pics?

 

I had that same problem with hood clerance, I have a 69SS with a 454, I have a Edelbrock Torker II manifold and Edelbrock carb. It is a low profile single plane. I tried to change it out to a performer but no air cleaner would fit under the hood so the Torker II went back on.

 

Thanks for your answer! I'm trying to make the decision between a different intake or new hood. Hard choice though as I used the cam to match the Performer intake, and the paint on the SS hood obviously matches and the paint is showroom finish. Arrgghhh!

 

The problem is usually with the gas line clearing at the rear of the carburetor. First you should find out how much clearance there is between the closed hood and the top of the carburetor. You can do this with a block of wood and a column of silly putty. You should be able to get a larger diameter air cleaner with a drop base, that will clear. a performer intake shouldn't be a problem, as I have heard that they are the stock height. A performer RPM is taller, and may cause a problem. An electric choke shouldn't take up any more room than a conventional choke. A stock air cleaner for a Quadrajet should work. You can then compare it to an aftermarket air cleaner.

 

I know this is an old post but I also have a clearance problem.
68 SS Camaro (original big block car)
454 with Holley carb and an original GM aluminum intake for the 375 HP 396
SS hood
I have the drop base air cleaner and still have to use a short (about 1 1/2") paper air filter. With this set up, the chrome air filter lid rubs on the insulation on bottom of the hood.
I have solid steel motor mounts, and I am wondering if the motor mounts are raising the engine up enough to cause clearance issue. Does anybody else have this issue?

 

I've got a '69 with a 454. Edelbrock Performer RPM and a cowl hood so I had a bit more room. Here's a few pix with two different size filters using the same drop bottom. My original wing nut was scraping on the inside hood in the cowl area, so I bought a new element that was an inch shorter, still using that size. I also got rid of the wing nut and replaced it with an aluminum thumbscrew which isn't as tall even though I was OK with the height. If you can rig up the drop bottom, that's the way to go, cowl hood or flat hood. I did use 1/8" Moroso motor mount shims when I installed the new steering box and headers.-Mike

 

I have a 396 with the stock intake and stock 2" drop base air cleaner, I'm able to fit the standard air filter. The front of the air cleaner lid was rubbing on the hood insulation so I cut out a hole.
Just wondering, what is that drop base your using Mike?

Here's mine.....

 

Jim... I actually forget where I ordered that from. Maybe Amazon, maybe Summit. If I find the receipt I'll let you know. It was years ago. It has a knock out for a breather hose which I never got around to installing. I bought a Mopar valve cover snorkel breather but I don't like the chrome stuff, I prefer billet, so I have to get one in billet and get rid of the big breather. I also want to get a top/side filter and ditch this one. Its time.-Mike

 

I had same issue with a second gen and used a off center drop base and put on backwards due to front of the hood lower ,no interference with HEI dizzy and 1/4" clearance
they do suggest a correct amount of space above the carb for correct performance

 

Good point Bill, especially if you're using something like this:

I will probably be switching to an open top filter next go-round. That extra 1" or whatever will help.-Mike