Good morning Jaguar family.

I wanted to get some input from you all.

Its about time for me to rebuild my carburetors on my 69 2+2 and before I do so I wanted to check and see where the best place to get a full rebuild kit from is. Kits seem high in price and all over the place in what all comes in it. My car is federal fitted with 2 Stromberg 175 cd-2 which really rob our cars of power. Would love to replace them with a triple kit but 4k is out of my budget on that one.

I have 2 old (10 years old) kits sitting in the garage but I donÔÇÖt trust longevity of the rubber parts from sitting around that long and am not 100% all the pieces are in there. Also the kits do not have new needle valve which I would like to replace to be safe. Do I need to do anything to the temperature compensators on these?

Also, I wanted to see if you guys recommend switching over to an electronic points eliminator from Pertronix?

Im just looking to breathe some new life into the car and put a little pep back in her.

She is due for a large overhaul soon where I need to replace ball joints, tire rod ends, tires (due to age), suspension (due to age), possible water pump, possible steering rack, and all fluids changes (rear diff, tranny, coolant flush). It was restored in 1992 so im sure there are a number of other things that need replacing as well, please add to the list if you can think of any.

Thank you as always !

Submitted by joshbartlett@r… on Fri, 02/28/2014 - 18:23

Hi Blake!
Get new kits! Get floats also.
I just completed the rebuild of the Stromberg - Zenith 175-CD2 carbs on our '69. Not a real bad job as long as no one has been in there before you and damaged anything. I had been working on a full magazine article on the work, but before I had it done, someone beat me to it. Practical Classics (British Magazine) www.practicalclassics.co.uk has an excellent step-by step Z-S rebuild in the Feb, 2014 issue.
Three things I would add to the article: 1. if the throttle spindles are not loose, I wouldn't fiddle with them. (curiously, one of mine needed the shaft seals, but not bushes, the other was fine.) 2. If the needles are the non adjustable type, that is the type that have to be removed and reset in the piston to adjust, be very careful when you pull them out of the piston if you are going to re-use them. there is a setscrew that is often overtightened and it jams the spring loaded needle collar. I was able to pull them by using an old inner tube in a vice and heating the piston slightly. A fairly stong pull removed them without damage. Note that they have a bias toward (upstream? as I remember) when they are reinstalled.
3. I do not reccommend removing the jet - Just clean it thoroughly.

The temp. compensators (enrichment valves in British) should be cleaned and set up so they match- close at 106f full open at 140f. is correct beut not as critical as matching.

By the way, as David said, the secondary butterflies in the duplex manifold can be removed for improved performance.

Good luck - contact me at joshbartlett(at)roadrunner.com if I can be of more help.

Submitted by NE23-54945 on Thu, 02/27/2014 - 21:17

Blake, get the latest carb rebuild kits, Curto is the king of the king of the set ups. Also has new jets and all the rest. All the new kits are ethanol protected. The old kits will dissolve in no time.
Electronic ignition/petronix or any other unit makes all the difference in the world.
I personally used a series 3 xj6, and used triple su's.
Dave removed his secondary butterflies but I don't know how deep you want to go........
Good luck.
gtjoey1314

Submitted by DavidBarnes71@… on Wed, 02/26/2014 - 21:05

My 68 has the cross over pipe while the 69's I have seen do not but I think both have the 2 sets of throttle butterfies. I removed the secondary set of butterflies in the manifold and throttle response in my car improved greatly.

I put the Pertronix system on my E and my 71 and 74 Chevy's 10+ years ago and they have all been working great since. In my opinion one of the best things I have ever bought for my cars.

Leaking floats have been the main troubles I have had with the Strombergs over the years. Recently #4 spark plug only has been carbon fouling. My theory so far is that the float on the rear carb was not set correctly so it was running rich. I reset it a few days ago and seems to be better but I still need to take it for a good highway drive before I pass any real judgement about it. I will be interested to see what other responses you get about the carbs.

David Barnes
68 E-Type FHC