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B20 and weber 38/38

vwbusman66

Stößelstange über alles
Joined
Oct 12, 2016
Location
SE MI
Before RWC and JVAB come after me, I agree that the weber 32/36 is junk for a B20. Yes, 40 or 45 DCOE's are the best options HOWEVER, a few people (including JVAB) have mentioned that the 38/38 is a much better fit for the B20 for whatever reason.

Is it an actual upgrade over twin HIF6's? Is it the step between SU's and DCOE's?
 
I've never driven a car with a DGV on it, so the whole thing about 32/36's being (mostly) crap is second hand, from Brickboard as said by people who had them.

No clue whatsoever about the 38/38.

You don't really need more carb on a Volvo motor until you've got a fair amount of supporting mods. Volvo wasn't holding the pushrod motors back with their choice of carbs (at least on the dual carb US models - maybe on the single carb motors sold elsewhere).
 
Not sure on the hate for Weber 32/36 carbs. When setup well, they run very well for a daily driver. If you want something that makes more HP, yeah... you're going to need a bigger carb. A 32/36 falls on it's face at higher revs on a 2.3L engine, but they work great down low and make for a very drivable setup.
 
Not sure on the hate for Weber 32/36 carbs. When setup well, they run very well for a daily driver. If you want something that makes more HP, yeah... you're going to need a bigger carb. A 32/36 falls on it's face at higher revs on a 2.3L engine, but they work great down low and make for a very drivable setup.

Something I've never understood myself. All the ACVW guys like them because they're twice what VW had and still aren't the "pigs" of IDA's or IDF's for a mild engine.
 
Something I've never understood myself. All the ACVW guys like them because they're twice what VW had and still aren't the "pigs" of IDA's or IDF's for a mild engine.

I can say from experience that the DCOE carbs are amazing. The power, the sound, the looks! However; I can also say from experience that they suck to setup/work on unless you have a skilled mentor available for in person guidance. Also extremely expensive.

The SU's will support a fair amount of HP and there are plenty of needle options and such to change the dynamics of the carbs. Still have to fidget/tune/sync them though.

The dgv seems to be the choice for those that wish to not fiddle and are willing to sacrifice a little power for that. I don't have experience with the 38/38 so i'll be following this thread for some firsthand knowledge.
 
I don’t think there’s really a step between SUs and DCOEs. SUs can support more power than most b20s are going to make anyway. It really wouldn’t be worth the effort.
 
The 38/38 is more rare. Have you found one?

It’s sized so it’s reasonable, where the 32/36 is too small and definitely not an upgrade over a couple of SUs. I went from a 32/36 DGV to dual HIF6s on my car back in the day. It was only a tired B20B with receding valves and a tire camshaft, but I liked it better!
 
OP, what are you trying to accomplish here? What's currently on the car, and what's the issue with it?
 
38/38 carbs or kits are readily available from Redline.

http://www.redlineweber.com/carb-kits/auto/volvo/

The problem with any of the Weber downdraft carbs is that the bores are smaller than a pair of SU's thereby limiting flow. SU's are 1?" or ~44mm.

There's also the issue of vibration. The Webers auxiliary venturis vibrate and become loose in the throttle body. Fuel flows through a tube in the aux. venturi so a loose fitting venturi will dribble fuel. I've also seen the brass tube come loose inside the venturi and rotate so that the slot is facing up. The choke shaft will eventually wear the holes in the choke horn from vibration as well. SU's are relatively immune to vibration.
 
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