I don't much care for open element air cleaners.

http://www.wrath.com/projects/vehicles/images/84k10/aircleaner/

http://www.wrath.com/projects/vehicles/images/84k10/coldairintake/

 

I agree with wrath. I like the original style breathers. If you buy a spacer that goes between the carb and the breather it will fit fine. There is an obsene amount of clearance on our trucks between the motor and the hood.

 

Is that air cleaner that Wrath has from a big block? It looks quite a bit bigger than the little 2 barrel air cleaner that my truck had on it.
So you guys don't think the difference between the stock air cleaner and an open air cleaner(air intake) makes that much of a difference?
Thanks for the help guys.

 

In power? No but IMO it better to keep your filter from being directly splashed with mud and water and such. Cooler air makes more HP and a set up like the factory will tend to feed your motor cooler air but I doubt you would see much of a difference. The open filters can bee less restrictive so there is power in that. Basicly a wash and you wont notice.

Most factory trucks come with the 5" tall dude, scrounge a junk yard. You can also make a dual snorkel intake(or find certian cars with a dual set up) and have it look factory pretty easy. If you picture a snorkel coming off the driverside just like the passenger side and look under your hood you should be able to figure it out pretty easy. Lots people do it so there might be pics or a how to somewere

 

Mid 80s 305 and 350 smog motors. It's got a charcoal ring in it to help absorb vapor and stop engine fires.

Somewhere I found flow bench numbers for this air cleaner on a quadrajet with an AC Delco element. It was something like 713cfm which is the same number as if you removed the lid but left the air cleaner base on the carburetor. I believe 713cfm was found with no air cleaner also. If I remember correctly, all these numbers found the limitation of either the testing equipment or the carburetor.

The only time having an open element air cleaner benefits you is if you run in relatively dry environments and your stock air cleaner is restrictive. Most truck air cleaners with the 3" element and the big inlet are sufficient for a mild 350.

The open element sucks in hot air. This robs horsepower. In my Quadrajet book they gave a formula.

For each 5°F decrease in air temperature you gain 1% horsepower (rough equation based on air density). That means if it's 70° outside and 150° under the hood you can gain 15% more ponies by sucking air from outside rather than an open element as long as you aren't sucking from a low pressure zone or have restriction.

150° is a reasonable temperature for underhood since that's right about when gasoline starts to boil.

 

I was going to do dual snorkels but there isn't room if you have AC because either you have to point it into the master cylinder or the AC pump.

My truck originally sucked air from behind the driver's side headlights but I swapped core supports. The new support sucked it from the radiator supports but I didn't have the piece of plastic that went there. I decided to suck it out of the fender since that's what they did on the IFS trucks and it'd keep some dirt out of the air cleaner.

It required me to rotate the air cleaner clockwise. This required bending the tangs that held the air cleaner from rotating and bend it back in a different spot. It also required beating on the back of the air cleaner to keep it from rubbing on the distributor.

I tried to find some good pictures on my website but I really don't have any good "before" pictures.

http://www.wrath.com/projects/vehicles/images/84k10/underhood-080302/
http://www.wrath.com/projects/vehicles/images/84k10/wheeling/boyscout-101202/motor2.jpg
http://www.wrath.com/projects/vehicles/images/84k10/coldairintake/

I don't know. If you have time to waste look through
http://www.wrath.com/projects/vehicles/images/84k10/ if you're interested. I'm supposed to be studying for a Power exam.

 

Hey guys I really apreciate all the info on this. I pretty much had my mind made up to get an open element cleaner but now I am going to go on a scavenger hunt for one of those kind of air cleaners.
Wrath your air cleaner takes a 3 inch element? I appreciate all the clickable links I am going to do a set up like yours.
My truck will mostly see mud. I was hoping to get my intake changed this weekend but we just got another 8 inches of snow last night!!!

Thanks again guys.
Matt

 

No, mine takes a 5" or so element.

I get about 3 months out of an element before its dirty. With my Sonoma it used to get so dirty in 6 weeks that it started to rob horsepower. Having a big element makes things nice. Especially since Wally-world still only charges $3.49 for that monster.

 

Ok I thought yours looked bigger than 3 inches.
What year truck did your air cleaner come from?

Nice pictures of your site also. I have done alot of similar things that you have done to my truck. I changed cabs and boxes on my truck.

 

Well, one came in my truck (1984 with a 305). I got the other one from a junkyard downstate from a 2wd mid eighties 305 pickup. It cost me $20.

