Hopefully this will NOT sound like a plug, but I thought I would share my first impressions with my modded Nikki.

The carb was received in very tight packaging. No way it was going to be damaged in shipping. Kudo's on the pack job.

The carb was very clean and well stripped, devoid of the various vacuum accesories that surround the stock carb. The linkage was simplified to accept only the throttle and choke (the choke was my preference).

The only item I had to re-install was my A/C solenoid (again- my preference).

I used my stock 85 manifold in lieu of a 79 manifold I recently acquired (had a nasty vacuum leak in the 79 manifold that I have yet to pinpoint).

The car started almost immediately after the bowls filled. It took little accelerator effort to keep it going (even with a cold engine). The partial choke worked great. It DOES not stay on when pulled out- You have to manualy hold the choke. This is totally fine by me. You do away with the temp/choke solenoid on the carb.

After the car was warm, small slight adjustments were necessary on the throttle linkage to get it to snap closed correctly. Then- slight adjustments with the adjustment screws were needed. The car purrs great at 750-900 rpm idle speed.

I let the car idle for over 15 minutes, with slight accelerator pushes every now and again. Had to tighten the fuel inlet pipe banjo bolt to cure a small leak. No biggie. I checked everything else to make sure it was nice and tight and took her for a spin (in the pouring rain).

1st 2 miles was very easy going..never hit the secondaries. Starting off is a little jerky.. I found the need to finesse the throttle to keep it from bogging. I imagine I need to make some slight adjustments for this. Also- my fuel pump and regulator will only drop to 4psi. It may be a tad much for the modded Nikki.

I Stopped at a local store and checked the lines again- no leaks. Went ahead to the Interstate on-ramp. I hit the thorttle hard in the acceleration lane. WOOOOWWWW! When the secondaries kick it is REALLY doing something! I hit 80mph in third gear in no time flat. Shifted to 4th and had lots of accelerator room. Really nice. You definately know when you hit the point where the secondaries will open. This thing is a kick in the pants!!

I spent the remaining hour and a half cruising the Interstate, some back roads and into town to get some gas. I had to be careful when starting from a stop. She had to be revved to about 2,000 rpm or she would stumble and bog a little. Again- It could be slight adjustments or my fuel pump. In any event- it is no real biggie. The linkage seems a little 'tight' and may need a few squirts of white lithium grease to help it along.

In closing- this carb cranks ***. It is WAYY better than the old style weber 45dcoe I had on this car AND the Mikuni I had on my first Rx-7 some 10 years ago. The mechanical secondaries are the way to go. A little finesse and you know where the power is gonna be. I would imagine a little bit of fine tuning and this set up will be as smooth as butter.

KUDOS CARL AND STERLING!! You have done well!!

 

Good to hear! Is it really feel that much better than the Mikuni? I had a Mikuni years ago and I thought that was unbeatable.

 

the mikuni is good.. but not enough w/ an aggressive streetport.. the dual barrel seemed to small and insufficient. i was going to go w/ a mikuni until i realized it wouldn't support the juice i was planning on making

maybe sterling carb is better than the mikuni

but it's good to hear positive feedback about sterling carb

 

The 1st gen I had 10 years ago had a streetported 4port 13B, RB dual exhaust and a Mikuni 44. The Mikuni was way too small and quite finicky.

I can tell you this..My current car has a 12A with 75,000 miles, running a RB dual system, and the modded Nikki is just damn well perfect. I like it much, much better than the previous set-ups I had. (and that's only after 1 1/2 hours logged on her).

 

So, what is the cost to modify a Nikki?

 

Sterling Carb Info

Glad you like it, Tom.

 

The way Sterling packs those carbs you could probably drop it off a cliff and it would be fine.

 

i got my banana carb in today...... UHHH MAAAZE IIIINNGGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!! i cant get over it. havent cranked the car yet though still doing a couple finishing touches on the turbo prepping. this should be quite nice though.

 

-They both got their Sterling Carbs from Carl.

 

In other words, Carl packs the carb really well. If you get a carb that's just thrown in the box, then that's a carb Sterling sent ya.

 

Hmm.
Actually, it's nothing to joke about.
I have already had to straighten a few bent shafts (ask suparslinc) because people toss 'em in a box. (Someone else packed his.)

I have very specific packing suggestions on my website to ensure that the carb gets to me in good condition.

Packing a carb really well is a PITA, but time well invested for the assurance that when UPS or USPS drops it off the plane conveyor, it'll still be workable.

 

lol

 

...then again, maybe this is not so much a problem now that Mario no longer works for the Big Brown.

 

Glad its working out so far Tom. But it shouldnt stumble and ****. I see I have email from you. Ill help you get this thing right. You shouldnt have to hold the choke, thats an issue with the temp switch on your water pump and/or the magnet hold open in the cockpit.

FBII. Its not a banana carb, its a boost prepped Sterling carb. The "banana carb" is still in the works.

Packing the carb is muy importante. I know that people like Mario like to come to work at big brown and practice their soccer skillz.

 

Carl- if you want I can pm you my number (or vice-a-versa). It would prob save reading through my e-mails!

 

Keep up the good work sterling.. Awsome job!!!

 

Carl built Zac's and Tom's carbs. Were a team. No one person can handle the needs of so many people adequately. Paul Yaw proved that it's just too easy to get swallowed up and buried by it all.
So Carl and I started the team, and everyone who has one of our carbs then becomes part of our team by supplying us with very valuable feedback.

Carl and I encourage all who buy our products to give us as much feedback as possible so that we can improve what we make.

There's always room for improvement.

 

You've sold me yet again. I just need to figure out what I'm going to install my '73 12A with light rotating assembly in.

 

Absolutely! Like wiring up the secondaries AND leaving the secondaries vacuum actuator attached. This makes the mechanical secondaries much easier to manipulate with your right foot and makes the mechanical mod much more streetable. I've done it and it works.

 

What part of the definition of "improvement" do you not understand?
When you need to start the car in the garage, you're supposed to open the door first.
I fear too much exposure to exhaust has clouded your sense of logic.

 

right on, i should be cranking my car within a week or sooner. then we will see what this boosted sterling carb can handle MUHUHUHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAA! I CANT WAIT OMFG YES!!!!!!

 

Took another look at it this baby this morning.
It looks like the secondary linkage is binding up a bit on the vaccum dash-pot for the backfire thingy on the intake manifold (like my technical terms?).
It just barely hangs on it. A little white lithium grease makes it a little easier, but that is a spot I need to address.

Took it for another quick spin. Still a few little stumbles at low steady rpm (2,000 rpm) and a little hesitation here and there. However- Steady open cruising is fine, and the secondaries are smoother with the grease on the linkage.

BTW- I easily laid a strip of rubber in 1st and 2nd with my sticky 15" Kumho's. I have never been able to do that with my other carbs (unless I really wound her out). This thing is sweet.

I wonder what an agressive street port would do on this 12A?

 

Well I've got an agressive street port on my '73 12A, so I think I'd need a banana carb. It'll have carbon apex seals (no choice with '73 and older rotor housings) and a light aftermarket flywheel.

Would a banana carb be best? Or the highest flowing Sterling carb? I've got four Nikkis from various years to choose from to send. Actually five if you count the RX-2 Nikki.

 

-So you think the Sterling Carb (450 cfm) isn't going to be able to feed your "aggressive streetport"?

-Why? ...Because Racing Beat mods a bigger Holley which they suggest for such a ported 12A?

Go read the tech articles on my website. Read "Venturi Design".

 

Just outta curiousity, since this thread is live, what's up with the mention of ported manifolds I saw on the site?