EP V cam or A cam for this 21 motor Carb combo

"E.P.,

I'd like your op

"E.P.,

I'd like your opinion on this. My B21 motor is being rebuilt as you know. Originally it was an AQ140, changed it to a single Solex downdraft with the same (V) cam.

After the rebuild I'm going to take the leap and install my Weber 32/36 DFEV carb.

Would there be any noticable advantage between the V cam (AQ140) and the A cam (AQ125A) with this carb set-up? What's your best quess?

I have one of each and they are both in good condition but it's easier to stay with the V cam because it's presently on the head."

"Dennis, the VP single carb 4

"Dennis, the VP single carb 4 cylinder engines come with a A cam, but they do not develop too many HP and they normally run below 5000 RPM. The AQ140 and the AQ151 came with a V cam, which has higher lift than the A and they are suited for more power at higher RPM. Also, the AQ145 came with the K cam, which has even a higher lift than the K. The higher lift on the K will give you even more power than the V at higher RPM, say 3500-5500 range; but I understand the idle may not be as smooth (this might be different with a Weber carb, though).

So if you want power, I suggest a V or a K.

This will give you an idea of the lift of each cam:

http://www.turbobricks.com/resources.php?content=camspec

"

"Hopefully I am not hi-jacking

"Hopefully I am not hi-jacking this thread by asking this. But after reading ElP's response, you say by changing to a V or K cam will improve performance, does this also hold for my 2.3 litre, B230 engine? Can changing the cam give me more hp? If so, does your V or K suggestion hold?

Thanx and have a great day,

Rob."

"Thanks again E.P.! Excellent

"Thanks again E.P.! Excellent and concise answers as usual. Looking at the Turbobrick.com link--I had no idea there were so many cams available for these little Volvo motors.
From your input --and considering the whole picture--sticking with my present V cam seems like a good, balanced approach.
I do expect the Weber carb to give a much smoother idle that the single Solex--especially when it's cold (it came with a water choke but I've converted it to an electric choke). I am anxious to get this in the water and see what she does. Stay tuned...I'm slow but I am moving forward."

"Hello Dennis,

So basically

"Hello Dennis,

So basically you are putting this cam into a 2.1 litre motor? If so, then it may be possible to do the same thing with a 2.3 litre engine and get the same performance benefits?

Thanx and have a great day,

Rob."

"Rob, HP is a combination of e

"Rob, HP is a combination of engine size, RPM, carb, ignition timing, valve timing, and most important, cam. You can add more fuel by getting larger jets in the carb, but if there is not enough air to burn it you are not getting more power. More lift will assist in getting more air into the engine at higher RPM, which means the engine can burn more fuel and get more power.

You probably have read before that standard automotive cams are not usually good for marine applications. If you look at the link I gave above regarding cam lifts, have a look at the lifts for the A, V and K cams, then when you compare them with the M and T cams you will see the difference. Also, read at the bottom of the page in the following link:

http://www.avalancheperformance.com/products.htm

If you want to research further the topic, you can try to google the words Volvo, cam, lift, power, duration, etc."

"Rob, the V cam comes installe

"Rob, the V cam comes installed from factory in the AQ140 (B21) and in the AQ151 (B230). However, all those engines also come with dual carbs. Obviously, the dual carb/V cam combination was designed to obtain a higher power output than the same engines with single carb. The engine Tom Storey is upgrading to Weber (AQ151) came with a V cam and dual carb from factory. That engine is a B230 block (same as yours) although the crankshaft and pistons are different because of the larger stroke when compared with the AQ131.

Of course, when I talk about single or dual carb, I am referring to the old Solex stock carbs, not to the Webers that some fed-up VP owners are installing nowadays as an upgrade."

"Hello Rob,

Like E.P. said.

"Hello Rob,

Like E.P. said....

He's one of the masters, most of the rest of us are sitting in the class to learn.

That said, the AQ140A (my motor) is a 2.1 liter block that came from the factory with the V cam.

