower system. The carbs are Holley 2100's or 94's with Stromberg 2G bases. The linkage was giving us fit's from jump street. Then I decided to just rebuild all 3 carbs with kits from Speedway Motors. Set the floats to the paperwork and replaced the parts the carbs had and the kits included. Installed the carbs and the front dumper was pouring fluid out of the vent tube. Had nothing but flooding issues for the past 3 weeks. Read on line that the needle and seats need to be cleaned with alcohol or mineral spirits to remove residue. I did that and installed another gasket on the seats to the body and no more flooding. Now I'm rebuilding the dizzy with a Pertronix electronic ignition and new coil to hopefully get to enjoying the roadster again.
Well the pertronix would not fit under the top part of the mech advance unit with the magnetic ring attached. So We purchased a points dizzy off scamazon. Also went to Lane Automotive and bought a Pertronix dizzy, Edelbrock intake and 1401 carb. Which will be going on the motor tomorrow. I dropped the scamazon dizzy in last night and the motor would nearly catch and run. No matter how much I turned the dizzy ret or adv it wouldn't run. I did notice fuel leaking from the bottom of the driverside header collector. So that tells me the carbs are still F'd up. So the tri-power will be coming off and set on a shelf. Another question we have is what headers will fit and not interfere with the frame and body. Looking for a set of headers and lake pipes for the sled. I did take a picture of the catalog page for measurements. Just wondering what ya'll are running?
(pantodd74) Ya might need to start a thread of your own..... New heading/title and ask your questions. I'm sure the answers are out there. You'll probably get WAYYYY more responses that way. 6sally6
^^^^^^^what 6 sally said for certain. Start a fresh thread and if at all possible, with pics of said equipment that is giving you issues. Plenty of triples running around here, many that had issues but most have been fixed to run right. Fuel pressure always the big issue etc etc
My three cents…. After disassembly take a can or two of carb cleaner with the little straw attached. Spray all the passages really well. If you think you got them, do them again. I’m a fan of the pine sol soak, cleans them up really well. I‘be seen guys using ultrasonic cleaners on carbs also. Never tried myself. buy the rebuild kits with fresh gaskets and small parts. Think they are cheapest at summit around $35. make sure all yoir springs are there externally. The little guy on the choke often disappears be REALLY CAREFUL with the threads on the soft metal parts. They strip really easy. Buy replacement butterfly screws if you plan on taking them apart that far. <$10 for 10 screws. take care removing the power valve and other straight head screw driver parts, they strip easily too and often are stuck in old carbs get the correct jet removal tool or borrow one. You’ll never get the jets out otherwise. upon disassembly and after cleaning old gasket material, place each “flat carb surface” on a glass table top and check to see if the mating surfaces are flat or unlevel. If they are not flat, they may not seal so you’ll have to address that. When I find this, I lay a piece of sand paper on the glass table and sand them lightly by moving the carb (not the paper) until they are flat. My three cents.
With my progress being very slow on the car, I decided to wait before getting involved with the tri-power. I really miss driving it and need to get other parts of it finished for now. I will be sure to post some pics when the body and paint are complete. Thanks for the interest and all the help.
Send the Stromberg carburetors to Max Musgrove. He will solve any problems that you may have with the carburetors. madmax1946@comcast.net.
Also, you'll need a low-pressure fuel pressure regulator - set at 2 lbs. These carbs cannot handle the pressure that your Holley 4-barrel runs at.
Swap meet impulse buy of the setup in the photo. Setup for install in a flat bottom/ v-drive boat (sbc nose down) Manifold will need some machine work for a install in a car or it remains garage art. The tops of the air horn look to be cast (no machining marks) about a 1/2" shorter than standard. The choke plates and shafts are missing. I have had them apart and they are very clean. Linkage and internal parts appear to be complete. Gasket sealing surfaces look very good. But I am wondering what all mods are in them for boat use that I'll need to change for street use ?
