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T O P I C    R E V I E W
UMU Posted - 12 Jan 2011 : 21:49:45
So back in the summer I met Glen and managed to buy a pair of strombergs off him. Good thing as the ones on my car are on their last legs and need replacing.
Now that i have bought the resto kits and have a little bit of time ive decided to sort them out, ready for fitting.

So far i have desmantled them and now started cleaning.
Any tips??


I have a very understanding fiancee




Left = cleaned and right = as it was



I have a long way still to go, ill keep u posted

15   L A T E S T    R E P L I E S    (Newest First)
1922 Posted - 08 Mar 2011 : 19:02:30
Another point about the air filter: The standard H120/GLS setup is jetted to run with the standard air filter fitted and it will run poorly without it (I've tried it!).
You can run K&N (or similar) filters but this will require rejetting.

Fuel consumption is high in heavy traffic (less than 15mpg I think) - but on the open road it can be good. I used to get nearly 31mpg on a 230 mile run (Norwich to Welwyn Garden City and back), better than I ever got from the strombergs.

JPSH120 Posted - 07 Mar 2011 : 22:04:12
The Webers do make an awesome noise and they are not problematic if they are set up right, this does need doing fairly regularly to keep them sweet. In some way yours may run better then the std H120 with the extra displacement.

As for the manifold wrap it is something I am considering although ceramic coating isn't too expensive and looks good too.

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UMU Posted - 07 Mar 2011 : 21:41:17
Wow thanks guys thats really helpful with great advice and bril pic to follow.

Its such a big decision (over £500) to be made, do you think ill notice the improvment in power and sound etc and do you think the fuel consumption really will be much worse than it is now.
My other worry is although im trying to get my car as quick as i can, whilst keeping its with a long life span it must run smooth through the revs and ive heard weber can hinder that.

But big plus's for me are the looks and possible power increase as well as allowing the engine to be tuned better.


Also instead of my replacing my exhaust manifold downpipes, which are from a H120 as yet again they are shedding their paint, does anyone have any experience with the fibreglass woven bandage that can be used to wrap them instead. Ive seen a warning about fire as any gaps will expell intense heat - but im guessing thats only a problem in a tightly packed bay - which ours arnt.

Thanks again guys


Fastback Thomas Posted - 07 Mar 2011 : 21:01:00
Thanks Jason,

I might be tempted to construct something similar by the time I'll be driving my rapier. The snake happy rear end, is what makes a rear wheel drive sports car what it is...

I'm not really in a hurry to get myself an exhaust manifold and I like buying things from a person face-to-face. So you still got some time.

Cheers
Thomas

I like a car that looks normal but really knocks your socks off!!
JPSH120 Posted - 07 Mar 2011 : 20:37:36
Hi Thomas,

No it is not my car. I would imagine the strut brace does improve the stability in corners, but something would have to be done about the snake happy tail end!!

By the way, I have not forgotten about the manifold, my Dad has moved all my parts and I am yet to find the manifold, it could be in 1 of 3 places!!

FYI there is one on ebay at the moment;

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Holbay-exhaust-manafold-/230594145203?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item35b07b6bb3

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Fastback Thomas Posted - 07 Mar 2011 : 20:02:21
quote:
Originally posted by JPSH120

Here's a picture of the set up you'll need;



The inlet manifold isn't too hard to find, here is one on eBay - http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/holbay-inlet-manifold-/230594617893?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item35b082a225

The more difficult things to find will be the air filter housing and the carb cover (orange fibreglass bit).

You might be better fitting the carbs with ram filters instead.




___________________________________________________________________________





Hi Jason,

Is that your car,
I'm wondering if you can really feel the difference with or without that stiffening bar between the front suspension legs...

Thomas

I like a car that looks normal but really knocks your socks off!!
JPSH120 Posted - 07 Mar 2011 : 19:26:37
Hi Martin,

A set of Weber DCOE 40 carbs as fitted to H120's should do nicely. Even though your engine is bored to 1.9 I think the 40's will be fine as truth be told they are a bit OTT for the H120 engine - be warned though they like a drink!!!

Here's a picture of the set up you'll need;



The inlet manifold isn't too hard to find, here is one on eBay - http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/holbay-inlet-manifold-/230594617893?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item35b082a225

The more difficult things to find will be the air filter housing and the carb cover (orange fibreglass bit).

