BBC Air Cleaner

HawkX66 · Aug 19, 2017

Anyway... I just bought this air cleaner. Any thoughts on it? It's supposed to be original. Anything amiss? I bought it to replace the stolen one off my 69 back in the 80s.
Is something up with CRG? It wouldn't accept my password or send me a new one etc. All the photobucket pics are gone over there anyway unfortunately.

Thanks.

Larger Dave · Aug 19, 2017

Looks like a high horse Corvette or 375 horse 396 Camaro air cleaner as this one was built for a Holley carb with cathedral fuel bowls. I don't know it the dropped base air cleaner was used with the Camaro or not but it was required by the low hood line of the Corvette.

Big Dave

COPO · Aug 19, 2017

That breather lid inside ink stamp is from an assembly line correct lid.

HawkX66 · Aug 19, 2017

Thanks. It's just like the one that came off my 350hp/396 also. There are some tells that let you know the year, whether it's an original or NOS etc. I can't remember about the curved vs straight screen print and other things. That's what I'm trying to find out.

HawkX66 · Aug 19, 2017

Dave, I was just thinking about what you said about the Holley. Is there something about it that says Holley and not qjet to you? Because it's perfectly round where it mounts?
Apparently whatever was up with CRG was my laptop, not the site. Works ok on my Android...

dyno jonn · Aug 19, 2017

HawkX66 said:
Dave, I was just thinking about what you said about the Holley. Is there something about it that says Holley and not qjet to you? Because it's perfectly round where it mounts?

When you have it in hand, you will see that the tabs that locate the base have been bent up, no doubt so it could be used on an aftermarket carb of some kind. If you look closely, you can see where the tabs have bent up in the third picture.

HawkX66 · Aug 19, 2017

dyno jonn said:
When you have it in hand, you will see that the tabs that locate the base have been bent up, no doubt so it could be used on an aftermarket carb of some kind. If you look closely, you can see where the tabs have bent up in the third picture.

Well, whudayouknow! Good eye John. Thank you. I didn't blow the pic up big enough.
On a side note... Love your quotes.

COPO · Aug 19, 2017

Assembly Line Chrome Lid Inner Stamping
70-72 Z28

66-69 Chevy

1971ls6 · Aug 19, 2017

That one looks like the one I had on the vette and will need the curved hose, the vette one must be clearanced if you try and run a double pumper, I beat on that. Thing for a good while!

The Camaro uses the straight hose that is a straight shot.

HawkX66 · Aug 20, 2017

1971ls6 said:
That one looks like the one I had on the vette and will need the curved hose, the vette one must be clearanced if you try and run a double pumper, I beat on that. Thing for a good while!

The Camaro uses the straight hose that is a straight shot.

Thanks. I talked to a couple guys over on CRG. Thanks Tim and Ed! They pointed me to a few threads that still had pictures and some great information. The screen print went from curved to straight around April of 68. I compared mine to other known 69 Camaro originals and its identical. I didn't doubt the guy I bought it from, but I like the old saying, "trust, but verify."
I'm planning on setting this on my born with motor in the corner. It's the last thing I needed to replace to make the motor complete again. Someone stole the carb and air cleaner off it in the 80s. Now when I decide to put the original motor back in someday, I won't have to go crazy looking for parts.

Larger Dave · Aug 20, 2017

HawkX66 said:
Dave, I was just thinking about what you said about the Holley. Is there something about it that says Holley and not qjet to you? Because it's perfectly round where it mounts?
Apparently whatever was up with CRG was my laptop, not the site. Works ok on my Android...

The highest dents you see on the top of the dropped base are there to clear the float adjusting nut on the end of each fuel bowl on a Holley 4150 series carburetor (a rare offering on a Chevy). The single feed 4160 has the adjusting nut offset to the fuel inlet side. The 4150 has the center hung cathedral fuel bowl that was used on the Z/28, and the 375 horse 396 in the first gen Camaro. A 350 horse 396 used a 4160 series Holley carb with the single feed. Not all 4150 carbs are double pumpers however, which means you could have a vacuum can to clear as well on some 4150 carbs such as the 780 cfm 4150 Holley used on the 454 in the Chevelle.

