Upcoming Improvement no 8 - Carby Upgrade

Now that I am doing a lot more driving at highway speeds, I am looking for smoother acceleration, a slight increase in power and if possible better fuel economy. I have always been a big fan of the original Carter carby, defending its honour to the max, however lately I have been paying more attention to the experiences of other Chev 4 owners.

The name that came up from several sources, mainly in the states was the Zenith 14991, an after market carby, been around for don't know how long, used as an after market unit on A models and various tractors. Recently a couple of 28 Chev owners on the net, one from the States and the other from Great Britain have completed successful installations with positive results

With no intention of ever doing substantial engine modifications, I have always looked for add on or bolt on improvements. The first was Autolite 3077 spark plugs, and hopefully the next will be a carby upgrade.

The only thing that was in my way was the cost, not budgeted, and a plan to buy one in the future, but not now or that soon. All that changed when a close friend, and you know who you are, shouted me the purchase price of a carby as a gift. Your generosity was very much appreciated.

So its a month later, the carby has finally arrived, I have compiled a lot of data about the installation, and I am ready to go. After the "Last of the Chrome Bumpers" run this weekend, the 2nd October, I will start the conversion process.

I need to fabricate an adaptor plate as the mounting holes are 90 degrees opposed to the Carter, re route the fuel line and change the throttle and choke linkage.

So which one will run better, the 83 year old technology in the Carter, or the more modern Zenith 14991. I will let you know in a week or two, but the money would have to be on the Zenith.

I have included a few pictures below. The original Carter has a brass bowl and black body, and the Zenith is the more chunky looking all alloy unit.

And this is what one installed on a 28 Chev in Great Britain looks like.