People tell me they're common but I have never seen anyone else with one. I've looked at quite a few (dozen and half maybe) guys' pictures at CK5 and none of them had one. I don't think any guys in the local club have a giant air cleaner either. Most of them either run the stock air cleaner or a giant open element one covered with mud.

Well, my truck is mostly original. I bought a front clip off an 89 Jimmy and it came with almost no rust. One fender was mangled beyond belief, the other had virtually no rust. The hood was covered with rust though. The inner wheelwells had some rust but were in great shape also. There was no rust on the core support.

Anyway, it's got two new doors (Hecho en Mexico) that don't fit for [bleep] and one new front fender (Made in Taiwan) that is really wimpy. The driver's side floor, rocker, and cab corner was replaced. The passenger side cab corner was cut out also. The rest is original.

I was contemplating swapping cabs but it seems like a lot of work. I have an 87 that's got TBI and it'd be awesome to have fool-injection.

Got any pictures? I'm always looking for ideas.

 

Changeing cab wasn't to bad we just fabed up a tri-pod set up with 3 16ft 2x4 and a u-bolt set up that we could hook up our chain hoist. We put a 2x4 through the cab and hooked rope around each side and just pulled it up and rolled the chassis out of the way. We also used this for removing the beds of the trucks.

I also put new doors and fenders on mine but I cheaped out and bought the aftermarket ones like you. Should have payed the extra money and bought GM ones. My truck was originally a 78 but I was given a 80 2wd parts truck, so I just used that cab and box.

So is the air cleaner diameter for the eldebrock carb the same as the stock carb? I just wanted to be %100. I am going to start looking this week for one like yours.
I appreciate the help again.
Matt

I have her all painted tremclad black now.

 

Even with my discount doors are $400 from the stealer. Things like that make me curse at the sky. It's cheaper to find a pair of good doors off a junker and fix them.

Yeah, swapping things is kind of a pain. I'd hate to do a cab, especially since I have AC. It wouldn't be too bad otherwise since I've had most of the rest of the crap apart before.

When I do the box I use a 2x12 between the box rails and lift using a chain hoist. It's not real easy to balance. Mine balances if I put the 2x12 about centered over the front of the wheelwells.

I assume the diameter of the flange to the top of the Edelbrock is the same. If you have easy access to one go measure it. When I'm outside today I'll measure the bottom of my air cleaner.

Got any kinks in your hood yet next to the hood hinges? It seems all 73-80s have them.

PS: What's the deal with the yeller paint on the cab?

 

I would appreciate the measurements of the carb. I will measure my eldebrock also to see what it is.
When I lifted off my box I just hocked tie downs(the ones where you just pull to tighten). I would just adjust them untill I had it balanced out, still a big pain in the ass.
Ya my hood has a big kink on the drivers side. A buddy of mine tried to close the hood my pulling down on the side and it kinked pretty easy. I have another one that I got from RyanB that used to post here(maybe he still does??). I just need for the snow to melt so I can get back working on it.

After I did my rocker and cab corner I was thinking about going yellow but it was way to bright. My daughter wanted yellow.

 

I measured the air cleaner. The inside diameter of the lip that rests on the carb is ~4 15/16" (just under 5" but not quite 4 7/8"). The outside diameter is 5 3/8".

I can measure a quadrajet or 2 or 3 or 4 if you'd like as well.

I haven't seen RyanB around in a while. I think he was another casualty of the ORC BBS is getting boring syndrome.

There's a yellow 70-72 around here and it looks alright. There's also a 73-80 that's yeller that looks kind of retarded. Looks like a bigbird mobile with the 44s on it. There's a K5 that looks livable being yeller. And there's a 'yota running around too but it is really goofy with those 35s that stick out 8" past the fenders.

Too much of a cop magnet for me.

 

Diameter is the same but I believe you need to get a spacer. The stocker contactes the accelerater pump I believe. You can get by with stacking some gaskets I have heard and maybe denting the breather but you should probably hunt down the spacer dealy. Something to check out anyway.

 

Hey thanks guys I really appreciate the info on the air cleaner!

I am going to start my search for an air cleaner this week and will order a spacer for it to.
Sopposedly we will get some positive temps this week so I can start my intake swap.
Thanks again guys.

 

Does the accelerator pump on a Edelbrock really stick up that much more than a stock Quadrajet?

 

I'm almost positive that thats were it was touching on mine. Could be imagining things though.