I just bought a 3 deuce setup for my dad's 55 Chevy, and all I hear is that they are a nightmare to tune. I know it was a poplular hot rodding swap in the late fifties and I love the look and nostalgia (sp?). I was just wondering if they were really that hard to set up on a mildly cammed (350hp 327) small block.
I could probably get better performance and reliability out of a single 4bbl but it wouldn't be the same as seeing those three carbs sitting there. It's no race car just my great-grandad's car that we freshened up and made a nice cruiser out of.
Besides, since I got the entire setup off a running 56 in good shap for $150 :D (intake, carbs, 2 extra outside carbs that he swapped out, linkages and lines included) I'm not going to complain. He said he wanted to swap to a Hilborn FI system. He was just tired of that particular setup...time for a change. God I love deals like that.

A single 4-barrel will be much faster and less trouble all around.

Yes, the multi-carb setups were quite difficult to tune and make stay tuned. That's one reason they vanished from production. They get beat dependably, and waste the owner's time and money in the process.

That "350 HP 327" didn't make 350 HP. By modern "ratings" methods, it probably didn't make over 300; and probably a good bit less than that.

If this car is just one of those that you are looking for the greatest possible number of square inches to put chrome onto, and you don't care how (or even if, almost) it runs, then it would be great. If you intend to drive it significantly, I'd recommend cleaning up and prettying it all as much as possible, and put it on ebay, and use the money to buy a Demon or something.

You sound like you're fairly new to this hobby.... one thing you will learn as you spend more time at it, is that if a deal seems to good to be true, it probably is. People don't just give stuff away, in an arm's length deal (I'm not talking about family or good friends or neighbors or the like, that's a different story). If he sold it dirt cheap like that, it's because he REALLY didn't like it, or something irrepairable is wrong with it, or something. Beware of thinking that it will just drop on as is and be a killer setup.

I disagree...

Chris, sounds like you got a great deal!
I'd absolutely install the trips on GreatGrandpop's shoebox.
A great look for the '55! graemlins/thumbsup.gif
As you've said, it's not a race car. :cool:
Multi-carbed cars always attract my attention at a cruise night.
Sure the 3x2s are a little tricky to setup INITALLY but there are guys here on TC (Gene Chas, for one) that have had great success and would be willing to advise, I'm sure.

Even Demon has realized a recent market for the nostalgia look...
http://www.barrygrant.com/pages/news.aspx?articleid=0419-triple

And FYI, if we're talking about the L-79 version of the 350hp 327, it was only a single 4 bbl motor...first with a Holley and the final year was with a quadrajet.

IF I could find a 3 deuce setup or $150, it would be on my Nova TOMORROW! Awesome deal graemlins/thumbsup.gif
I love the look, and like Bill said, once they're set up, they're pretty reliable.
They wouldn't be my first choice for an all out performance car, but for a street crusier...hell yeah!

They aren't all that hard to set up, I put a factory GM tripower setup on my friend's 32 Ford with a chevy in it. The car will run on the center carb untill the progressive linkage opens the other two carbs, simple deal. You'll need to adjust the front and rear cabs so the throttle blades are in the closed position then dial in your idle circuit on the center carb. With the linkage to the front and rear carb disconnected test drive the car to verify the center carb is working properly. Now you can install the linkage to the front and rear carb, some like to set them up so one opens sooner than the other to help eliminate a possible bog. I'd rebuild the carbs before installing them, the kits should only cost about $12-$15 each at NAPA. The front and rear carbs have no idle circuit and if your's does then it has the wrong carbs installed. A single 4 barrel will make more power and be less mainanence just because of it being one carb instead of three.

I agree, excellant find! There are alot of guys around that can set up those carbs, motorcycles and snowmobiles have rum multiple carbs forever.
IMHO, properly tuned will out pull a single carb setup.

Yes, they are indeed.

Some day I might find out how "slow" they are by swapping back to an 850 dp. Right now, its making as much, or more, power than most other street 427s ( well, pushing the car to 118.7 mph in the 1/4 is the only metric I have), without resorting to a SR cam which would likely give it 122+ mph.

