If you know hot rods, you know Stromberg 97, right? Whether it’s the dry lake, the drags, circle track, car show, or just a street near you, they were the go-to, go-fast carburetor for generations. And you know what? They still are, if you’re building an early style hot rod or race car. Whether you’ve got a flathead four or eight, six-pot Chevy or Lincoln V-12, or pretty much any American OHV from ’49 to ’60-something, there’s an manifold somewhere to make it move a little faster, all with the tell-tale three-bolt, two-hole Stromberg carb mounts.
So where did it all start? Strombergs have been around since the earliest of automobile days. 1909, in fact, when Alfred Stromberg and five others formed the Stromberg Motor Car Devices Company producing one brass carburetor a day. By 1928, it was 4,000 a day thanks to some 12,000 staff. And in 1929, the company was sold to Bendix Aviation, moving to join their other operations in South Bend, Indiana. Up through the 40s to the 60s you’d find a Stromberg carb on your Buick, Olds, Plymouth, Stude, even Auburn and Lincoln. But by the 70’s the writing was on the wall for carburetion. In the USA, Stromberg’s last hurrah was the ’74 GMC V-6 truck. And in Europe they stuck the name on a Zenith-designed constant vacuum carburetor, flogged to a host of popular brands including Mercedes and Lotus.
But if we’re talking hot rods, it’s all about the 97. Easy to find. Easy to tune. Good for a reported 150 cfm through 15/16-inch venturis. Original equipment on Ford V-8s for barely more than two years—1936 and ’37. Yes, as we said, the carburetor of choice for hot rodders and drag racers right up to the 1960s.
So here’s the question: Why the 97? Chandler-Groves. Ford. Holley. Carter. Rochester. They were all around at the same time. A lot of them were bigger too, which offered more bang for your buck at the time. Its replacement, the Ford/Holley ‘94’ 2-bbl was Ford’s V-8 choice for some 15 years in various guises. And there were plenty of other Strombergs to choose from too. The 1933/34 Model 40 and 48 had a bigger 1-1/32-inch venturi and a reported 175 cfm. Some Lincolns had a 1 inch 160 cfm-rated LZ version, and Ford’s thrifty little V8-60 motor came with the 81, a smaller version of the 97 with a 0.81-inch throat, making it perfect in a 2×2 for your Ford 4-banger or V8-60 powered midget.
Our hobby is full of contradictions; on one hand it’s steeped in tradition, on the other it embraces the latest technology. There are rodders, like Editor Brennan, who love the latest, high-tech components. Brennan’s gadget-oriented philosophy is “anything worth doing is worth making as complicated as possible”-if a computer, multiple sensors, and miles of wire is involved controlling any function he’s happy. Throw in a couple of blinking LEDs and he’s delirious. On the other end of the spectrum are those of us who consider simplicity the ultimate engineering accomplishment, no electronics, no wires, and the only mode is manual. Apparently there are more than a few who appreciate the uncomplicated approach. How else could the selection of brand-new old carburetors be explained?
Of all the carburetors that have ever been produced, two of the most popular have been the Stromberg 97 and the Holley 94. Today both are being reproduced-Stromberg Carburetors, a British company, offers the 97 and Edelbrock the 94; both are cosmetically identical to the originals with some unseen mechanical improvements. A third offering, the 9Super7 from Speedway Motors is similar in appearance to a Stromberg but will not be mistaken for one by those familiar with an original. Speedway has made several changes to the original design, including manufacturing the base assembly in aluminum rather than cast iron.
All carburetors have the same basic systems: an idle system to deliver fuel below the throttle plates when they are almost completely closed with the air/fuel ratio controlled by needle valves; a main system that delivers fuel to the venturi when the throttle plates open past idle; a transfer system that supplies fuel as the throttle plates open and the carburetor goes from idle system to main; a power system that provides a richer air/fuel ratio when the engine is under load; an accelerator pump to add fuel and prevent stumbling when the throttle is opened suddenly; a float, needle, and seat to control the fuel level in the bowl. Stromberg 97 and Holley 94 carburetors have these systems, but there are subtle differences in how they are configured. Let’s take a look at the two designs individually and then compare them.
