I've been working on building a custom carb hat for my intake modifications that I'm doing, and I would like some opinions. I'm doing a "ghetto cold air" as my girlfriend calls it, with your standard cone style air filter. i haven't found one to buy, but is there a hat for our carbs that is just a cover with a hose adapter? i might modify my stock one to work, but i'm going to have to as it stands because i have a FC strut bar :[ if i had a FB bar I'd just attach a hose to the end of the stock carb hat.

my other issue is i was originally going to put it in front of the radiator, but it gets pretty buggy down there here in northern oregon. is this a problem other than it needing cleaning more often? is there something i can build or get to stop that from happening, but still get desired airflow? i was debating putting it under my passenger headlight as well, which would work good too i think.

 

You will lose power. A carb needs an air plenum above it. Just get a k&n filter and run a duct from the air cleaner horn to the front of the rad. I used a duct from a Plymouth voyageur for my 12a

 

an air plenum? not quite sure I follow, since there's only really an air filter in our stock hats, and a big gaping hole down to the carb.

I'm more or less making the top one on this page. http://www.knfilters.com/Racing/plenum.htm

 

I have that "exact" one. Pm my blown 13 b it totally fell on it's face at 6000 rpm

 

Might be okay on a stock 12a but why bother when a $5 piece of dryer duct with net the same or better results

 

K&N product description says:

Note: The custom plenum is recommended for small displacement engines (less than 200 C.I.) or low revving V6-V8 engines. If the engine requires more than 45 sq. in. of filter area then the plenum should not be used because the carburetor would have to be re-jetted and a loss of high R.P.M. power will be the result

 

looks like a turbo plenum for a first gen.

 

Much better turbo hats out there. I may test it though

 

If you really want cold air, make a scoop:



I plan on making an air box for the underside of the hood soon to help further direct the air to where it needs to be. I'll post a write up when I get it done. I have one of those cheap Edlebrock filters sitting on top of the stock carb.

 

Like I said, it's mostly because I have a FC strut bar and would have to modify the stock hat to fit. I'm debating picking up that one for sale round here in portland so I don't have to, but I'd still like to at least do the fabulous dryer hose modification, lol.
if I do end up doing that, i may keep the stock air filter as well, or remove that and add the cone type down at the bottom. that way i wouldn't lose my power.

 

Try an' out-ghetto this!









Drier duct, electrical tape, polished aluminum sheet, and a 4" flange set into the side rad bracket below the coolant bottle. & two big-*** hose clamps.

Project cost, less than $15. Much of which was for the hose clamps.

 

just to be nit picky.

carb hat = adaptor/plenum that goes from the TURBO to the carburetor.

the blue thing that comes stock on the car is an air cleaner.

a million years ago, in Pro7 we had to run a stock port 12A, and the stock air cleaner housing. you could drill holes and modify the stock air cleaner housing if you wanted.

so we tried all kinds of things, but the BEST power setup is just a big hose to fresh air. like divin's got.

 

That's me; a million years behind my time.

 

Actually that looks pretty sweet for dryer ducting Divin I may try that I like the paintjob on your Aircleaner too

 

Ditto

 

That duct actually looks pretty good! And you get to keep it looking original.

 

that's my original plan, but i'll unfortunately have to cut my air cleaner up to get that damned FC strut bar in. I already have the dryer hose and the clamps, lol. just gotta cut a hole where it's going to hook onto next to the radiator.

it kills me to do it, but i don't want to spend 75 bucks on the FB strut bar on craigs and here on the forums when I have one already.... :[

 

You can usually find a grotty air cleaner housing or two on e-bay, or even here on the forums. Carve one of those up instead, and keep your original.

 

Get a different carb setup and that FC strut bar will fit fine, err well, after you move
the alternator too. LOL!

 

its better in person

 

yeah....I was going to space the strut bar up to clear the alternator till i got a bracket to re-locate the alternator. i'm pretty sure if i set it on top of the bolts it'll clear it. or a smaller alternator belt so it isn't pulled up so high will do the trick.

 

I'm actually about to reinstall my AC and relocate my alt to the other side or on top.

Have to see which works best. On top and I'll have to fiddle with the strut bar some.
On the other side and I'll have to fiddle with the wiring harness to reach much less
figure out how to hang it where the air pump used to be.

Love the strut bar. It actually stiffens the front quite a bit. In fact with the bar in
I now have window/door rattles when I hit bumps that would never occur before.
So the bar is transferring some of the shock/load to each side.

 

that's good to hear, i was hoping it would stiffen things up a bit. I'm going to napa soon to see if i can get a shorter belt, i'll let you know how it clears the bar if they can find me what i want.
back to the air cleaner, i just had a idea. need a spare air cleaner to cut up now. hmm.....i'll have to play with stuff after i mount that bar.

 

i wanna put the alternator where the airpump went. LHD cars are always heavy on the left front, you, the steering box, battery, brake pedal/master assembly are on the left front.

moving the alternator from the top to the RIGHT, certainly doesn't fix this, but its in the right direction

 

also, did you make a bracket to re-locate it? or did you buy one? what belt did you have to use? I wanted to put it where the air pump was originally, and i was thinking you could possible use the existing hardware to do so, if i'm lucky. my only concern is the heat from the exhaust right there.