Power bulge necessary for Strombergs?

PostPost by: Tintin » Mon Jan 09, 2017 6:45 pm

Hi all,

is it possible to fit a "flat" bonnet over a Stromberg engine?

I've two bonnets at hand but they are both without the (rather ugly....) bulge. Both my donor car plus the replacement shell were home to Weber engines and salvaged for those.

Best regards,


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PostPost by: Lyn7 » Mon Jan 09, 2017 7:16 pm

Hi Tim, it's my understanding that the bulge was specifically for the Stromberg heads and that it is necessary. :(
If you don't like the original bulge and you have 2 bonnets to play with, you could design your own bulge. :D
Cheers, Lyn...
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PostPost by: Tintin » Mon Jan 09, 2017 8:11 pm

Lyn7 wrote:If you don't like the original bulge and you have 2 bonnets to play with, you could design your own bulge. :D


:shock: Would you kindly lend me your crystal ball occasionally? :mrgreen:


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PostPost by: gus » Mon Jan 09, 2017 10:58 pm

YEah, it was not just a design element

they stick up a couple inches
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PostPost by: Elanintheforest » Mon Jan 09, 2017 11:04 pm

I quite like the Stromberg bulge on the Plus 2 and S4 Elans. You could go for something more central, although to be symmetrical it would have to be quite wide. The bulge often hints at something lurking beneath!
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PostPost by: StressCraxx » Tue Jan 10, 2017 3:23 am

Tintin wrote:Hi all,

is it possible to fit a "flat" bonnet over a Stromberg engine?

I've two bonnets at hand but they are both without the (rather ugly....) bulge. Both my donor car plus the replacement shell were home to Weber engines and salvaged for those.

Best regards,


Tim


The tops of the Strombergs extend above the bonnet line, hence the need for the 'bulge". I did see an elan with the central bulge like the earlier post of the +2. It had 1975cc Cosworth BDG in it. Nice car.
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PostPost by: Tintin » Tue Jan 10, 2017 7:03 am

Elanintheforest wrote:I quite like the Stromberg bulge on the Plus 2 and S4 Elans.


I find the original bulge a bit too edged but as Lyn already guessed I will probably do a modification of one of the bonnets I have (one of them is in need of some extensive TLC anyway).

Currently the car(s) are distributed all over the place but I will then actually do a dry fit with the carbs in place. Initially I planned just to use the block for setting everything up (I'm fitting a MT75).

Thanks for the answers!


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PostPost by: alan.barker » Tue Jan 10, 2017 8:55 am

On a 1970 +2S i had in the past it had webers and a bonnet with a bulge. It was the original bonnet that they fitted at the factory and i think they just wanted to use the stock. For sure chapman didn't like to throw his money away on road cars :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:
I liked the look of the power bulge and is like what you see on other cars e.g. triumph tr4, tvr tuscan/griffith etc.
On one TVR you even have a bulge in the roof on the drivers side so you can wear a crash helmet on track days :lol: :lol: :lol:
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PostPost by: Chancer » Tue Jan 10, 2017 10:30 am

The standard bonnet will fit with no problems if you remove the dashpots from the carburettors :D
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PostPost by: denicholls2 » Wed Jan 11, 2017 11:25 pm

Rather than hacking up a perfectly good Weber bonnet, I suspect you can find someone who has upgraded the head of their Federal-spec car to Webers and would prefer to trade you. Just a thought.
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PostPost by: Tintin » Thu Jan 12, 2017 6:11 am

denicholls2 wrote:Rather than hacking up a perfectly good Weber bonnet,.....


Thankfully one of my two Weber bonnets is rather far away from perfectly good and an ideal candidate for such a conversion as it needs quite a bit of repair anyway.

My donor car freed itself while the PO unloaded it from the trailer and was stopped by a wall further downhill - and it looks very much as if that was at least the second nose-on crash in its life.


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PostPost by: greg40green » Sat Jan 14, 2017 5:07 pm

I was told that there are 2 different sizes of bonnet bulge for the S4 Stromberg Elans is this correct?
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PostPost by: alan.barker » Sat Jan 14, 2017 5:15 pm

I think the bonnet bulge on the +2 is different to the baby elan
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PostPost by: Bud English » Sat Jan 14, 2017 5:40 pm

It is different.
IMHO the pseudo-scoop shape of the +2 bulge isn't nearly as nice looking as the nicely blended original elan bulge.
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