Stromberg produced carburetors for a variety of automobile manufacturers but the versions that most hot rodders are familiar with first appeared as the Model 40 in 1934 on 85hp Ford Flatheads; the model 48 was introduced on V-8s in 1935 (the preceding were both rated at 170 cfm); and from 1936 to early 1938, 97s were installed on Fords (155 cfm). The smaller-model 81s (125 cfm) were used on the V-8/60s while the larger LZs (160 cfm) were found on the Lincoln V-12s. In addition to those factory-installed carburetors, what were known as Type I Stromberg 97s were manufactured by Bendix in South Bend, Indiana, as replacements for Holley 94s; most of these have the 97 logo. Replacement versions, designated the Type II, were manufactured by Bendix in Elmyra, New York, and have a 1-1 logo.
Holley 94s are often mistaken for Strombergs even though there are some obvious differences. Used as original equipment by Ford from 1938-57 and sold by parts stores as replacement carburetors 94s have always been more plentiful than 97 and as a result less expensive. Like many things that Henry Ford was involved in, the Holley 94 had an interesting beginning.
When Ford was getting ready to release the new 24-stud Flathead he contracted with the Chandler-Groves Company to develop an entirely new, more efficient carburetor and produce them for the 1938 production run. In exchange for that agreement, Ford was granted the patent on the new design and when the year was up he went looking for a better price on carburetors. Holley was able to cut the price by less than 10 cents a piece and became the sole supplier of 94s until production came to a halt in 1957.
As a result, carburetors produced for Ford in 1938 are labeled Chandler-Groves, those made by Holley may have the Ford script on the float bowl while some later-model versions have a 94 cast into the bowl. There are also replacement carburetors.
Now that new versions of both carburetors are available, the debate over which is better could go on indefinitely. The Holley 94 has two 15/16-inch venturi while those of the Stromberg 97 measure 31/32 inch. It would seem obvious that the slightly larger 97 should flow more, however their numbers are almost identical. Although Stromberg 97s and Holley 94s share the same three-bolt mounting pattern, there are a number of significant differences between the two. The fuel inlet is in the float bowl top of the 94s, rather than the side of the bowl as on the 97s. The 94s use a center-hung float as opposed to the side-hung design of the 97s. Finally, the 94s used spray bars for discharging fuel in the main system, while the 97s used emulsion tubes. All that being said, dyno testing has revealed that there is no significant difference between the two designs. The Stromberg is slightly better at producing horsepower in relation to the fuel consumed at low speeds (below 2,500 rpm) and the Holley is better above that range-but the difference is roughly 1 hp. So, why were 97s more popular than 94s on hot rods? One advantage of the 97 is that when multiple carburetors are used the main jets can often be changed without removing the carburetor from the manifold, not possible with 94s. Of course in a race environment that was important, on a street engine not so much. The other issue with 94s was the enrichment system.
Strombergs used a mechanically operated power valve that is only activated when the throttle was wide open and the engine can use the extra fuel. Holley’s enrichment system used a vacuum-operated power valve that opened to supply extra fuel to the engine when the vacuum dropped to a certain point, usually 7-1/2 inches Hg or less. The problem is that when two or more carburetors are used, the vacuum signal drops earlier and more aggressively than with a single carburetor. As a result, when using multiple carburetors the power valves may open prematurely, making the mixture much richer than necessary. This is easily cured by selecting a power valve that opens at a lower value. Another issue with using multiple 94s is their size. Slightly larger front-to-back than a 97, fitting three 94s on some manifolds can be a problem (a situation some responded to by grinding down the front screw boss on the float bowl).
