Zeniths vs. Webers

NewSixCoupe

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I'm considering having the original Zeniths rebuilt ($700 at Royze) and reinstalled, removing the Webers. Has anyone ever run both in their car? Pros? Cons? Any other sources for rebuilding the Zeniths? Thanks!
 

Stevehose

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I've had both and prefer the Zeniths by far. The key is to have them rebuilt and set up properly as you plan to do. I found this guy but have not used him but his work looks pretty nice:

http://www.paltech1.com/

The Weber 32/36 down drafts restrain the engine vs the 35/40 Zenith imho.

Some have success with 38's Webers so perhaps they will chime in. Triple sidedrafts are another animal completely.


I'm considering having the original Zeniths rebuilt ($700 at Royze) and reinstalled, removing the Webers. Has anyone ever run both in their car? Pros? Cons? Any other sources for rebuilding the Zeniths? Thanks!
 

NewSixCoupe

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Thanks Steve. I'm tired of the stock air cleaner sitting too high on the Webers. I'd like to replace the hood foam and adjust the hood but no point until everything is back to stock. Paltech1 was a good find; I'm intrigued by the microbeading for others parts! Thanks.
 

m_thompson

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I also prefer the Zeniths. The Zeniths have vacuum operated secondary throttles so the gas pedal has a very linear feel. The Webers have mechanical secondary throttles. With mine the gas pedal resistance is low up to about 60 MPH. Then I need to really push to open the secondary throttles. It is nearly impossible to keep it at 65 MPH.
 

bavbob

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Why not rebuild them yourself? There is a DIY somewhere on this website. I used it, never rebuilt one before and it was fine. Just gotta be super organized and take photos as you go. WRT synchronization, you may want to get outside help.
 

NewSixCoupe

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Why not rebuild them yourself? There is a DIY somewhere on this website. I used it, never rebuilt one before and it was fine. Just gotta be super organized and take photos as you go. WRT synchronization, you may want to get outside help.

I thought about it but I'm juggling so many other projects + work the last thing I need is another! And I plan to tackle my window motors over the Winter...
 

Stan

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how would those Zeniths compare to Weber 38/38's?
in theory it would seem that Z 35/40 would be more fuel efficient when cruising but provide more fuel for acceleration....
 

'69 2800cs

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FWIW, Weber 32/36's are *really* tunable and it's pretty simple.

Think about it this way....Weber 32/36's are common replacements on a lot of cars...some kits have one carb on 6 cylinder engines, one carb on 4 cylinders and our cars have two carbs on 6 cylinders. Some are 2.8, some 3.5 yet I bet most of these have the same jets. A little tuning should be expected with any carb.

On my car, a change in idle jet of two sizes completely smoothed out low speed driveability and cold running. A minute or two with the synch tool and my idle became super smooth. One step in air corrector on the primary took AFR's from 18 to 1 lean to 14 to 1 and lots more power above 3K RPM. On the secondaries my AFR's are 10 to 1-way off. Haven't gotten to that yet.

Sticky linkage? A few sprays of lube took care of that.

I've never used Zenith's so I can't comment there, but if you're not happy with the Webers, consider getting a wideband AFR gauge installed ($160 for the kit and a few bucks at a muffler shop) and do some tuning.
 

bill

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Len: Webers on your car? Impossible! Not original. (I guess I forgot, haven't seen your car in a while.) I've had both on my car. I had stumbling issues with the Zeniths even after re-building them. Also, the separate air and fuel adjustments on the Zeniths (came with the 74) were a pain to get properly adjusted. The Webers (32/36) were much easier to fiddle with, but that feature was offset by the clumsy linkage set-up and the potential for it to go past center, thereby getting stuck wide open. The Weber linkage was much "harder" than the Zenith linkage in terms of feel. Performance-wise I didn't notice much difference. The Zeniths have a zillion screws holding together three layers of components making up the carb body; the Webers are much less complicated to take apart and I think much less prone to vacuum leaks (no vacuum choke release, vacuum secondary, etc.) The Zeniths in our '74s have electric hookups and relays for the cold start valves and shut-off solenoids: is that stuff still in your car? As for me, I couldn't resist converting to FI with the stuff Steve and I cannibalized from our '75 CSI....so no more carbs.
Good luck!
 

NewSixCoupe

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Len: Webers on your car? Impossible! Not original. (I guess I forgot, haven't seen your car in a while.) I've had both on my car. I had stumbling issues with the Zeniths even after re-building them. Also, the separate air and fuel adjustments on the Zeniths (came with the 74) were a pain to get properly adjusted. The Webers (32/36) were much easier to fiddle with, but that feature was offset by the clumsy linkage set-up and the potential for it to go past center, thereby getting stuck wide open. The Weber linkage was much "harder" than the Zenith linkage in terms of feel. Performance-wise I didn't notice much difference. The Zeniths have a zillion screws holding together three layers of components making up the carb body; the Webers are much less complicated to take apart and I think much less prone to vacuum leaks (no vacuum choke release, vacuum secondary, etc.) The Zeniths in our '74s have electric hookups and relays for the cold start valves and shut-off solenoids: is that stuff still in your car? As for me, I couldn't resist converting to FI with the stuff Steve and I cannibalized from our '75 CSI....so no more carbs.
Good luck!

Hi Bill,

I know, I missed New Hope this year! I've spoken with one of several recommended Zenith rebuilders after sending photos of the original carb bodies and misc. parts. He said it was a pretty straight-forward job. I'm thinking this is a winter project, so I'll have to look into the logistics of either pulling the Webers in my garage or maybe having my mechanic deal with everything. Rebuild takes 3-4 weeks, so I don't want to tie him up. Then again he's had my coupe up on the lift for extended periods several times this year as we work through the front/rear suspension rebuilds. As far as comparing Z to W, I'll take your observations to heart. And I'll have to check about the electrical harness and relays. Thanks!
 
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