So, I donnow how 'bad' they are. And I run a very low profile intake, which doesnt help at all.

How does 16.1 mpg at a steady 3200 rpm cruise sound for a big port, solid cammed big block in a heavy car??

It would go 17-18 if it was driven at a steady 2500-2600 rpm cruise!

Pretty fricking cool for round-about 500 ponies done in a very retro way.

Why do you think BG has had such a response to their "Six Shooter" setup. Guys are finding out these things work and are EXTREMELY efficient.

Wait until BG tweaks the bbc Winters intake and does those up. There won't be a better rig for a street rat, espeically the big inchers folks build today, other than EFI, and I bet the SixShooter, when in a back-to-back at the track will out ET the EFI, as a Holley Dominator would..

But we'll have to wait for the tests! smile.gif

Great find,along with an excellent price.The first one I ever worked on was on a GTO.As 427L88 say's you can't beat driving around on a 2barrel,but when you need the power there's plenty of cfm to do the job! graemlins/thumbsup.gif

Gene,

Can't agree with you more and I know a good Holley and high-rise will produce more power, but for an all-around good combination, set up trip's are FINE!!

AND I would hazard a bet that if you used modern, heim joint ended linkage a 4x2 carb'ed, Man-A-Fre Port-Induction setup would be hard to beat too!!

But boy is this stuff old school!!

pdq67

Without practical experience and therefore credibility, I'd still like to weigh in on the subject.

What the factory big block Chevies used was a vacuum system. Some say they work better, and for street use where absolute numbers aren’t the goal, I’d agree. No choke circuits on the outboard carbs to concern yourself with. Tuners that weren’t phased by the presence of multiple carbs might disagree.

If you are talking about an aftermarket small block 3X2 that mounts a trio of Rochester 2GCs, well they might prove to be a bit of a trial. The 2GC as far as I know was intended to be a standalone carb, complete with choke circuits. It might be more work than the Holley tri-power setup with it’s specialized center and outboard carbs.

Multiple carb setups became popular before the simpler, ironed-out BIG 4-barrels came into being. In terms of rational, a single 4 barrel is wise. Multiple carbs can be impressive to look at, and when set up properly can do well. Even my single cylinder Honda 4-stroke dual purpose has twin carbs, but trust me, since day 1 it has been a trial to start unless it is driven every day (it is a 1 kick start then). I’ve owned the bike since new in ’84 and it is absolutely mint despite venturing into swamps, beaver dams, corn fields and such. It is a city slicker now.

I’m glad to see that you weren’t asking advice on setting up a 6-jug intake with 6-1-barrels. Certa8inly that hardware is a product of another era when 1-barrels were plentiful and 4-barrels were on the horizon.

Triple Stromberg 97s under chromed army helmet air cleaners anyone? You are too young!

Thanks for the opinions. Took delivery today and man are they clean. Rebuilt, refinished, and redyed, no rust and all the pieces. This guy takes care of his toys. In the shop with the 56 was a 55 Chevy and a 34 Chevy. I was wondering why he let it go but when I asked him about the engine setup he had them on... His 56 had been turned into a Pro-Street car and I knew it had a rough idle from seeing him around, but when he said his lift was over .510 I knew it had to be hard to dial in those carbs for that. He said he had to rev to 3500 just to get past the lope in the idle. He was just tired of trying to make it work. Thanks again.

If its been "wet tested" it very may just bolt on and run. Setup the linkage on the bench and actuate the carbs to see how everything works. Ensure smooth non-binding action. ( assume this is a straight mechanical linkage setup like mine) I have mine setup to start tipping in the outboard carbs at around 1/2 throttle or so. (I've had it tighter, but it was just too easy to pop them open all the time!).

Good luck with it. I'm sure some of those "old-timers" can help if you run into a snag! ;)

I'm not much with 2gc's, but they appear to be rather simple. As long as you get some early, but light pump shopt from the outboard carbs as they tip open, the transition should be good.

They're really a hoot when you have that transition point dialed in. If it's a bit heavy on pump shot , there will be a decided "ON" feel to it. When done correct though, its a smooth transition and what you notice is the noise coming from under the hood. Lots of holes open to those intake valves!