You might be better fitting the carbs with ram filters instead.




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janmarine3 Posted - 07 Mar 2011 : 19:15:02
Hi UMU.
I can tell you I fitted twin 40 webers with the angled inlet manifold to the standard 1725cc engine I fitted in my ser 3 Rapier, they came straight off a H120 off ebay .Even though the carbs were lying at an angle they worked ok after I set the float levels lower because fuel was leaking out the ram tubes.
I then got a modified welded manfold off ebay and fitted it, the carbs are roaring sweet after tinkering with the jets a bit. When driving normally I get 12 km's to a litre, and there is plenty torque and the clock runs out in no time at 100 mph.
There is a photo of the webers under the 'your cars' forum .
Cheers
Jan.
1922 Posted - 07 Mar 2011 : 19:08:15
The DCOE 40s fitted to H120 have 30mm chokes - i.e. the hole through the middle is only 30mm so I wouldn't bother with the 45s it would be overkill and you are on your own with the jet selection.
My 1840 Holbay marathon engine uses the standard H120 set-up and it runs great so I'd say that the best bet is to get some second hand H120 or GLS carbs on the manifold, clean them up and bung them on. Buying new is VERY expensive - something like 300 quid each carb once you've paid for the jets (and you will also need an inlet manifold).
Your 1.9 will probably run fine on H120/GLS carbs.

Fastback Thomas Posted - 07 Mar 2011 : 18:59:24
Hi mate,

Don't know the specifications of the 40's or 45's
but I think it might be short notice to convert to webers.
If you can find them fast, you still need to get them on, running and driving properly.
Might be difficult in less then a month.

I recon you could have the carbs cleaned and put back together (if you have everything you need) in an afternoon... and they're probably easier to tune then the webers.

But that's only my vision mate.

I like a car that looks normal but really knocks your socks off!!
UMU Posted - 07 Mar 2011 : 18:32:11
Any chance you can advise where to go from here

As im so so so lazy and not getting on with the stromberg resto i have been thinking of ways to avoid it

The route im hoping to go down asap is converting to webers, only im not sure which ones will suit my engine
Could anyone advise (bare in mind i have the standard rapier engine, bored out to 1.9cc)

The most common ones i see used seem to be 40s and 45s, but that doesnt mean much to me
Im in a bit of a hurry now as Retrocars mag have now set a date to feature my car and im having the photoshoot on 2nd April

aaaaaahhhhhhh

cheers

arrocuda Posted - 20 Jan 2011 : 18:51:46
I think we need a thread in the tech section about these different piston arrangements. I'd heard of using other Rootes/Chrysler models but never knew you could make P1800's fit. Now what I wanna know is.... Does anyone have any compression ratios for any of these conversions?

Also Derek... I noticed you posted to your 'Minx mayhem' thread but when I went there.... was no post! Very strange!

I'll start a new thread in tech' cos I don't want to hijack Martin's strommy thread.

Building the 'Mark II' fastback Rapier ('Arrocuda').
1922 Posted - 20 Jan 2011 : 13:54:23
Very shiny - you reliaze you'll have to keep polishing them now

Yup - Howard Johnson's motor is 1860cc using Volvo P1800 pistons, my 1840 Rapier uses shortened MGC pistons, and my new 1922cc uses 1600 Avenger pistons. I was just curious.

UMU Posted - 19 Jan 2011 : 20:32:08
Hey guys
Sorry ive left it for a while, but thanks Mike your spot on and i was going to use Volvo pistons, but decided to use a set from Australia - apparently they use them in there 'Utes'

But im not sure how much they had to bore out and if they had to use any special techniques etc.

Although i havent got much further with the carbs etc i have some photos of what i have done.
Also have managed to fit the centre to my new steering wheel - so now it looks the part i think









ps the engine in my company van died today - the big end failed - luckly its not my responsibility to fix it, but still was a shock

cheers

mikesunbeamH120 Posted - 14 Jan 2011 : 12:37:11
Hi all, just to let you know . howard jonhson has an H120 and he had it rebored to 1.9 he used volvo pistons hope this helps ...

Good luck with the rebuild of your carbs Martin, like fastback thomas said chrome polish is good. Also try carburretor cleaner that usualy works all the best mike..

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