More On 94s
I read your article ("Holley 94s," Oct. '05) with great interest. You made a comment within the article to the effect that you weren't sure which was the better carburetor, the 94 or 97, and talked about the side-hung 97 floats possibly being a problem.
I haven't used the 94, but have used both the 97 and 48 extensively in vintage road racing on a full race, 296ci Ford Flathead V-8 in my 1947 homebuilt race car. I have had no problems whatsoever with the 97 or 48 and have run all of the California, Oregon, and Nevada road racetracks. I ran three 48s for the last five years (they produced about 10 more horsepower than the 97s) and recently changed to the early style Hilborn fuel injection (with 6-inch stacks attached). Chassis dyno tests have shown that the same horsepower is generated with both sets of induction (210hp).
The 97s and 48s were never a problem in the corners. I don't know what kind of lateral g's the car will pull, but I do have a photo of the car lifting the inside tire in turn 8 at Laguna Seca. This tells me that I have to be pulling .8g's, so I know the side-hung floats aren't an issue.
I've attached a picture (above) of the car at Sears Point for your reference.
Regards,
Rick Cannon
Via the Internet
Even More On 94s
I found your comments on the 97s side-pivot floats extremely interesting. I campaigned a variety of Flathead-powered circle-track cars from the '40s up through the late '50s. Over the years as we got to going faster we would sometimes encounter some stumbling coming out of the corners. At some tracks, we were limited to a single carburetor, so we switched to the bigger version of the 94 when they became available. Eventually we went with the 94s on our multi-carb engines as well and they seemed to work better and eliminate the bog coming off the corners. We never gave the float issue much thought; we just found the 94s worked better, but we didn't spend any time trying to figure out why.John MarinoVia the Internet
Thanks to both Rick and John for their input, as well as the others who wrote in expressing their viewpoints.
When it comes to comparing Stromberg 97s and Holley 94s, several questioned how we could suggest a 94 was the equal of a 97 while others asked why it took so long for us to give the 94 its due. Some swore by one carburetor and swore at the other.
As far as the floats are concerned, we'll stand by the statement that the center pivot float is the superior design. However, if Rick Cannon isn't having a problem road racing, the point may be moot, particularly when it comes to street-driven cars.
The bottom line is either style carburetor will work if properly prepared for the application. But then that's true for most things, isn't it?
Q.I am in the beginning stages of what I believe will be a T-bucket roadster worthy of your fine mag. Pictures of its progress will be sent as we get a few more parts together
My question for you guys pertains to the fabrication of motor mounts for my one-off design. The powertrain is to be mounted somewhat higher than traditional, with the framerails being lower than the oil pan and trans. The motor/trans combo will also be untraditional-a 3.8L FORD V-6 backed by an AOD trans. The high mounting is for the purpose of "laying frame" at shows, with the use of four-wheel independent suspension. Since I intend to fab my own mounts, I search your mag for ideas on design and construction.
I saw a set of mounts made for an early Hemi and I think I'd like to model mine after those. It appears as if they used either 1/4-, or 3/8-inch plate for the drilled portion of the mounts, with tubing welded onto the frame end for through-bolts into the frame. It appears that there is some type of bushing between the tubing portion and the frame itself. I can't see from the photos exactly how the mounts bolt up to the block. I would like to know if it is either 1/4 or 3/8 plate (or other) and if there is a possibility I could use 1/4 plate safely in my lighter-weight application. Also, I would like to know the pros and cons of solid-mounting the motor without rubber bushings.
Keep up the great work,
Roy Hersey
Via the Internet