Weber or 4bbl?

[dlampe]

Well, it looks like I am going to build a 487ci Aluminum pond 427fe. Heres the situation. I have weber's on the shelf with no intake and I have a Performer RPM on the engine with no carb. The carb will cost as much as the intake and the linkage. Would you go for the Weber's and deal with the tuning? There is enough info here to get a good baseline. I have had them before so I am no stranger to the tuning process. But a 4bbl with a polished turkey pan looks pretty good too. It would definitely be easier to tune.

Let the opinions fly!

[SoTxButler]

Do you want to "tune easily and make good power and look OK" or do you want to "make good power, experience difficult tuning, but oh such WOW good looks!!!"

Pick your poison.

[767Jockey]

At the risk of kicking a few hornets nests.........(not my intent, but the usual suspects will no doubt howl.)

Webers are like FE's, in that I've NEVER heard of anyone opening the hood of a FE equipped Cobra and saying "What a beautiful car, if only it had a small block....).

Likewise, I've never heard of anyone opening the hood of a Weber equipped Cobra and saying "Wow, what a beautiful car, if only it had a Holley....)
To me, there is nothing more beautiful under the hood of a Cobra than a FE with Webers.

[Gunner]

Like Manhattan penthouses, yachts and mistresses, Webers are an expensive, fussy, demanding option... but they'll make you grin every time you see them and collect Ooooohs from the crowd like nothing else. You pays yer money and you takes your chance.

Webers are very much the choice if you want to show off and fiddle around as much as you drive. A good 4BBL is the choice if you want to drive, drive, drive.

[RedBarchetta]

If you are, as you say, building "the one", then I'd go all out and fuss with the Webers. Once you get them right, you'll have a shiat-eating grin for the rest of your days. There are enough guys on this forum that can make them sing, the only question is how many jets/emulsion tubes you'll have to buy and fiddle with? I suppose cam selection (i.e. lobe separation angle) becomes more critical with the Webers, too. You may sacrifice a few ponies for drivability, but I'd still go in that direction...the wow factor is too great to ignore.

-Dean

[gsharapa]

Webers! Webers!

[dlampe]

The cam that I have is a Hydraulic roller Dur. @ .050 is 246-I and 255-E, Lobe seperation angle of 112, dur. @ .006 303-I, .311-E, 108 Intake center angle. Gross lift .654 and .649.

It's a big one. Can I get by with that and webers?

[767Jockey]

Dean,
When I was specing out my engine with Keith Craft (I'm having it built locally, but Keith speced out all the parts which I bought from him) I was seriously considering Webers. In the end, as much as I wanted them, the budget just wouldn't allow them. However, I do remember that there were distinctly different cam profiles to be used on the same engine with Webers vs. a Holley. Give Keith a call, he can sell you the cam as well. I found him great to work with and very responsive. He's very familiar with the proper way to set up an engine with Webers. Glad to see you've decided on the Pond block - good choice!

[Fordzilla]

Webers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Stentor]

I have to vote for Webers, too!

[RodKnock]

Originally Posted by dlampe

The cam that I have is a Hydraulic roller Dur. @ .050 is 246-I and 255-E, Lobe seperation angle of 112, dur. @ .006 303-I, .311-E, 108 Intake center angle. Gross lift .654 and .649.

It's a big one. Can I get by with that and webers?

Dean, my cam specs are almost exactly the same, as well as Rokndad's (Tom) on his CSX4758. While not ideal for Webers, Webers will run fine on our cams or so I'm told.

[Jac Mac]

After all the C*** Dean put us thru with the webers on his GT40 I thought it would be Dynatek all the way this time round, Maybe Dean has a short memory in regard to this stuff. Id go with the 4bbl, if its fast enough nobody will get to see under the hood anyway, only your rapidly disappearing tail-'lampe's'...........

[*13*]

4BBL. You can build the BB with enough HP. No Need for the Webers.

[mdross1]

I agonized over this one for a long time.In the end settled for the 4 barrel Holley,and it was because of tuning.Went through the same issues with cams and lifters,wanting a solid tappet cam,went with very decent hydraulic.Just part of the fun owning these cars

[dlampe]

Come on Jac, what would you do if wasn't for answering my questions, again!

I'm not to worried about the tuning. I have been down that road before. Although, I will probably drive everyone nuts working on them. It does solve the problem of never having anything to work on!

[*13*]

They are fun to fiddle with. There is something to be said for simplicity though. Maybe you should buy both so you can change them out every so often

[Anthony]

Originally Posted by dlampe

Well, it looks like I am going to build a 487ci Aluminum pond 427fe. Heres the situation. I have weber's on the shelf with no intake and I have a Performer RPM on the engine with no carb. The carb will cost as much as the intake and the linkage. Would you go for the Weber's and deal with the tuning?

I think you really need to get the Berg 58mm webers if you want to make power above 5000 rpms. So, if you want webers sell the 48's, get the berg 58's and a BT weber intake, like the one I have which is canted.

The intake on the left is the BT 48 IDA intake. The intake on the right is a HM 58mm Downdraft intake.

[Jac Mac]

Originally Posted by dlampe

Come on Jac, what would you do if wasn't for answering my questions, again!

I'm not to worried about the tuning. I have been down that road before. Although, I will probably drive everyone nuts working on them. It does solve the problem of never having anything to work on!

Lots Dean , Lots, but just because I know how quickly you forget here we go once again.... Your GT40 engine IIRC was around 360+ cu in & the Webers- which I assume are the same ones you discarded for the Dynatek setup- were too small venturi/choke size wise for that combo , then if you think about it, trying to get them to flow enough air at RPM on a 487 cu in FE going to cause you even more premature hair loss..... Bit like trying to get a Briggs & Stratton carb to work on a Harley

[RICK LAKE]

dlampe Dean stop smell the 110 race fuel and leave the eggnog ALONE. Dean the 48mm are not big enought to handle the 487 cubes. Camshaft need a wider LSA with webers. 112 is tight, 114 is alot better. The cam size is not that big. 487 cubes will eat up alot of that.
You have not said what this motor is going in, what HP and torque rating you are looking for, rpm limit, trans and gear ratio? Opinion, we all have them, with the parts you are telling, I go with the carb as long as it's in the mid 750 cfm to 850 cfm range. The 48mm webers worked great on your 400+ cubic windsor motor but another 80 cubes of FE is not going to work. You know that is a Harley motor more we are talking about in cubic size differents.
You know the FI systems, buy a TWM setup of 58mm or the Gene Berg 58mm setup. Either way make sure you have a good fuel system, 1/2" supply line, 3/8" return line, good vacuum fuel regulator, and a good large fuel pump. Rick L. Ps happy holidays to the family.

[Dwight]

Webers webers

Dwight