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I have a very old italian weber 45 on a 6.5" manifold which was fitted to my full race 1430 engine (used for 3 races and then stored in a barn). I bought a rebuild kit for it and began to disassemble it and it's a bit more of a job than a simple rebuild. I need to completely disassemble it, fit new jets, etc, etc.

I'm umming and erring about just whacking it on ebay, someone paying completely over the odds because it's a genuine downton/ST/john cooper's personal one, etc and then buying another.

My 66 has always run SUs and the bulkhead is going to need chopping around and the binnacle being carefully moved/modified. I am not a fan of autograss style dashes and it would most certainly need some work. I'm also not into running no air filter and whacking it into the back of the speedo....that strikes me as restrictive and counter productive.

So....I typed in Mini Weber whilst on ebay and noticed the 46IDA which went very high last night. I wondered, should I have a hole in the bonnet, rather than playing with my bulkhead?

Let's not worry too much about cost or inconvenience. Let's think about other factors. Vizard says "They are great and my favourite choice" but he doesn't expand and say too much about how they perform at high speeds (apart from the airflow at high speeds loses some potential power). He doesn't say whether this is solved using a filter....or anything about whether you can "interchange" proven settings between a DCOE and an IDA. Are they different in a way that DCOE man at the rolling road may struggle with them?

What's the difference between a 46 and a 48 and is that worth considering? Urrrr. That's about it.

Fire away

Of course you should get an IDA.
End of story.

I'd however build the bonnet around it. Like a large ERA-turbo cowl.

Myself, I've got this:

I just posted a great long reply that I then lost.

In short it said. I don't know many people who have used one, they can't be harder than DCOE's to set up. GO FOR IT.

I know people who have used them and they are difficult to set up. For the first 3/4 laps the 45 is apparently quicker till everything gets really hot. You need to fit a plate over the top area of the trumpets as there is a low pressure area in front of the windscreen.

Over here we autocross I think you call it sprinting. Maybe parking lot racing against the clock. I went on to what we call Solo 1 and 2, 1 being on a real race course on the clock 2 still parking lots and air fields bigger course. Once dialed in my 48 IDA worked great. I sold the set up with my car. Several years ago now we bought a hill climb car out of the UK. It arrived with a 48 IDA which our vintage racing will not allow. I removed and boxed it and would like to make you the proud owner. That is if we can work out shipping from US east coast. As for the bonnet a cheap plastic one works fine for cutting a hole and playing with scoops. Steve (CTR)

ivor badger 2 wrote: there is a low pressure area in front of the windscreen.

I would think NOT!

The first time I ran mine I was young and didn't worry about air cleaners. Flat out in fourth gear there would be a cloud of vapor above the ram stacks. I wondered how a ball of vapor 1 ft. in dia. could just sit there at that speed. You tell me what was happening. Steve (CTR)

BTW, my kit is complete with proper K&N air filter.

I'd go with a filter, purely because engines are expensive and I've worked in the mineral industry and know what "fines" do to glass and steel.

Then send me a PM and lets make you happy. I have the complete kit and while I'd like to go back I have been sticking carbs on minis since the 60s. I agree spending 35 years in the auto machine shop biz. you might call it engineering? When your air cleaner is as big as your engine people talk. Steve (CTR)

Vegard wrote:

ivor badger 2 wrote: there is a low pressure area in front of the windscreen.

I would think NOT!

You think what you want.

OK I guess this is more about talking about a down draft than getting one. Some but not much of the calibration is interchangeable. It's a big old carb and fun to play with. I sold my IDA with car and then my 45 DCOE with another car. I have been playing with SUs for several years again. While I have no current need for Webers I have managed to collect 17 45 DCOEs two of which are splits, 2 40 DCOEs one split for single set up, the one 48 IDA a couple of the progressive down drafts, manifolds for most but not all. It's very easy to get several thousand dollars in calibration bits if you plan to cover from 100 though 220 in fours and all the chokes and aux, ems, idles, pumps. Then the ram stack collection from big splits down to the the very short. The above and below linkages, single and duel. I buy the carbs where I find them order gaskets and kits and work them, bag em and put on the shelf. I don't really care much about selling them. I have found people expect me to be able to supply the correct calibration for their set up. Even when I provide what they ask for when it does not work they want me to trade parts and mail back and forth till they get it.

The hill climb car my 48 IDA was removed from was converted to a vintage legal car and is now being returned to street use. A very sound 66 MK 1 shell. I will sell the 48 set up and I suspect shipping would be in the $60 / $80 range. I can provide pics if someone wants to look. Steve (CTR)

Steve,

You have a pm.

I sent Steve a PM last night and he doesn't seem to have responded to it.

....and my weber will be heads up on here before ebay.