Though the Rochester QuadraJet, Carter AFB and AVS, and the Holley all share the same 5.125 inch diameter carburetor air horn; the top of the carburetor has to match the base of the air cleaner beneath it. Otherwise depending upon the model or make of the carburetor you can encounter interference with vents, accelerator pumps or even the throttle linkage depending upon what carb is used with the base of the air cleaner.

Universal air cleaners try and move the air cleaner base as high as they can to clear all brands of carbs that share a 5.125 inch air horn diameter (some Rochester have only a 4.000 inch air horn diameter). By doing so on a big block they usually hit the under side of the hood which requires a thinner two inch tall air filter. This obstructs air flow, in which case, a stock air cleaner with a three inch tall filter will work better. Ideally a high performance engine should have a 4 inch tall by 14 inch in diameter air cleaner. Hood clearance usually prevents this on anything but a light truck (which offered a 6 inch tall by 11 inch in diameter air cleaner for dusty conditions, as an option).

Big Dave

HawkX66 · Aug 20, 2017

Larger Dave said:
HawkX66 said:

Dave, I was just thinking about what you said about the Holley. Is there something about it that says Holley and not qjet to you? Because it's perfectly round where it mounts?
Apparently whatever was up with CRG was my laptop, not the site. Works ok on my Android...

Click to expand...

The highest dents you see on the top of the dropped base are there to clear the float adjusting nut on the end of each fuel bowl on a Holley 4150 series carburetor (a rare offering on a Chevy). The single feed 4160 has the adjusting nut offset to the fuel inlet side. The 4150 has the center hung cathedral fuel bowl that was used on the Z/28, and the 375 horse 396 in the first gen Camaro. A 350 horse 396 used a 4160 series Holley carb with the single feed. Not all 4150 carbs are double pumpers however, which means you could have a vacuum can to clear as well on some 4150 carbs such as the 780 cfm 4150 Holley used on the 454 in the Chevelle.

Though the Rochester QuadraJet, Carter AFB and AVS, and the Holley all share the same 5.125 inch diameter carburetor air horn; the top of the carburetor has to match the base of the air cleaner beneath it. Otherwise depending upon the model or make of the carburetor you can encounter interference with vents, accelerator pumps or even the throttle linkage depending upon what carb is used with the base of the air cleaner.

Universal air cleaners try and move the air cleaner base as high as they can to clear all brands of carbs that share a 5.125 inch air horn diameter (some Rochester have only a 4.000 inch air horn diameter). By doing so on a big block they usually hit the under side of the hood which requires a thinner two inch tall air filter. This obstructs air flow, in which case, a stock air cleaner with a three inch tall filter will work better. Ideally a high performance engine should have a 4 inch tall by 14 inch in diameter air cleaner. Hood clearance usually prevents this on anything but a light truck (which offered a 6 inch tall by 11 inch in diameter air cleaner for dusty conditions, as an option).

Big Dave

Thanks again. That all makes a lot of sense except the part about the 350hp/396 using a Holley. The L34 came through with a qjet. 7029215 for the 4 spd. Only the Z28 & the 375hp/396 got the Holley. Leaving out COPOs etc. of course.

HawkX66 · Aug 20, 2017

COPO said:
Assembly Line Chrome Lid Inner Stamping
70-72 Z28

66-69 Chevy

Just in case anyone comes across this thread... This info is not correct. The change from curved to straight silk screen print on the underside of the lid occured sometime around April '68.

HawkX66 · Aug 25, 2017

dyno jonn said:
When you have it in hand, you will see that the tabs that locate the base have been bent up, no doubt so it could be used on an aftermarket carb of some kind. If you look closely, you can see where the tabs have bent up in the third picture.

I got the air cleaner last night. Here are a few pics for future reference. Luckily the tabs weren't broken off.
I couldn't have asked for a better buy. I thought the chrome was pealing and it turns out it's just remnants of the sticker. The chrome will all clean up nice. It really turned out to be an excellent assembly line cover.

BBC Air Cleaner

HawkX66

Larger Dave

COPO

HawkX66

HawkX66

dyno jonn

HawkX66

COPO

1971ls6

HawkX66

Larger Dave

HawkX66

HawkX66

HawkX66

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