Thought I'd get back to you and let you know how my search went for a Weber expert:
1. Tom at FE Specialities declined to work on them as he was very busy and didn't feel he had the necessary equipment.
2. SVS in Sacramento said they'd love to work on them but did not have the necessary jetting to make changes.
3. I don't recall Gary's reasons for not working on them at GT Auto.
4. Fodge Engineering: Dan. Said he could work on them and said he had some limited jetting.
Allan, you were right!! He is not cheap and he didn't have any jetting on hand. He was only able to change the few jets I brought which were not the correct sizes. He didn't use a dyno and had me cruise up and down the street while he watched his A/F meter and then made changes.
It ran a bit better after he finished but certainly not worth the $747 he charged me for about 6 hours or so of tuning and NO parts. Wish he would have told me his hourly rate before we started!! Teach me not to ask.
He said I'd have to live with the backfiring as that was, "Just Webers." I asked him about the jetting suggested by members of this board and was told the recommended sizes were not correct for my engine.
I called him later and told him the backfiring was bad and the car stumbled. He told me to check for an exhaust leak this time and didn't tell me it was, "Just Webers." (No exhaust leak could be found).
He told me to come back and he would fix it, but that seemed rather pointless as he had no jetting to make any needed modifications.
5. Called Pierce Manifolds in Gilroy,Ca. and asked if they knew of any real "experts" in the northern California area. They transfered me to their Tech Gron Parry.
Parry said he knew an expert: himself. He agreed to drive to Sacramento and meet me at Schatz & Krum (dyno experts) in Sac.
5 hours travel and he charged me $40 for gas! He worked on the car from 2PM till about 9PM, both before and during the dyno runs. Seven hours of tuning and he charged me 4 hours (at about 1/2 the per hour rate of Fodge).
Even with all the jetting changes and replacements total cost was less than Fodge. Car runs great now....don't know where the backfiring went but that too is fixed. I sent Fodge a letter and let him know the results of the jetting changes and asked if he would reconsider his charges--no reply.
If you are in Northern California, I highly recommend Gron. His home number is 408-267-5933. This guy knows his stuff and has all the necessary jetting to dial in your Webers. If you go to Fodge: take all the jetting you think you will need and a BIG checkbook!
Original Jetting
Idle 65
Idle Air 120
Choke 37
Pump 50
Bleed 000
Main 145
Air 115
Final Jetting
Idle 60
Idle Air 100
Choke 37
Pump 45
Bleed 60
Main 160
Air 170
Just install some RamFlo air cleaners. Had to drop the fronts 1/2" to clear the SPF hood.
See ya at Hot August Nights!!
