Stromberg releases new ‘Barn Find’ 97 with factory patina – and ‘Rolling Bones’ approval.
Stromberg Carburetor has released a new finish for its popular Genuine Stromberg 97 model. Named, ‘Barn Find’ (part number 9510A-BF) it answers the call for a brand new product that won’t look out of place on a car with established patina.
According to Stromberg owner, Clive Prew, “While we naturally make our regular 97 models as nice as possible, we worried that some customers simply prefer their stuff old looking! Everyone has their own take on patina, though, and to be honest we weren’t that comfortable with putting our name to something that looked downright nasty!”
The final look, therefore, required a mixture of techniques. The cast iron bases are lightly rusted before a careful mist of black. The main castings and stainless steel parts are lightly media blasted. And the external brass parts are specially aged. While every Barn Find model is even supplied with a “Reconditioned with Stromberg Genuine Parts” rosette decal to complete the look, some parts, like the choke plate and springs, are left untouched for operational efficiency.
‘The best part is, the final finish is up to you’, said Clive. ‘The more you handle them, the more patina they pick up. You can rub the edges with your hands, for example, or try a little dirty oil on the linkage and lettering.’
To test the concept, Stromberg sent three new ‘Barn Finds’ to the masters of hot rod patina, New York’s Rolling Bones Hot Rod Shop. ‘Boy they look GREAT!!!’, reported co-owner, Ken Schmidt. ‘We gotta tell ya, if they work half as good as they look, Clive has smashed a home run for us die hard vintage engine hot rodders.’
The three carburetors were swiftly mounted onto a 276 inch flathead motor in the team’s ’32 roadster and driven half way across the country to Bonneville, Utah, where it increased their XF GAS ROADSTER top speed by 8mph (to 127mph). To further prove their reliability, two of the carburetors were then swapped into the stylish Dick Deluna Cockshutt ‘34 Ford 5-window for the trip back to California.
In the words of Ken Schmidt, ‘The moral is, when you build a vintage engine-powered hot rod for someone and his first drive is 3500 plus miles, always put the best carburetors on it you can…And we did.’
November 2012 — Stromberg Carburetor announces new Limited Edition, Black & Chrome 97 carburetor.
Stromberg Carburetor is highlighting a new bespoke service for its popular 97 carburetor with a Limited Edition black lacquered model, highlighted with hand polished stainless steel linkages and chromed brass parts.
It follows the regular 97, the chrome model, the ‘Barn Find’ with its factory patina, and the cable choke and Lincoln-Zephyr style ‘push throttle’ options. But rather than a new carburetor choice, the Black & Chrome model is more the start of a new bespoke service, offering unique finishes to special order.
Stromberg Carburetor owner, Clive Prew, said “Black & Chrome is a sophisticated new look, very much in tune with the way hot rod trends are moving. But for us, it’s more about signaling the availability of bespoke colors and other finishes. We can do pretty much anything to special order and we’re encouraging customers to make suggestions.”
The new Black & Chrome Genuine Stromberg 97 (9510A-BLK) is available to Special Order from any Stromberg dealer. Further details can be found on the Stromberg website at www.stromberg-97.com