Zenith 32 NDIX Restoration Reference

Zeniths have a long history with 356 Porsche, from the late ‘57 - 65, A’s - C’s. The 32 NDIX is also a good choice for high performance single & dual carb VW Type 1 applications.

Over the 45 plus years of a 356’s life, the carburetor may actually get the least attention of all. Eventually, a rebuild is no longer enough, and the engine may be run for years suffering from poor acceleration, uneven idle, bad gas mileage, and overall bad performance. Or maybe just get replaced with a Weber or Dellorto carburetor.

Why does this happen?

After many years of use, the carburetors are coated with deposits that can cause floats to stick, clog jets and prevent even fuel-air mixtures in a variety of ways. Butterflies no longer close properly. Even with new gaskets, there may not be a good seal because the mating surfaces have become distorted from over tightening the screws. Screws may become stripped at the fuel intake port and leak. Jets may be scored, or oversized from being reamed out with improper tools. Maybe some small, but necessary, hardware has been lost. These are just a few of the problems that can cause carburetors to malfunction.

The remanufacture process addressed these issues and more.

It started with completely disassembling the carburetors. All parts were checked for Repair, Replacement or Restoration. All good hardware was stripped and sent out for replating. The body parts were chemically cleaned through a two stage process. The body parts were media blasted to remove any sharp edges, coatings or deposits that may remain. The media was so fine as to give an almost “polished” finish to the carburetor. Then the carb body was resurfaced to ensure a good tight seal when re-assembled.

The throttle body was hand finished to give it a “like new” appearance. The throttle bodies were not painted, but given a black finish like the original. New butterflies were made and installed.

Jets were checked for proper sizing, and the entire unit was re-assembled using new gaskets and replacing any parts that were missing. Carburetors were finished to factory specifications, with injectors and floats set accordingly. At the customer’s request, jets and settings were set according to the specific driving requirement.

All carburetors were remanufactured as standard stock, for stock engines.

The 32NDIX could also be converted to 34 or 36mm configuration for high power or racing needs.

Lead time on a pair of carburetors was about 6 weeks. This gave adequate time to ensure the work met the highest standards. Installation instructions were included with the carburetors.

Remember well tuned and well adjusted carburetors can give you better gas mileage and lower your fuel emissions. For information about jetting and ethanol based fuels, see the installation instructions.

Just twp ways, we can help you make your car run better

Please read this special notice on the availability of Zenith 32NDIX Super and C carburetors

Zenith testing on a running engine