Hello, For something as simple as a 3 Stromberg carb set up, one might look into the smooth or not so smooth functioning of the progressive linkage of the day. Those nice looking units made from aircraft industrial parts worked most of the time, but, for the several tri carb units on a 348 and a 283 Chevy motor, got stuck at the most inopportune time. A full throttle acceleration with all carbs open made the 57 and 58 Chevy motors purr and go fast as the pedal was floored. Despite the fact that in the 58 Impala, we disconnected the vacuum set up temporarily, hoping the progressive linkage would work better. It did not. It was set up to run on the center carb and as usual, a full throttle position made the other two carbs open. It took some adjusting on both engines to get the linkage to work well and still have the normal driving feel anytime. If the center carb had full throttle opening upon acceleration, then the linkage had to have some adjustment to get the other two carbs to kick in and also be open as full as possible. For both the 283 it worked ok most of the time. for the 348, drag racing at full throttle worked all of the time, but daily driving was limiting. The vacuum worked 100 percent better and allowed easier normal driving with the other two carbs waiting for their turn to come on during those full acceleration moments. The 283 also had the progressive linkage adjustment difficulties and perhaps, it was the make and model of the linkage. Jnaki Recently, I saw a new build with the latest progressive linkage. It seemed to work fine, and even the outside carbs looked as if they opened all the way when full throttle was applied. So, 60 years ago, those progressive linkage units were in need of much adjustment as per driver. Perhaps, technology has been worked out to make the today’s units function much smoother. Note: We had a progressive custom linkage for our 283 SBC motor with 6 Strombergs and then used the same set up when we went up-level to a blower spec 292 SBC 671 supercharged motor. When we used the set up at the drags, it was functioning as a full power, all carbs in motion, all of the time. But driving it on the street was a bear with all 6 working at the same time. From the simple 3 carb set up to a more complicated 6 carb set up took some time to adjust and make run well. For the drags, the linkage was direct. All 6 opened up at the starting line when the "GO" was given. For the street, the linkage was adjusted to run the center two first. Then if needed, the outside 4 carbs came on like gangbusters... YRMV
Hey @jnaki - I'm a bit confused . . . when you mentioned the "vacuum worked 100% better" - what vacuum are you talking about? I've never seen a vacuum operated Stromberg setup? I've only seen and used straight linkages and progressive linkages?
"...or both the 283 it worked ok most of the time. for the 348, drag racing at full throttle worked all of the time, but daily driving was limiting. The vacuum worked 100 percent better and allowed easier normal driving with the other two carbs waiting for their turn to come on during those full acceleration moments. The 283 also had the progressive linkage adjustment difficulties and perhaps, it was the make and model of the linkage." Hello, Sorry if the paragraph was not clear. I have posted several other places about driving the 58 impala with a 280 hp 348 c.i. motor. In comparison, we took off the progressive linkage from the 3 Stromberg set up and modified it to fit the three carbs on the 348 Chevy Motor. The 3 Stromberg system was on a 283 motor in my friend's 57 Chevy Bel Air hardtop sedan. A lot of the racers at Lion's Dragstrip had changed over to progressive linkage on their carbs. So, I thought it would be better than the factory vacuum set up that came with the 348 motor. We drove it around several weeks, while my friend was doing some more modifications to his motor. The short time it was on my 348 motor, we had several encounters on our local highway. It worked ok. But, the one time I jammed the throttle to the floor, the the carbs kicked in and it was very quick. But, when I let off the throttle at the end of the run, the progressive linkage stuck. I had to reach down to pull the pedal, tried slowing down and finally, turned off the motor for the last 1/2 mile shut down area. The original vacuum set up was flawless on the three carbs of the 348 motor. So, I gave the progressive linkage back and stuck to the stock vacuum system for the best results. Jnaki If I were to ask my friend which system he liked after letting him drive my Impala, he said the vacuum system worked well all of the time. It did not give the feeling of a stopping point like the progressive linkage, before the other carbs kicked in when accelerating. The stock vacuum system gave me easy throttle for daily driving and it was smooth. When I needed more power, the other two carbs kicked in automatically as the pedal gets pushed to the floor. YRMV
Thanks @jnaki - now I get what you were saying. When vacuum operated enrichment is correctly setup (matched to the engine, cam, timing, etc) - it works really well and inherently knows how to sense "load". This is something that no mechanical linkage can do. In your case it was used to bring in the secondary carbs and in the case of vacuum operated 4-barrels, the secondary system. In the end, the concept is really the same for both. Given where you live, I bet you knew my ole' friend Joe Reath quite well? He was one of my original "Hot Rod Mentors" - was fortunate that he was willing to spend the amount of time he did with me (as a 15 year old kid). He and his crew did all my machine work for every engine I built in SoCal. He took the time to teach me how to assemble an engine and let me roam all around his shop on Cherry street. Heck, he even came out to Irwindale to see me run my flatheads at the Antique Nats. What a wonderful man to have taken me under his wing at an early age (around 1974). Take care, thanks for the reply. Dale
It took me three rebuilds, each more extensive than its predecessor, to get my 97 operating correctly. I eventually bought the special tools needed for a complete rebuild. The YouTubes put up by Vintage Speed are very good.
