I've heard a lot about these carburettors as replacements for the Weber IMBs. Does anyone have an opinion?

The reason for my request is that I'm going to replace the 500cc engine in my Bambino with a slightly more powerful big valve version of the 650cc engine. The modified 650 comes with a 28IMB and I was considering replacing it with a 32/28 FZD (if I can find one, that is) as this carby is supposed to be better in every regard. I already have the FZD manifold.

I'd be interested in any comments.

Happy Easter,
Chris

I found a good one for sale in Sicily. It comes with a full rebuild kit, spare manifold and trumpet, so I bought it. I'll let you know what happens.

Chris

Ooooooh, very nice................................

Bambino,
I would like to do the same engine swap to my Fathers 500L, is there any good websites that show or right some what of a process. Is the engine out of a Fiat 126?

Have a look here www.fiat500clubsa.com/niki-swaps.html


Chris

Panda Van said:

Ooooooh, very nice................................

Click to expand...

Thanks.

Now all I have to do is mount it, connect it and find out how to tune it. Hopefully it shouldn't be too difficult.

Then - vrooooom ......

Chris

The best carb for the single port head by far. We messed around with twin chokes for years before changing to an FZD, we got the same maximum peak power but with no flat spots and a great power curve.

Also no problems with the soft joint between the cab and manifold splitting or mountings breaking.

You will however need to get the carb set-up/jetted on a rolling road.

Nigel

Thanks Nigel - I appreciate your opinion.

The carby is equipped with the following:

132 main
190 air corrector
50 pump
48 idle
6747-8 emulsion

Do you know where I can get parts?
If possible, can you please post photos of your set up?

Chris

As the engine is still out of my car, I've taken the opportunity to change the carburettor. It is a very easy job - so far.

Once the Weber is removed next remove the bakelite baseplate.
Then remove the two centre head nuts and the outer carby mount stud.
The new posts (supplied with the new manifold) are screwed on where the head nuts were removed and torqued down.
The manifold slips over the top and is secured front and back.
Finally, the Dell'orto carby is fitted directly on to the manifold. These carbies are not heavy and do not need to be supported like the twin barrel DCOE's or DHLA's. The larger twin barrel carbies also require a soft mount to get around the problem of fuel agitation in their rather shallow fuel bowls. The little FZD seems immune to this problem.

Tomorrow I'll mount the engine on a stand, attach an exhaust manifold, distributor, fuel etc. and give it a test run. I'll tune it as best as I can. I'm doing this to get an idea of how hard or easy it is going to be to mechanically connect the carby and of course to have a general fiddle around ....

When I finally fit whatever engine I end up with in the car, I'll take it to the local dyno guys and get it tuned properly.

Chris

Excellent!

Keep us posted which one you go for.

Let's be honest here - the Dell'Orto FZD really looks the business......

any news? are you happy with the dell orto?

Yes - I'm very happy with it.

The car cold and hot starts easily and idles smoothly without the use of the choke. It accelerates well without flat spots, though I've not yet had it on the dyno so I can't give you power figures.

IMHO, this carby is miles ahead of the IMB Webers and far less tempermental than the twin carby (Weber DCOE or Dell'Orto DHLA) setup that uses a Panda twin throat head. It mounts directly onto the appropriate inlet manifold without the use of the intermediate antivibration mounts that seem to crack and entrain air over time. Plus, it looks good to boot.

I wish Dell'Orto would remanufacture them as they are rare as hens teeth. On a positive note, they do share some parts with the DHLA series which remain available.

I scoured the world over a period of months and found two - one complete and the other a 'parts' carby - 32/28s in Sicily. My other option was to use a Weber 30DIC, which, I'm told, is a pretty decent device. The DIC is a progressive twin throat downdraft carburettor, which when fitted, doesn't seem to leave much room for an air filter, though I'm sure that this minor issue can be sorted.

My engine ended up as a 695cc with 35mm inlet valves, appropriately widened inlet tract, a 'sports' camshaft and a twin pipe exhaust. The compression ratio was raised by using a copper head gasket.

All up, an interesting and fun project.

Regards,
Chris

Chris,

Now that you've been running this setup for a couple of months are you still happy with it? Have you experienced any issues? I'm thinking of a similar setup, but I will use the car as a daily driver so was wondering if it would be suitable, or a bit too sporty?

Cheers,
Matt

Matt,
I'm very happy with the setup as it is. The car is easy to start hot or cold, idles well and accelerates well, though I must confess that it is not a daily driver and it is fitted with an electronic ignition.
My engine rebuild was designed to extract a little more power from the tiny air-cooled twin without going to a full Abarth racing motor. I didn't want a lumpy, peaky engine but I did want something that would get me up and down the hills around where I live without the assistance of a brisk tailwind.
If you can source these carbies without paying an arm and a leg for them, I'd encourage you to give it a go. Your other advantage is that you live close to one of the specialists in this field - Middle Barton Garage - and I'd be talking to them about this as well.
Let us know how you get on,
Chris

Thanks Chris,

I've seen the FZD carbs advertised for 600 Euros, so I think I'll keep checking Ebay!

I'm hoping to drop in on the Middle Barton garage in February as I'll be staying close by. I'll definitely bend their ears for advice.

Just out of interest, I don't suppose you know what kind of MPG you're getting with your new setup?

Cheers,
Matt

Matt,

I exchanged a few emails with MBG when I was doing this last year and they were very helpful, particularly around which Dell'Orto for my engine capacity. The 30.24 is right for the smaller engines but for anything above 595cc I was advised to get a 32.28 - I think the 32.28s are commoner as they were often put on Mini engines in pairs.

You could also try http://club126uk.co.uk as there may be subscribers there who have also been down this road.

Also, I exchanged a few emails with www.dellorto.com but didn't find them very helpful, however they do have a good stock of parts.

As to price, 600 euros is a bit steep - I got two FZDs from Italy for just over half that price though one was a parts carby.

Mileage I'm not sure about as I've not measured it yet. I've got holidays coming up in a couple of months so I'll fill the tank and go for a run. I suspect that it may be around 40-45mpg - not as good as the standard engine but with the work I did on the head and running a carby with a fuel pump, it was always going to be a bit less.

Keep us informed,
Chris

Bump so I can post URLs

Bump

Thanks Chris,

Based on what you and others have said, I think a chat with MBG is definitely a good place to start. I came across this page - article 6 being most relevant - on Dell'orto 32/28 carbs. Might be interesting for anyone else contemplating this.

http://www3.sympatico.ca/gmacgruer/I_Fiat500Abarth.html

Cheers,
Matt

Interesting website - he uses the same tunable components in his FZD as I do.

Also like the photo of the replica next to the AMG SL

Chris