Hey buddy, got your PM.

First off, the number one thing you can do to better match your Weber to your 22R is to ensure that you have no vacuum leaks. The stock adapter plates which come with the Redline 38 / 22R kit are complete crap.

Rating: Negative 5 stars out of five.

Who sells CAST IRON ADAPTER PLATES, with threaded rods as studs!? No matter the quality of gasket or RTV that you throw on there, they will never seal properly. Maybe for like two minutes, but as soon as the engine heats up, the plates expand, the studs move, and now you have an air leak. No thanks.

This is mostly important because as you tune your engine, it will be changing temperature, and as temperature changes, so does the severity of your vacuum leaks. You could be getting a huge leak when you first start, only to have it seal up once you're up to temperature. Or vice versa, you could have no leaks at startup, only to have a huge one at temp. This can be a huge nuisance and is definitely something to take into considerations.

I have seen threads on here where people have machined the plates down properly, then added real locking studs. This is fine if you're on a budget, but if you already splurged on the Weber 38, just spend the $250 to get the matching Offenhauser intake manifold: http://www.lceperformance.com/Downdr...-p/1032060.htm

Words can't describe the performance increase I have seen from bolting on this manifold. I now see why people love them so dearly.



NOW, that you don't have any nasty vacuum leaks...



The Weber carbs can be a beech to tune, but as long as you know the tricks, they will run better than stock.

The main thing you need to know is that you MUST stay in the range of needle adjustment that Weber specifies in the manual. Here is a quote from the Weber tuning website which is a MANDATORY read if you want it to run right. Don't just read it; understand it:

If the mixture screw is more than 1 1/2 turns out turns then the Idle jet is too lean (too small). When the mixture screw is ½ turn or less, then the Idle jet is too rich (too large). These assumptions are based on the fact that the speed screw setting is not opened more than 1/2 turn in.


(http://www.redlineweber.com/html/Tec...as_tunning.htm)


What they don't tell you, and you need to know, is that if your mixture screw is more than 1.5 turns out, fuel will actually be DRIPPING past your mixture screws, instead of being atomized through the ports. This leads to very inaccurate fuel metering, where it will be hard to tell if you're running too rich or too lean, since the mixture will be continuously changing.

Along with that, the speed screw setting is just as equally as sensitive. If the speed screw is adjusted more than 1.5 turns in, then the throttle plate / butterfly valve will move away from the transition ports in the venturi. This means that not only is there fuel coming from the idle port, but also the transition ports, so now you have even more fuel dumping into your carb.

When I first got my 38, I didn't really understand this, and I just kept backing out the screws since she was lean, until she ran somewhat OK, but I was still disappointed. Finally after READING and UNDERSTANDING the instructions, I realized I needed a jet kit. After enrichening the jets and re-tuning, she runs better than ever.

BUY A JET KIT: http://www.lceperformance.com/Weber-...-p/1035006.htm

These are way too expensive and should come standard with the carbs, as they are absolutely essential to proper operation. The jets that come with the carbs are ALWAYS too lean. This is mainly because they engineered the Weber carbs before they started messing with our fuel supply. Fuels nowadays run much more lean than they did 10 years ago.

Another thing I have noticed that has helped during this long quest of tuning my 38/22R is to advance the timing. Right now if I remember correctly, I'm around 5 degrees advanced. She still runs the same around 10, but as soon as I put her back to zero, she runs pretty rough. I have seen the same for other people with Webers; that they need to advance the timing a bit.

One last reminder about Webers: get a good fuel pressure regulator and a fuel pressure gauge, and stay under 3 psi! Any more pressure, the fuel will be forced past your float needle, which will overfill your bowl, which will mean you're running rich yet again.

In conclusion, note that Webers con be finicky if you don't know their flaws. However once you understand what every part does, and how they all affect each other, Webers can be the simplest, best performing and most reliable carburetors for the 22R.

No vacuum leaks, proper jets, proper tuning, proper timing, proper fuel pressure. All errors in these areas are due to operator error. For those who say that Webers suck... You're doing it to yourself.


I can't stress enough; READ AND UNDERSTAND the tuning guide:

http://www.redlineweber.com/html/Tec...as_tunning.htm


This can definitely be some confusing stuff if you're new to tinkering, so don't beat yourself up over it. Just take the time to understand, and you'll be set!

Good luck, and feel free to ask any questions!