Zeniths and Marelli: Opinions on Induction/Ignition for a 2.2T

I've got a '71 911T thats still running it's stock Zeniths and Marelli distributor and I wanted some thoughts from those that have experience or insight with this setup.

Right now the car is still running it's stock CDI ignition which I intend to keep but I want to know if it's worth it to rebuild the Zeniths (which need to be rebuilt) or just by a set of Webers. I've heard all sorts of stories related to the impossibility of tuning Zeniths (even after being rebuilt) so they run correctly/well and I'm not really sure if I should spend the money to rebuild them and try and set them up or spend the money elsewhere. At this point the car pops and sputters from both the carbs and the exhaust depending on load and RPM so I know there are issues that need to be addressed. Any thought from the experts? I'm not really sure which way I should go, spend the money rebuilding the Zeniths or look for a set of good, operable Webers.

Secondly, I've still got my original Marelli distributor and given that parts are now being produced should I just keep it and have it rebuilt or look to by a Bosch to replace it? If Bosch is the answer, which Bosch unit do I need as a replacement?

My car is used as a driver and reliabilty and ease of maintainence are my primary concerns (with budget also being a consideration) so I though I'd look for some advice before taking a blind leap in one direction or the other.

Thanks in advance,

Stretch

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There is absolutely nothing wrong with Zeniths, used as designed, on a stock 2.2 T. I have a 71 also which I bought 12 years ago. At that time I did a careful rebuild getting all the accelerator pump nozzles squirting correctly, float levels correct, and synchronized properly. In the years and 50,000 miles since I have adjusted the idle mixture once. They do not pop, backfire, or fart even on cold mornings. Now the Marelli distributor could be another matter !
Mine has a Bosch ! If you need your Zeniths rebuilt I can't recommend Paul Abbot at Performance Oriented highly enough.

beautiful car, which blue is that?

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Originally Posted by edmayo

There is absolutely nothing wrong with Zeniths, used as designed, on a stock 2.2 T. I have a 71 also which I bought 12 years ago. At that time I did a careful rebuild getting all the accelerator pump nozzles squirting correctly, float levels correct, and synchronized properly. In the years and 50,000 miles since I have adjusted the idle mixture once. They do not pop, backfire, or fart even on cold mornings. Now the Marelli distributor could be another matter !
Mine has a Bosch ! If you need your Zeniths rebuilt I can't recommend Paul Abbot at Performance Oriented highly enough.

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I'm a huge fan of Zeniths. In many ways they are superior to Webbers.

And I would normally agree with you about the Marelli, but I recently had a Marelli rebuilt by Kurt at Porschetechnik (now Partsklassik) and I was nothing short of astounded at how well it worked when it came back. He repaired the advance weights/springs and fixed the advance curve, installed a Pertronix, a new repro cap and new repro rotor ... it was, hands down, the best Marelli distributor I've ever worked with.

In fact, I was so impressed with the results that I sent him my spare twin plug 121 for a restoration/overhaul and conversion to Pertronix.

Marco, couldn't agree more with the Marelli repo cap and rotor........

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Originally Posted by Digital K

beautiful car, which blue is that?

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The car is originally Albert blue. The current color is a very close match (although a little darker) in Imron. It was done by the original owner years ago but seems to be holding up fairly well.

Thanks for the insight. I'd rather keep the stock carbs and distributor anyway because it the more economical route anyway. I also like opening the deck lid and seeing an original looking engine. Im not opposed to doing mods that make the car more reliable or user friendly though if they are better in the long term. Thanks for the advice,

Stretch

looks great <3

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Originally Posted by Stretch32

The car is originally Albert blue. The current color is a very close match (although a little darker) in Imron. It was done by the original owner years ago but seems to be holding up fairly well.

Thanks for the insight. I'd rather keep the stock carbs and distributor anyway because it the more economical route anyway. I also like opening the deck lid and seeing an original looking engine. Im not opposed to doing mods that make the car more reliable or user friendly though if they are better in the long term. Thanks for the advice,

Stretch

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Go here: http://www.partsklassik.com/Default.aspx?

I cannot recommend Kurt highly enough. Aside from being good at his job, he's an exceptionally nice fellow.

Zeniths are great for a T. One thing I would have done with mine if I still had it would be to put insulators under the carbs ,as I had fuel boil over probs with modern fuels that on one occasion melted my secondary venturis. Any other opinions on this? Steve

absolutely a good idea, this was a factory update even back 'in the day'