i've been debating picking up a weber DGV downdraft carb to replace the 1.75 HIF that is currently on my mini.
did anyone here every have one?? what are your thoughts??
Some good info here.
http://www.bradleyrestoration.com/technical_resources/weber_dgv_carbs_on_mgbs/ (http://www.bradleyrestoration.com/technical_resources/weber_dgv_carbs_on_mgbs/)
The last Mini I had for any duration was a 1961 Saloon. It came to me with a Weber DCD carb installed. The DCD is the predecessor to the DGV. The DGV has a reputation for being quite stable once dialed in. Unfortunately, they also have the reputation of being tedious to initially dial in.
They do wear and require rebuilding, but at a much lower rate than the SU carbs. The DCD on the 1961 I had was just plain worn out and not worth rebuilding.
I went with another alternative you might consider: a Mikuni HSR carb kit from Vintage Performance Developments. They are similar to the SU in concept without the dashpot. They are being used as replacements for SU carbs in several vintage racing series as well as on older motorcycles. You can easily swap jets and needles to dial them in and then they remain very stable. They are actually slightly smaller than a HIF carb. I used the 42mm kit on a mildly tuned (Elgin mild street cam) 1310 and may have still been slightly oversized. Alaric on MM has the 42mm on his 1380 and it suits his engine fine.
I'll add in here that I, too will be running a Mikuni once I finalize my motor.
that's a nice set-up.......it just made my choice a bit harder lol! :-[
The Mikuni swap is a LOT easier and cheaper to dial in than the Weber. The pilot jet is external and can be swapped with the carb in place. The needle takes a bit to adjust but can also be done in place. The main technically can also be done in place (putting a small "catch can" under the carb for the fuel from the bowl. There is an access plug in the bottom of the bowl to reach the main jet.
Weber carbs require much more disassembling to make adjustments and their jets are also more expensive.
The service bits for the Mikuni carbs can usually be obtained from a local motorcycle shop.
I would highly recommend installing a wide-band O2 sensor and Air/Fuel meter for tuning - made doing mine real easy.
I already have a wideband O2 sensor in my mini. I'm liking what I seeing with the mikuni Carbs.
I got more research to do......