I removed the twin sidedraft Solex carbs and manifold and put on a single carb manifold from a AQ125 or AQ131.

So what I have in essence is an AQ 125A (2.1) with a slightly hotter cam (As E.P. explained to me) and an oil cooler. Soon to have a little 32/36 Weber replacing the downdraft Solex.
I was born to tinker and CHANGE things!"

"Thanx for the response. I to

"Thanx for the response. I too am born to tinker. Keeps me busy during winter.

My engine is the 230A, just checked the tag on the block. If I understand this correctly, I can put in a different cam, upgrade to a Weber (I too am really fed up of not having a choke and the cold starting hassles) and increase the hp to 140, maybe even 145? That sounds like a reasonable winter project to me. Just have to get the new carb without the wife finding out!!

Thanx for your help and advice. Any further info is always greatly appreciated.

Have a great day,

Rob."

"Dennis, thank for the complim

"Dennis, thank for the compliment, but I don't think I am one of the (or even "a") master. At best, I have made more mistakes than most people in the forum (this is my definition of "expert) and I like to read/learn about upgrades. I repeatedly recommended the Pertronix electronic ignition upgrade because it worked wonders for me and others. However, I was cautious at the beginning regarding the Webers, because I thought that some of the claims in the Redline website sounded too good to be true. But one of the forum members (Javier Cubero) upgraded and reported excellent results. And after Javier, others reported that the upgrade gave new life and more muscle to their 4 bangers. So as you see, it is difficult to argue with the facts.

We have to keep in mind that those engines were developed over 30 years ago and that many innovations available nowadays were not around at the time. The only way to find out whether some of those innovations do work or not is by trying them.

For example, here is something that may be of interest for people with B20 and B30 engines. For some strange reason, they don't seem to have a similar product available for the OHC engines.

http://www.123ignition.com.au/volvo.html"

"E.P.
Well, whether you'

"E.P.
Well, whether you're a "master" or an "X-Spurt" you and others like Robert F. and Marten R.., et al have helped a LOT of people with their boats and motors.

Now, concerning the innovations. Yes, I remember Xavier's posts and some of his photos. He used a stock manifold and had a machinist make an adapter. Can't remember if he bought a new Weber or a used one. Anyway, he inspired and motivated us to take a closer look. I think there were a lot of us watching to see how these conversions went--and are going.
A friend of mine made the same comment as you about the 30 year-old technology. Volvo had some good things going like their outdrives, heavy cranks, etc.. but they also had some weaknesses in the older models, i.e., no choke, wacky water line connections that inspire leaks, PLASTIC water strainer housing () the old electro-mechanical lift unit, etc..
I'm sure all these can be upgraded and improved with some more modern ideas or creativity.
That link that you provided for the new Distributor from Australia for instance. That is VERY interesting. Hopefully they will start building for the 2.1 and the 2.3 also."

"I'm a 140A owner who is s

"I'm a 140A owner who is seriously considering moving from the dual Solex to the two barrel set-up. What I am wondering is this....will putting a two barrel (via adapter) on the one barrel manifold give the same performance as using the Redline/Weber conversion set-up?

I do not consider myself a gearhead or have any expertise in carbs, however, it seems to me that the opening (carb plate) on the single barrel manifold was designed to handle the CFM's for a one barrel carb and by putting a two barrel on the same manifold would be trying to squeeze more CFM's into the opening than it was designed to handle.

Now, the Redline/Weber manifold conversion has a larger opening to accomodate the two barrel with the increased CFM's. Further, it has some baffles which would seem to help atomize the air/gas mixture.

I may be totaly out in left field on this one, so, any input would be appreciated"

I apologize for posting my que

I apologize for posting my question in the wrong thread

"Hello Robert,

Why not star

"Hello Robert,

Why not start a new thread with your post above--cut & paste with a new title? It'll make a good discussion IMHO.
I'll come back and comment a little on it this evening. I'm sure others have some valuable input. It's definitely worth talking about."