Some time ago before my Dad passed away we had chatted about what upgrades might have been done to the coupe back in his days. He was born in 1936. Before I managed to get the parts my Dad sadly passed away.

So as a bit of a tribute I bought the following parts

Stromberg 97 Carb – from Dave O’Neil (O’Neill Vintage Ford)
Scalded Dog Manifold – from Charlie Yapp (Secrets of Speed)
Chrome Air Scoop – from Dave O’Neil (O’Neill Vintage Ford)
Facet Electric Fuel Pump – Carbuilder.com
Petrol King Fuel Pressure Regulator – Carbuilder.com

Fuel Pressure Gauge – Carbuilder.com
Braided Fuel Line – Carbuilder.com
Copper Fuel Line – Amazon
Rubber Fuel Pipe – Carbuilder.com
Various Connections and Unions
Jubilee Clips -Screwfix
Fuel Pump Relay – eBay
Rocker Switch – eBay

Parts I already had

MSD plug lead set and tool
Modern distributor cap
Wire and connectors

My friend Austen fabricated the required new throttle link rod from the dimensions provided by Charlie

First job is to remove the existing manifold and carburetor

This is a Model B carburetor fitted by a previous owner, this carb has had a brazed repair in the body which whilst a bit rough and ready worked fine.

These inlet manifold fixing bolt holes where not used with the original manifold, but are needed for the new one. These were cleaned out with a tap.

The carburetor and manifold were assembled and bolted into place

First attempt at wiring the fuel pump and the use of braided fuel line. This looked quite bad as the wiring was temporary to get home from my friends workshop. I didn’t like the look of the braided line.

Decided to go with copper fuel line with rubber termination to solve any issues with engine movement that may cause leaks.

The fuel pump and regulator fit nicely in the chassis rail, these were removed to change 90 degree elbows for a better pipe run

First attempt with copper/rubber fuel pipe as you can see the wiring is a lot tidier, you can also see the pipe run between the pump and the regulator. The wiring will be tidied and weatherproofed further. Use of the screwed connector has been chosen to make a pump change on the road easier.

This is a view from above, quite tidy but still not happy! Too much pipe run above the exhaust manifold and the carb feed pipe is not secured enough for my liking.

At this point a leak from the sediment trap was noticed, caused by the failure of the gasket

The reproduction item is made of neoprene but a horrible fit and had to be cut to fit. Bowl and trap were cleaned and then reassembled

Wasn’t happy with the throttle feel so spaced with some fibre washers, a lot better now. The throttle also stuck a little, so the joints on the rods were lubricated and Clive at Stromberg provided a nifty little solution to snap the throttle shut. This also doubled as a safety measure as per Charlie’s advice in case of linkage failure.

https://automotiveamerican.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/IMG_4646.mov

As you can see runs very well, starts better, warms up quicker, very happy.

More once I get a few trips under my belt with the new set up.