Will a Weber 38/38 fit on the intake for a Weber 32/36?

[Samplemaven]

I just discovered the smooth running carb on my '72 is a Weber 32/36 2 barrel carb.

I'd like to ask two questions:

1. Will a Weber 38/38 fit on the manifold that the 32/36 is now sitting on?

2. Will a 38/38 give me enough power boost to make the upgrade (?) worthwhile? I will be adding headers in near future.

Thanks,

[c.d.iesel]

the 32/36 carb base manifold holes need machining open to

match the larger 38/38 base openings - otherwise

your larger carb is just being blocked off by the smaller,

non matching openings. Replace the exhaust FIRST and adjust the 32/36

properly first. Then see how much better the motor

runs, BEFORE you venture into the 38/38 installation.

[72Golf]

Personally, I would stick with the 32/36. Having two cars, one with a 38/38 and the other a 32/36 I can say that it ain't worth it to do the 38. You will experience idle nightmares, dead spots that will drive you insane and constant fiddling trying to find the sweet spot between smooth idle and meaty punch. Maybe I'm a carb tard but based on what I see here on the FAQ, I'm not the lone ranger...... plenty of bitchin' about 38's and not a peep about 32/36's.

My $0.02

[Samplemaven]

the 32/36 carb base manifold holes need machining open to

match the larger 38/38 base openings - otherwise

your larger carb is just being blocked off by the smaller,

non matching openings. Replace the exhaust FIRST and adjust the 32/36

properly first. Then see how much better the motor

runs, BEFORE you venture into the 38/38 installation.

This sounds like good advice, and I'm likely to take it.

The car sat unstarted for over three years so adjusting the carb and tuning the engine before going further makes a lot of sense.

Thanks,

[TobyB]

I also agree about the header-

but suspect that you'll want the 38 as well.

And changing the header may affect your jetting just a touch.

Yes, it's a pain in the butt, but it gives you a whacking great scoot

with a little throttle opening.

Add a bit more cam to your mix (Delta cams grind #311, or more aggresively,

325r, neither over $100 on your stock cam) and you'll be grinning.

But yeah, it's not entirely painless. Ignition timing seems to matter more

with the 38, for some reason..

huh.

t

[esty]

Personally, I would stick with the 32/36. Having two cars, one with a 38/38 and the other a 32/36 I can say that it ain't worth it to do the 38. You will experience idle nightmares, dead spots that will drive you insane and constant fiddling trying to find the sweet spot between smooth idle and meaty punch. Maybe I'm a carb tard but based on what I see here on the FAQ, I'm not the lone ranger...... plenty of bitchin' about 38's and not a peep about 32/36's.

My $0.02

i have 2 o2's with weber 38/38's and have never had anything but fun...no idle problems or any others that you mention...one car has the hog's manifold, the other is stock...i can't tell any difference in the performance of one over the other

personally i think the problems most experience is they believe they have to change jet, fiddle with this & that but i took these straight from the box, set the idle and mixture and they have done me well

[granth]

To me the 38/38 is the best bang for the buck you can get, these motors

really come alive with this unit. The 32/36 is great if you just want cruise along and have some fun. The 38/38 takes some work but for about $500 new parts (38 and cannon) you are all set.

[daniswaytough]

i had a terribly tuned 32/36 when i bought my 02 and when i cracked my head i replaced my cam with an ireland engineering regrind 294 and a new weber 38/38

i do have headers and an ireland exhaust too,

but the 294 with the weber 38 was an amazing boost of power!

seriously i was so surprised by how much i got out of my engine

i also get pretty damn good gas mileage at around 27 mpg

if you are finicky about idling then the weber might not be for you.

i usually have mine idling at around 1000 rpm just to stop my car shaking itself to pieces.

right now my timing and mixture are off, so my idle is pretty terrible, and my car hesitates at around 2000 rpm, but it isn''t a terrible ordeal to get the car running smoothly, it just takes a little time.

just my 02 cents

dan

[DanOKC]

Spend your money on a cam & better exhaust, either tii manifold or headers then put a 38/38 on it if your not happy. 32/36 with a 284 or 290 cam will be way more fun than a stock cam with a 38/38. You can get regrind cams pretty cheap too.

[tjones02]

I have opened up many 2 barrel intake manifolds for Weber 38/38s. And am happy to either do yours or supply a finished one for you. I have made a few of these for myself and friends in the past for around $175....

I like Rob Torres of 2002haus.com 's manifolds the best.... even better than my own. He has many more options than I can offer at this time. Ireland Engineering (iemotorsport.com) sell manifolds too. I do not know if Top End does?

My good friend Sean Casey of Casey Motorsports makes these on a regular basis as well. He has many options too.

I have experience with and do not recommend the Cannon manifold as it's #1 intake flange does not match up with the water neck and it has to be clearanced to get nuts on several of the lower holes.

HTH

[72Fjord02]

From my experience and research, the lumpy idle you will hear about is the result of people putting in bigger cams, not the carb.

I have a 292 cam and need to idle it around 1100 rpm for a smooth idle, but I have read that people with the stock cam and the 38 have no problem getting it to idle at 800 rpm.

A lot of the tuning/jetting questions around this carb (I have asked my share), I think are from people who also put in higher compression pistons, bigger cam, free breathing air filters and exhausts. To get the car to run fine was easy, but to get the most out of all the new high performance toys is going to take some fiddling. It seems the higher performance the set up, the more finicky it is.

A timing light and a Wideband Air Fuel gauge are almost a must if you are going to get it right.

Kurt

[Samplemaven]

Spend your money on a cam & better exhaust, either tii manifold or headers then put a 38/38 on it if your not happy. 32/36 with a 284 or 290 cam will be way more fun than a stock cam with a 38/38. You can get regrind cams pretty cheap too.

My lack of experience continues to show with this questiona:

Does the engine have to be removed to put a new cam in or can it be installed while the engine is still in the car?

[TobyB]

You need to pull the head, which is a bummer,

but it can easily be done while leaving the motor in the car.

I take the hood off, too, because that makes access to the front of the

motor a LOT easier. But you don't have to...

New rockers are a good idea to budget for, and most performance

regrinds want either lash caps or bigger adjusters.

I always use new rockers with a new cam... I got it into my head that

it was a good idea, but I couldn't tell you why I think that...

t