Triple 2" carbs on an S type

[silverfox]

Has it been done before ? , it looks tight , thanks in advance Russ

[piman]

Hello Silverfox,

I would guess that it will be tight assuming you want to fit an air cleaner. It will probably require some cutting of the inner wing? I would think that twin 2" S.U.s would be much easier and not likely to have any less power?

Alec

[ecosselynx]

Hi

It's been done, if its for a road car go as Alec suggested with the 2 x 2" SU's, even then unless your keeping it up above 3,500 RPM as in racing your not going to see much if any benefit. You will certainly be spending a lot more on petrol.

my tuppence worth

[oldtimer]

Hi Russ, Yes, it can be done, I did it years ago. I fitted a 4.2 litre engine complete with three SU's. replacing a 3.4 litre engine. A mammoth job.

Is this just a passing whim or a genuine enquiry and do you have the skill and equipment to undertake such a job. A sub contractor would either run a mile or charge a kings ransom.

Come back if you want more

Oldtimer

[silverfox]

This the dilemma , ive just purchased a set off 3.8 mk10 carbs[3] and manifold , and a pr from a 420 , offering both up it looks like the pr off the 420 are a straight forward swap , however we always want more , with the triples it looks like the brake reservoirs need relocating , but the sticking point is the clutch master cyl , its very close to the float bowl , there's no chance of a proper air filter just Pancakes at best , im not going too cut the inner wing about as mine's a nice car , i dont want to pull the inlet manifold off without being armed first , interesting comment about 3500rpm many thx , my racing days have gone apart from the odd blatt , but first of all ive got to get the carbs re-furbed , im going to pop over to Brands this w/e and have nose around the Paddock , many thanks for the replies . Russ

[piman]

Hello Russ,

from what you say I would forget the triples, especially as pancake air filters are more restrictive than a decent large air filter element. Apart from look, there is no gain with the triples.

Alec

[Martec]

From my point of view is the S type a straight port head or the early curved port head? the manifolds off one don't fit the other. Measurement would be required.

Brian

[oldtimer]

Hi again,
You did not answer my question above but never mind.

I'll give you a very quick summery of what is required.

Remove the brake and clutch master cylinder. Make a wedge shape steel box to put the two master cylinders into the vertical position. This makes room for the back carb. Having done that the Battery will need to go into the boot cos the battery will no longer fit with the master cylinders in the new position. The brake and clutch pedal arms have to be cut and reformed to accommodate the reposition of the master cylinders. The wiper motor has to be transferred from the off side to the near side. The wiper motor internals have to be modified to ensure the wipers park correctly. Then you need to cut a large oblong slot from the inner wing, make an oblong box to accommodate the front carb and intake trunking and weld it in position. There was probably other details that don't spring to mind at the moment, isn't there always.

I did this 40 years ago when I was rather more enthusiastic than I am now. I certainty enjoyed the challenge and succeeded. The finished job looked pretty impressive too. Just to remind you I replaced a 3.4 engine with a 4.2 engine which enhanced the performance considerably.

I would suggest that following the above route would probably seriously damage the resale value of the vehicle which would be a shame. The performance benefits of the extra carb are probably difficult to detect.

So in conclusion I would recommend you forget the idea of three carburettors and stick with two. Perhaps all your efforts and money should be directed towards getting/ keeping your car in perfect original condition and that is no mean feat.

Oldtimer

PS Not sure what the insurers would have to say in this day and age

PPS Fitting the larger engine caused some headaches in connection with the cooling system but that is another story

[silverfox]

Hi Oldtimer , Many thanks for ur extensive answer and is exactly what i was hoping for , doing that amount of work is more than im prepared to do , ur reply has made up my mind , like yourself i dont have the enthusiasm for large projects anymore , and as i said ive got a nice car to boot , so following the consensus i'll go with the twins , thanks again to everyone for ur reply's . Russ