EDIT: BTW, I get anal when I take the intake or carbs off and wroap it all in Saran wrap. Until you;ve chased you tail like a stupid hound trying to find a goofy miss, only to discover a bit of dust got into one of the air bleeds, you'd think it's a bit over the top. Nope. Also, be careul if you have hard fuel lines. Hopefully you can rig a fuel log with rubber feeds to the carbs, ala Ford, since it's the best way to go, for sure.

the duces look nastalgic and on a 55 thumb,s up

The set of little Rochesters I have that are old as dirt only have idle jets on the middle one..

There is nothing to them except a float and an an accelerator pump! The center one has/had(?) the choke..

They might be off a '57 Olds J-2???

pdq67

great deal........................i know if i had something for it i would have done the same and bought it. love those deals.

i bought me a great deal as well got me a rectangle port weiand tunnel ram and two almost new holley 600 carbs(still have the factory shine and very very clean) for 216 bucks shipped, what a steal.

have fun with your new find.....

i have seen a few tri power set ups during the indian uprising event at the drags....cool to look at specially when they are running 12's with there stock looking set ups like that.

I probably shouldnt say this but I have had the pleasure of driveing a couple 3x2 set ups..... although not your typical ones...

One of the reps that used to call on us had a 49 Plymouth that he put a 273 Dodge engine into... he decided to go crazy and used a OE 340 Six Pack setup on it..... Ran like Dog Poo..... He couldnt get that to run for nuthin..... He got ahold of Steve Atherton..... Founder of SA Design books and a noted Mopar fanatic..... With some very minor mods ( reducing the Idle Feed restrictors and PV and Jet changes ... Presto..... Ran like a champ.... Even tho in theory it's WAY too much for that small engine , it was very driveable at all speeds...

The other two were true Brutes.... Circa 1975 , I worked as an apprentice wrench / gofer at a garage.... anyhoo the owner had a 56 Ford Pick up
that had a stout FE in it....a Stroked 390 with a 428 crank and heads.... factory 3X2 set up , a big
solid cam , a C6 with a 10 in converter and 4.57 gears.... With it's armstrong steering and straight front axle ...talk about a handfull !!
Was SO responsive it was nearly impossible to drive without blazeing the tires....The gears did wonders for it but man... hit the throttle and you better have alot of room in front of you... and to the side of you.... handleing was not it strong point.

Then to make matters even worse one of the mechanics who worked there also had a 56 Ford PU..
But he had been a factory Pontiac mechanic for many years so he stuffed a 455 Poncho in it with a
Tri Power set up... big hyd cam , custom made headers ... a TH 400 with a 10 in converter and a
set of 4.30 gears.... I never drove that one but co piloted in a couple times.... This was a true 12 second 56 Truck.... Back then that was quick..

I still think a single 4 is best but if your up to it a 3x2 can be very driveable and alot of fun.

Somewhere I think HR did a round robin car shoot out a looong time ago and a '65 or '66 Tri-power Goat with 3.89's or maybe even 4.10's won it!

It even won the gas mileage part b/c he could tool around on the center carb. cruising and pick up some really decent mileage for its size and gears!!

I think he ran the little-bitty bore Rochester center carb. with the two outside big bore Rochester carb's but it's been a long time since I read the article....

pdq67

Barry Grant seems to think tri-power or 3 deuces has more potential then the credit they get.

http://www.barrygrant.com/pages/news.aspx?articleid=0419-triple

Are three 2-Barrel Carbs worth it?

