Original Air Cleaner Too Tall

[1969_Mach1 333]

I want to reinstall the original air cleaner with a K&N filter element inside it on my 1969 Mach1.  It is a 351W car and I use a Weiand Stealth intake manifold.  The air cleaner just touches one of the nuts that holds the scoop to the hood and needs to drop down about 1/2".  Dropping 3/4" would be ideal but I'll settle for 1/2".  I can see where it would be easy to cut, trim and weld to rework the air cleaner where it sits on the carb.  But, I only have acetylene torches and an arc welder.  So no good equipment to weld thin sheet metal.  Does the big block air cleaner sit lower?  If so, about how much lower?  I don't like the shorter filter the big block air cleaners use but that might be my only option.

 

Thanks

[ashleesmach1 28]

Get a big block air cleaner. You could get an fiberglass one from fordramair.com. It should be short enough. Please don't trim and destroy your original piece. Just my opinion. Your car, do what you want. :)

[ray1970 88]

Ready-Set-?

 

 

 

 

[RPM 1,190]

Ray, I like the way you think.

 

I would start with the air cleaner, then work my way down to the carb spacer, adjustable lowering motor mounts and not rule out milling the carb plate on the intake manifold. I did all those except milling the intake manifold.

[1969_Mach1 333]

Get a big block air cleaner. You could get an fiberglass one from fordramair.com. It should be short enough. Please don't trim and destroy your original piece. Just my opinion. Your car, do what you want. :)

 

Mine is not a ram air type of air cleaner.  Just a standard air cleaner that Ford probably made at least a million of to fit most cars of that time period.  Plus, it's missing the inlet snorkel.  But that's okay, the snorkel would hit the Monte Carlo bar anyway.  I'm just tired of an aftermarket 14" air cleaner.

 

 

Ready-Set-?

Yeah...., I used a Dremel with a cutoff wheel to trim it.  Now I need to clearance it for the float adjustment screws on the Holley carb and make certain it still clears the throttle linkage.  If it all fits I'll have to find somebody to TIG weld that rolled edge section that rests on the carb flange back on.  It's either going to fit or go in the garbage.

 

 

RPM, I cannot lower my motor any.  The fan will get too close to the shroud.  The 1/2" more clearance I need is without any spacers between the intake and carb.  I might get an 1/8" or so by milling the intake.  I actually didn't think of that.

 

 

I like the look of the dual screen air cleaners the 390 4-barrel cars came with.  But they seem expensive for what they are.  $400 for a reproduction, rusty used OEM on EBay for $600.  It might be my only option but I don't like the small 13-1/4" x 2-1/8" tall filter element it uses.

[jholmes217 65]

I like the oval air cleaners.  They have the Ford look, and they will fit, but if you run a Monte Carlo Bar, you will need the one with the curve in the middle.  That curve also helps with distributor clearance.

[Alan_Mac 48]

I want to reinstall the original air cleaner with a K&N filter element inside it on my 1969 Mach1.  It is a 351W car and I use a Weiand Stealth intake manifold.  The air cleaner just touches one of the nuts that holds the scoop to the hood and needs to drop down about 1/2".  Dropping 3/4" would be ideal but I'll settle for 1/2".  I can see where it would be easy to cut, trim and weld to rework the air cleaner where it sits on the carb.  But, I only have acetylene torches and an arc welder.  So no good equipment to weld thin sheet metal.  Does the big block air cleaner sit lower?  If so, about how much lower?  I don't like the shorter filter the big block air cleaners use but that might be my only option.

 

Thanks

I purchased a Edelbrock performer RPM and Weiand Stealth to check the fit with my 351w shaker.   As I remember the 351W stealth caused my shaker to be very high in the front.  The RPM had the correct angle.  Perhaps the stealth is causing the problem.  

[1969_Mach1 333]

I purchased a Edelbrock performer RPM and Weiand Stealth to check the fit with my 351w shaker.   As I remember the 351W stealth caused my shaker to be very high in the front.  The RPM had the correct angle.  Perhaps the stealth is causing the problem.  

Yeah, the carb pad height on the Stealth is lower in the back and about the same in the front as the Performer RPM.  With the back lower the front of the air cleaner would be higher.  However, it's at the side where the air cleaner hits the mounting studs and nuts for the scoop that bolts to the hood.  When I first built the engine I had a Performer RPM on it with this stock air cleaner.  I never checked the hood clearance.  And now that I am trying it again I found a small dent on the air cleaner lid in the area that is currently hitting the hood.

 

For my driving style on the street, the Stealth is a much better intake.  It seems to make much more low and mid range power.  The upper end power feels the same as the Performer RPM as well.  Plus the Stealth has a much better kind of old school look to it.  I'm not sure, but on the bottom of the Stealth there is a BB logo cast into it.  Is it an older Buddy Bar design?  Maybe somebody else would know?  All I know is Weiand now calls it their Nostalgic series and is one the last few Weiand intakes made in USA and still using sand casting methods.

[1969_Mach1 333]

Well, after some time I decided to ditch the use of an original air cleaner.  Since I am sadly and unfortunately getting ready to sell the car, the goal was a more stock look in the engine compartment.  But, it just wasn't going to fit under the hood very well even with much modification.  Plus the stock size filter elements in my opinion are much too small.  Even if a K&N replacement filter is installed.  Going back to a 14" x 3" or 14" x 2.813" K&N open element assembly with a 1-1/4" drop base.  The final filter height depends on if I use a 1/2" phenolic spacer or just a gasket between the carb and intake manifold.  Either way, it at least fits good under the hood and has more than enough filter surface area.

 

I like the clean period correct style setup jholmes217 has.  But,  I have a Global West Monte Carlo bar installed that would interfere with an oval air cleaner.  I don't want to remove it.  And it's made so much better than the reproduction original style curved Monte Carlo bars I don't want to replace it.