After the conversion to the Scalded Dog inlet manifold and Stromberg 97 carb there has been some slight throttle sticking issues. The majority of the issue had been cured by the snap shut device provided by Stromberg
Snap Shut Device
Despite this the throttle still occasionally sticks a little due to the nature of the linkage.
A spring was needed and not one that was too heavy which would add to an already fairly stiff throttle action.
I couldn’t really find what I wanted so I decided to create something out of some small springs that I already had, plus an electrical connector to allow for some adjustment once fitted.
This worked out well and I was able to adjust the tension after fitting. You’ll notice the use of some heat shrink tube to make things look tidy.
One of the most popular carburetor choices used by Ford and Lincoln, as well as several other auto manufacturers, is the Stromberg two-barrel. The most desirable of these is the “97;” however, four other versions were also offered by Ford: the “L,” the “40,” the “48” and the “81.”
The model “40” was the first generation of the Stromberg dual-downdraft or two-barrel design and saw limited use on some of the early 1934 V-8s. The 48s were the original-equipment carburetors for the 1934 and 1935 Ford flathead V-8s. The 97s were offered on the 85hp V-8s from 1936 to early 1938, and the 81s powered the 60hp V-8s in 1937 and ’38. Stromberg also produced a model “L” which had a one-inch venturi and was used only on 1936-’37 Lincoln V-12 engines.
Stromberg 97 cores can be difficult to find, but can be identified by a raised “97” cast into the center section; the Indiana-built units had an “EE-1” stamped onto the base. Units built in the Elmira, New York, factory can be identified by a “1-1” casting number on the base. Although the EE-1 castings are the most sought after, the New Y-built units were an improved design that had better response coming off idle. The model 48 units, rated at 170 cfm, share the same base casting as the 97s but had a larger 1-1/32-inch bore diameter. The 97s got their name because of the 31/32-inch-bore diameter (.97-inch) and were rated at 155 cfm. Model 81s have a 13/16-inch bore diameter (.8125-inch) and were rated at 125 cfm. All three are great for using in pairs on smaller-cubic-inch engines. The model “L” was rated at 160 cfm, and installing them on larger-displacement engines will usually require a 3 x 2-barrel or 3-deuce setup.
So what can they fit? There are a lot of aftermarket Edelbrock, Weiand and Offenhauser intake manifolds that will accommodate the 3-bolt Stromberg mounting base. Obviously, Ford flathead manifolds of the 1930s are their primary candidates. But the Slingshot manifold that was designed by Vic Edelbrock Sr. was just the beginning of intake and Stromberg configurations that have been offered over the last 60 years. Y-shaped manifolds are also available, allowing you to install two Strombergs on a single-barrel manifold. There are base plate adapters to convert a single-barrel manifold to the 3-bolt Stromberg 2-barrel and to adapt a four-barrel spread-bore manifold to accept dual 97s. Plus, there are 3 x 2 and 4 x 2, manifolds for 1953-’56 Chrysler Hemis and 1955-’86 small-block Chevys. You can even still find 6 x 2 manifolds for most Chevy engines. All of these manifolds are compatible with Strombergs as well as the Holley model 94, another 3-bolt two-barrel performance carb that was built by Holley and Chandler Grove for Ford, as an alternative to a Stromberg carburetor.
Recently we have spent a lot of time rebuilding Stromberg carburetors for a few of the projects currently in the shop. While rebuilding them Steve and Matt found a few common issues that were found in the majority of the carbs. Matt decided to put together a video covering the common issues we found as a part of our hot rodding 101 series. Be sure to comment below if you have any other issues you seem to find with every Stromberg!
Yay! I´m working on the Tudor in this episode. Installing the Cyclone 7,5-1 high compression cylinder head, building the header, installing the Burns intake manifold, finding out my “restored” Stromberg 97 is crap but install it anyway… A lot of things happening so I had to split this one into two videos. Part deuce is coming next weekend. Thank you for watching!
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