Technical What's considered "Proper"....

...for an air filter assembly on mildly modified 283 in 1963?

I'm looking for an air filter assembly that would fit the part on an early 60's 283 with an aluminum Edelbrock 4bbl intake and Edelbrock finned valve covers. I'll be running either a 4Jet or AFB with cast manifolds (either 265-ish or ram horn) and a Mallory dual-point.

Eventually, I will have a multi-carb setup, but I want to get everything dialed in before I go multiples. I did a search on the early SBC threads as well as the induction thread...just didn't see many single 4-barrels.

Show me what you're running or an example of what you're suggesting.

 

Seems like there were open element carb covers around. Like maybe a 10"

 

Maybe something like this???

 

Get one of the early Corvette chrome louvered air cleaners- different and totally Kool.

 

Agreed!

 

A 63?
In the 70's when those cars were being run by everyone, what I would normally have seen is a cleaned up, painted fresh factory style air cleaner. Usually robbed from a parts car or from the wrecking yard.
That or straight to NAPA and got the cheap chrome open housing, usually came with an adapter so that one size fits all. Personally, I might go with the early 50's Cadillac and Olds housing like they sell through Speedway motors.


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Brett, what is your definition of "proper", and "fit the part", 1963 time frame proper, or HAMB friendly.
If this is just an in between till you get to your goal, let your budget be your guide.
If you have some coin, the chrome 65 Chevelle 327/350 hp and 409 style dual snorkel air cleaner would be my choice. Originals have gotten kinda spendy but they are reproduced.
These were showing up on many Chevys over the years.


Mikes suggestion was another of my thoughts.

 

Sorry, I didn't really think that the car (or truck in my case) was significant. It's in my '46 Chevy truck. One reason I'm asking is I'm headed to Charlotte this weekend and thought I might find something that would work...just wanted some options to look for!

 

Also.
These fit the GM two barrel, low HP and high HP 4 barrel bases IIRC.

 

@DDDenny Not really wanting to drop that much coin, though I DO like the look!

 

@Hotrodmyk I found one of those, but it's chrome and I worry about mixing finishes. I'm anal like that! (No butt jokes, please!)

@mike bowling Don't they make different diameters of those?

 

In '68 when I was starting out on my own we used to use a stock air cleaner and either remove the snorkel or not then zing it full of holes. I can't imagine that it was a new idea.

You won't find one cheap but for some reason '57 Chevy air cleaners were popular in the early '60s. used to see them pinstriped or chromed at car shows a lot.

 

Thinking back to pre'65 I was running Strombergs with beer cans for velocity stacks

 

I use an old baby moon or dog dish hubcap.....drill a hole in the center and then find the right size flat chrome air cleaner/filter set that fits and don't use the chrome top.

 

I converted a Chevy 6 oil bath air cleaner to fit a 4bbl., paint it up as you wish.

 

I would say the Corvette deal would look okay with an AFB.
The 4 GC, not so much .Probably nicely painted up stock one would be best, for now.

 

I have a finned small single 4 barrel air cleaner from O'Brien Truckers on my 51 Chevy that I think fills the part of early 60's. Here is a pic of it on the old motor in the 51. please excuse the nasty engine compartment. Its much better now!

 

here is one on Pat Ganahls 52

 

I am actually going to run a stock snorkel top on my A with holes in it just like when I was a kid. IfI decide to go to 2-4s I got a pair of old cal custom 10" cleaners.

 

Your generic parts house low profile on my '60s-ish '40 coupe

 

I like the chrome one with the louvers, guess it was Corvette and I think early GTO (not a GM guy). I picked one
of these up from Speedway for like $40 for a 56 Chevy I was dressing to look 60's.

 

I would stay away from the 40's style which may match the vehicle and lean toward the early 60's style to match the engine. Just get something round, simple and cheap. There weren't as many choices back then. I remember running my stock set up with the lid flipped and 2 filters stacked. I had room for a velocity stack inside but you couldn't see it with the lid clamped down. It was black paint, nothing flashy but I 'spose chrome would be a great way too.

 

I like the simple chrome louvered GTO style ones like the Speedway one that Metalman has pictured. I have a '62 327 for my Merc project and I was planning on using one of those or something similar.

 

Considering that there were no Edelbrock intake manifolds for a 4 barrel carb for a Chevy small block in 63, you're already out of compliance for "Proper" intake for that era.

I don't believe there was a bustling trade in fancy air cleaner's either, I think most used a stock air cleaner assy and maybe flipped the lid over to allow more air into it, though that probably didn't help make any more horsepower, but it did sound cool, and got some attention if you were the first in the area to do it.

How about one of those triangular Corvette air cleaners?

 

DDDenny and PorkNBeaner are on the right track. Back in the day.....1960's/1970's I ran the carb, distributor and valve cover setups you are talking about on both street cars and dirt track cars. In full disclosure I have never liked giant bright chrome air cleaners.....they just seem to take away from all the other nice elements of the engine you have built.
Again, the small brushed aluminum Corvette type air cleaners are so very right....size and non-chrome.
Also, I have fashioned nice traditional air cleaners by carefully removing the original snorkle.....whichi will leave an oblong/rounded whole. Get creative and put 3-5 equally sized and spaced holes in the air cleaner enterior......nice look and nice air rush noise when secondaries are opened.
Or.....use bottom of original air cleaner.....saw out top lid of upper cover....use lid with nice visable air filter.....paint top and bottom with satin black. Have fun.

 

Here's the direction I want to go....



Should I just give up on a 4bbl and make this happen?


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Some of you may not be picturing what a 63 air cleaner looks like. You really can't flip the lid on one.
Well, I guess could, then put a couple of Stewart Sandwiches in there and drive around for a while.
I would guess GM went to the big can / flat top deal later in the 60's ,when they had to start putting vent hoses into the sides of them.
A 68 Firebird big 4bbl deal looks pretty good, and hides a lot. I put one on my 62 Tempest 455 to hide the 800 Q-Jet.
I drilled a bunch of holes underneath, just outside of the filter element. Of course they couldn't be seen. Didn't slow it down any in the quarter.

 

Gets my vote.

 

My personal preference is to get the engine swap totally done.....wiring done.....fuel and water plumbing done.....exhaust done . Then use a single carb......I have a trusty manifold with a single two barrel Rochester 2GC as my test mule set-up or at most your 4bbl. Get everything running and dialed in .....ignition timing.....fuel supply.....oil leaks.....coolant etc. Then and only then would I tackle a complex multi-carb set-up.

Many, many threads on here about engines that have problems after "total rebuilds" "swaps" etc. where so much stuff is new, modified, altered that trouble-shooting normal stuff becomes a nightmare.....walk before you run fast.......have fun.

 

^^^^What tractorguy said^^^^

It's not a bad idea to have a simpler, proven 4-barrel set up on the bench, ready to go in case you have to do something, be somewhere, and the multiple carb set up is giving you trouble. Yea, a 4-barrel with a plain Jane air cleaner is boring and you see 'em everywhere, but there's a reason you "see 'em everywhere"...... because they just flat out work.