Good question. It really depends upon what you’re searching for. A good 3x2 setup can give you better throttle response, drivability, and top end if it’s on the proper application. In a street/strip type car, or street rod where drivability, and performance are your goals they work extremely well. We did a tremendous amount of testing when we designed out SBC systems. We found that versus a good street/strip single 4bl intake (air gap style) we were able to actual increase the torque, and power bands of the engine. That was not nearly as impressive as the drivability results were. We have an old 66 Chevelle that we use for some testing. The 350 that’s in it was about 390HP a long time ago. The motor is in need of rebuild bad!!!! With the single 4bl intake, you could barely get the tires to spin when power braking, but with our Six-Shooter system you could break em loose from a 25-30 mph roll. Since most of your driving is done on the small center carburetor it makes the throttle response, and acceleration killer. IF you have any questions, give us a call.

wow that setup is sweet from barry grant, id love to have that 3x2 on my 350 for street driving, but i dont have $2400.00 to spend on an intake and carbs lol.

http://www.chevelles.com/showroom/Schurkey/400Tri-powerSide.jpg

Holley "440 Six-Pack" carbs on Offy manifold with adaptors. Modified 'Vette triangle air cleaner. Yes, that's a full-size HEI in back. Don't ask what it took to do that.

It's fun, but I'd have better performance from a modern single-four manifold and carb.

I bet that sucker was a nightmare ta put together!!

BUT WAY COOL!!! In my book!!

Glad it works for you.

I loved the Stromberg trip's on my buddy's '55 Ford Custom with the hopped up 292 motor, Z-30 Isky cam, Headman Headers and high compressioned Jahns pistons.

It was the car that had the old Walker Continental glasspacks on it that I could hear better then a mile away as he went through his three speed!!

Loved the almost explosive tip-in!!!!

pdq67

was wondering what size motor was right for the 3x2 set up ? I have a elbebrok 3x2 intake with 3 rochester 2bbl carbs , complete set up .WAS told the carbs are 260 cfms or a total of 780 cfm when full open ? NOW what ci/ hp motor size will be a good match for the 3x2's , my 1930 coupe has a mild 1968 327 / flat top pistons at stock bore, mild bump stick ,194 valve #462'S heads,with a 350th no stall , and weights a 2400pds with me in it. have a spare 350 laying around- thanks for pointers you six packers !! MARKO

Wrenchhead,

Much of what makes a 3x2 set up really work is the same that helps big time with a 4bbl set up.....
Gearing....The vast majority of the Tri Power 389/421 Ponchos , Mopar six Packs , Chevy 3X2 ,FE Fords ect had at least 3.55 gears , with many haveing
3.73 , 3.90 or 4.10's straight from the factories.
IE you need to be able to supply the RPM per second in order to really take advantage of the extra air.
IE a SBC with a glide and 2.73's and a 3X2 wouldnt work as well as a 4 speed and 3.90's and a 3x2.

In the example I gave above with those 56 Fords they both were big heavy all steel trucks and even with large engines the gearing really made them come alive in order to deal with all that weight.

In a lighter weight car with a more modern cam and heads you can get away with less gearing,especially with a Big block but a SBC with 3X2's an automatic and 2.56's wont really be any bennefit over a single 4 bbl.

thanks al - have a set of richmond 4;10s in the box for my 10 bolt rearend , not sure which gear set is in it currently , not a deep/ high number set for sure , was a 1966 1/2 ton trk rear and its really got stout trailing arms , so I won't be a problem . have a piston out of the 327 now (busted oil gland ) no blk damage , just blow by, tore it down for the winter , and am considering a 383 stroker replacement too bure all that 780 cfm at full throttle , and diffentaly a 2400 stall hole shot- so look for a bad six shooter on top of a 30 -3 window-marko

Trip's came stock on:

'58 to '61, 348", Chevy's "W" motor. 280 to 350hp.
'67 to '69, 427", BB Chevy's. 400 to 435hp.
'57 to '58, 371", Olds J-2. 300 and 315hp.
'66, 400", Olds. 365hp.
'57 to '66, 347", 370", 389" and 421" Pontiac, 290 to 376hp.
'58, 430", Merc. 400hp. (Ford's "W" motor like Chevy's "W" motor)..
'61 to '63, 390" and 406", Ford. 401 to 405hp.
'70, 340", MOPAR. 290hp.
'69 to '71, 440", MOPAR. 390 and 385hp.

Hope this is of interest to you b/c it is to me...

pdq67

And on the Ford engines with Holley carbs, they mounted them backwards on the manifold, so that every time you punch the throttle, the car tries to accelerate away from the fuel in all three float bowls.