“Given where you live, I bet you knew my ole' friend Joe Reath quite well? He was one of my original "Hot Rod Mentors" - was fortunate that he was willing to spend the amount of time he did with me (as a 15 year old kid). He and his crew did all my machine work for every engine I built in SoCal. He took the time to teach me how to assemble an engine and let me roam all around his shop on Cherry street. Heck, he even came out to Irwindale to see me run my flatheads at the Antique Nats. What a wonderful man to have taken me under his wing at an early age (around 1974).” Joe Reath’s move to his ultimate speed shop took place after our final drag racing days. But, I did stop several times to talk to him and see the huge shop. As usual, Dellie, was as gracious as ever. It was the standard thing for all touring drag racers to stop here for parts, rebuilds, specialty installs and general shop space to get things ready for the now, FED battles at Lion’s Dragstrip. The original at 10th and Cherry Avenue Hello, Yes, my brother and I were “regulars” at Reath Automotive at the 10th Street and Cherry Avenue location. When they moved to the 33rd street and Cherry Avenue location, it was a lot closer to Bixby Knolls. The location and shop was now seen by a million more folks, as it was near the LB airport, a busy business intersection and tons of restaurants. The shop itself on the corner was huge compared to the original little, but powerful shop on 10th street and cherry. That smaller one was closer to our high school and easy to drop by anytime. The newer, super size speed shop at the corner of 33rd Street and Cherry Avenue, closer to Bixby Knolls. It was a far cry from the early beginnings in the small corner shop on 10th Street. This was the epitome of a speed shop and build/machine/working hot rod/drag racing garage that almost took up a whole block. "This was the hot rod/drag racer's dream shop... plenty of space for machining, building, on the spot repairs, and a huge showroom full of the latest stuff. Everything possible in parts and service was in stock. Including more words of wisdom from the big master himself, Joe Reath. But, we all could see the glory and different attitude of the whole drag racing parts/racing/building scene with this new shop and in the coming years, the whole drag racing scene was changing, too." Jnaki He also helped us develop a good sense of “how to do stuff…” for drag racing and general engine builds. he knew his clientele and future business accounts. So, his famous “talks” to us young teenagers had a long distance reason. Long time clients and prospective customers. As it worked out, yes, we spent a lot of time there with our first 283 + 6 Stromberg carburetor motor for adjustments and add-ons. Joe Reath always talked to his customer, old and for us, new. He knew what he was doing. We became long time customers and when we pulled our 40 Willys into the driveway lot, the whole staff came out to see what we had done. Joe Reath’s advice rang true for everyone, including a couple of young teenagers. But, as the next step came in our drag racing episodes, we spent a lot of money going to the level he suggested. Supercharging was the next step. But, not just bolting on a supercharger, he told us of the step by step parts and procedures to make a successful, yet powerful motor. When we showed him our latest speed parts, he was amazed that we had the next level in supercharging in our hands. It was talked about in the dealer circles, but still in development. Our friend in Los Angeles was able to get the 2nd model of the special new kit for SBC motors. It was an all-new Isky-Gilmer 671 SBC blower belt drive + all accessory parts for the complete set up. Joe was impressed. Our friend was close with his friend from the way back time machine in the L.A. hot rod circles… Vic Edlebrock. As part of the original design kit, a special Edlebrock blower manifold was part of the package. Number 1 went to the Isky shop. We think we got number 2. But, those kits were not out at the speed shops as yet. So it was a surprise that we had one in our hands. For the new Reath Automotive machined 283 block that he suggested we go to 292 with an 1/8th inch bore. But, to use all “blower spec” parts. A new Reath crank was also part of the parts package we purchased. He was totally impressed when he saw us in the Lion’s Dragstrip pits and in the ensuing evening races. Note 2: Here is something I put together for a display at the Long Beach Historical Society’s hot rod/cruising show. It is a tribute to Joe Reath’s knowledge and history for the presentation to the general public. The Legend of Lion’s Dragstrip… Enjoy !!!
If you want to learn about the 'berg 97 carburetor, get this months' issue of 'Secrets of Speed Society' magazine, it has the definitive article on them written by Clive a few years ago, it covers the carburetor circuit by circuit on an engineering level and is at least 5 pages long with illustrations. I've seen a lot of articles about the '97 and this is the best I've read.
The Jalopy Journal
