For those of you that might not be as familiar with the 81 carb it was basically Standard fit on the infamous ‘thrifty’ Ford V8-60 motor from around 1937 to 1940. Flathead Guys love these carbs because they are smaller then the big brother 97. So when your running a number of carbs it helps to not only keep fuel consumption down but also keeps the small cubic inches of a Flathead from drowning.

So you can imagine how happy we here at the Flat-Spot where to hear that Stromberg 97 has finished and has now brought this legendary option back to the parts counter.

Don’t let the wrapper fool you. The final 81 actually flowed 116cfm due to the super-smooth finish on the inserts and accurate turbulance-cheating fit, but most important, the booster signal curve is the same shape as the old 81, but a tiny bit stronger. Stomberg97 was able to retain the stock 97-size air bleed sizes… namely 0.040″ high speed and 0.103″ low speed (idle)…and the stock 97 emulsion tubes. The larger 97 accelerator pump bore size would have been OK if they only used the pushrod in the S position, but they make 81 pumps so decided to retain the the pump well sleeve, adding a small 0-ring groove at the bottom of the sleeve when they realized the pump just pushed the gas up the gap between sleeve and pump well. After further testing, they ended up with 0.036in main jets (stock was 0.035in) with a stock Number 71 power valve. 
One more detail, all 81-size Strombergs now come with the correct 81 carb-to-manifold gasket, which we didn’t offer until now. The same base gaskets also come in our Full Gasket Kit (9447K-81) and Premium Service Kit (9590K-81). We now offer new 81 throttle plates (9585K-81) alongside our pumps,  (9630K-81 and 9631K-81) too. 

The New 81 Stromberg Carbs are available now through Stomberg97.com and there awesome dealer network. As you can imagine Clive let me know there is a small waiting list now but they should have it under control pretty quickly.
Price is currently $475.00

We will be sharing the complete article about the 81’s from Stromberg97 that was given to Charlie Yapp at Secrets of Speed magazine and features more information, testing, and customer comments. We’re respectfully holding back to let them get it out first. Special thanks to Clive over at Stromberg97 for sharing with us and for his growing support of the group.

If you have any great items you would like to share with us please let us know. We’re also looking for products to review in person for our members.