How to build a custom air cleaner!

Once again...too late, or early for tech week, but if I don't do it now, I may never get around to it!
Backstory: I am building a mild custom 61 Olds for a customer. We detailed the engine and compartment out really nicely. But when it came to an air filter, I was lost. Didn't want to do the "everyone's got one" 55 Olds one, a period correct Vette louvered one didn't seem right for a sled, and stock was boring.
If I did a custom one, it had to be close to era correct, or maybe...just match the style of the car, and who cares about tradition!
After some thought and discussion with Ron, who helps me on weekend, and had great styling taste, I got a plan!
Bought a generic oval filter housing, for the filter and the base. The top would be all hand formed. It can be easily done with almost no tooling, but a shrinker stretcher makes it much easier. I decided to take the shape of the body cove on the Olds and translate it onto the air filter. It ends in a sharp bullet shape on the quarter, so that's how it will end by the firewall. It is a peaked shape, that flares out top and bottom into peaks, and then melds into the bodyline...easier to see in the pics, than to describe!
I sketched out the shap on some 18 Ga sheet, after determining the size of the shapes I wanted. I then bent the center peak in my brake, you could clamp it on a tabletop and use a 2 x 4 to get the bend made.
Then using a T dolly, you could use a piece of pipe, I hammered the radius of the bend that goes up toward the peaks that define the cove. Again. look at the pics.
The only hard part is making the curve into the pointed end. Take your time and work carefully!

 

Next I was going to make the rest of the housing from scratch, but Ron came up with the idea of using some exhaust bends to make it easier, a thing I also did making an air filter for my 61 Dodge a few years back.
I laid the filter top up against a U bend, 2 1/4" exhaust tubing, and marked and cut off what I needed to start. I tacked that in place, then looked at the rest of the housing going to the point in the rear. It was a much more gradual curve than any of my bends, so I took a straight piece, and put it into the shrinker to try and get a gentle curve. Amazingly, it worked! When I got the shape I needed, I trimmed and tacked it into place, and proceeded to the other side.
I then finished up the front with some straight tubing.
Unfortunately, I got into the groove today, and no one was around to take pics or remind me to!
The front of the filter, I decided to make a rounded corner, rectangular opening, Veed like the front of the car. I made a custom square tube grill for the car, so I will fill the opening with small scale _1/8" or 1/4 square SS rod that I will Vee and polish to look like the chrome grill on the car.
After cutting the front into a Vee, and transitioning it into the sides, I used 5/16" brake tubing to go tightly inside the exhaust tubing, and sheet metal on the lid....to finish off the edge of the opening nicely.

 

Last, I took the center peak, and sliced it in the center, taking a small wedge out of it, so it would gradually go down to meet the rectangular opening of the filter housing. It remains a peak, just smoothly transitions into the "flat" opening up front. Then just a matter of finish welding, trimming the bottom to fit over the filter, and base, and Bada Bing...done with the metal work!
A bit of body filler, some primer, and it will be painted in tu-tone Candy Pagan Gold to match the exterior. And hopefully the square rod "grill" will hide the paper filter somewhat.

 

very cool! wasn't sure what to expect after the first post, but the final piece came out great! nothing better than 1 of a kind. nice work.

 

That looks awesome. I was in the same boat as jerseymike.

 

I really like that, looks kinda like a surfer scoop. You got great imagination!

 

I love it when someone posts tech, and it doesn't have to be tech week. Kudos. And awesome work.

 

I'm with zman on this,,looks great! HRP

 

Thats so damn cool!

 

Nice job, thanks for sharing.

 

Very nice

 

Dude that is awesome! I might have to give that a try! Thanks for the tips! Jim

 

very cool

 

Im diggin it.I really like the one u make for the KOPPER KART!

 

Very cool - nice work

 

very cool

 

what does your 61 Dodge look like?

 

I had to go back a LOOOONG way to find this in my old attachments...Much easier to do, just a couple of U bends, a hammerformed top and base, and a spaghetti strainer that donated the screens! There is a how-to attached to that build, also.

Thanks for the compliments!
I'll post a pic when it's painted!

 

Here's one of the finished ones I did for the Kart...it had the old Vette 3 x 1 bbl side drafts, and the air filters are almost impossible to find. Did these out of stainless, so we wouldn't have to wait for the chrome plater to do them (OR lose them!). 57moparjoe helped with the final welding on these, he' so much better with the TIG than I am!

 

Are ya sick of hearin about the kart yet? Always with the kart, no one cares about the NEW awesomeness you're putting out! Brilliant work, as always, Chopolds!

 

Wait til you see my "new" 46 Chevy!

 

That is most excellent! Thank you for sharing your skill and vision with us!

 

Really nice stuff.

 

That's awesome! Great job


Posted from the TJJ App for iPhone & iPad

 

I promised a finished shot of it....I painted it in 2 tone Candy Pagan Gold, to match the 61 Olds exterior. Striped between the 2 colors myself, so it may not look so great. Today I finished the "grille" for it...used 1/8" square stock stainless. It matches the square tube grill I made for the car, as well as square bars across the rear end. to match the front of it.

 

Nice work !!!!!!

 

That looks good.

 

Pretty Cool!

 

Just wondering if you have the details of the magazine or a copy of the article on how to make an air filter like post number 18 by 49ratfink

 

Cool, nice job!!