Carburetor Classics: The Notorious Stromberg 97

From the dawn of hot rodding to the present day, one carburetor has always been synonymous with traditional hot rods—the Stromberg Model 97. Although the Stromberg Company built millions of other carburetors from the 1930s to 1974, the Model 97 stood out as the carburetor that fed the hot rod movement.

Innocence
Stromberg really got off the ground in 1934 when Ford replaced the single-barrel Detroit Lubricator carburetor on its V-8 engines with a two-barrel Stromberg Model 40. The Model 48 followed in 1935, and then the Model 97 became standard on Ford flathead V-8s from 1936 to early 1938.


Variants of the 97 included the visually similar but smaller Model 81 that was standard on the 1937 Ford V-8-60 base engine. And the Stromberg Type 1 was an aftermarket version of the 97 that was sold by Bendix (which bought Stromberg in 1929). There were also similar models built for other manufacturers such as Studebaker and Packard, so there definitely was no shortage of Strombergs in the 1950s.


Hot rodders were just coming to grips with engine modifications in the late 1940s and early 1950s. They understood that as they increased displacement or added hotter cams, they would need more fuel and air squirted in the top. In those innocent days most racers didn't have a clue as to how to convince more air to flow into the heads, so they just added more carburetors on top. The Stromberg was an ideal tool for this job.

Simplicity
Early performance intake manifolds were designed to mount multiple Strombergs. Most common on hot street flatheads were two-carb manifolds, but serious racers used three or more. As bigger OHV engines from Chrysler and Cadillac appeared on the scene, manifolds mounting up to six carbs became common. These "log" manifolds (so named for their round shape) were flow-bench disasters, but they were better than nothing. They may have produced flat spots in the power curve and little low-end power, but they looked really awesome. Popping the hood to ogle six Strombergs gasping for breath was a stirring sight at many a drive-in on a Friday night.