I'm having trouble finding an air cleaner that fits under my stock 82 TA hood. I'm trying to avoid buying a new hood and going through the trouble of painting it and all that fun stuff. I have a 350 with a high rise intake and the only air cleaner I can get to fit is edelbrocks "pro-flo" air cleaner. I am not a fan of this one because it doesn't seem to work worth a crap and im worried about having a misfire and lighting the foam filter on fire. Has anyone been able to find a reasonable low profile air cleaner setup that would fit and still get enough air into the carb?

 

Some one else may have an exact answer for you but this may give you information you're looking for in the meantime
https://www.crankshaftcoalition.com/...pe_air_cleaner

 

You could try here also: https://www.ramairbox.com/kits.html

 

I'd buy a taller hood or change to a lower intake, choking the carb is not the way to go. I once saw a video of this guy who V8 swapped(sbc or LS I forget but it was carb) his japan w/e and he was complaining bout how everyone says a V8 swap is so great but from his experience it sucks! Then he showed the car and you could see it still had the stock hood. He pops the hood and you can see he had cut down one of those smaller round chrome filters(8-10" dia?) to about 1" so that it would fit.

I'm not saying that's what your gonna do but, the 10hp from the high rise intake will be negated and maybe more if you choke the carb.

 

Also, ANY air cleaner you use, you have to be sure that the lid is not sitting nearly right on top of the carb, cutting off the airflow into the carb.

 

THIMK:

Your engine is sitting in there under the hood with no intake manifold at all on it. The intake flange of the heads is some distance below the hood; let's just stick a number on it, no idea whether it's accurate or not, just to illustrate the situation; let's say, 10". Pay no attention to the absolute numbers I pull out of Millennium Year Application Software System (MYASS) here, just stick with the overall concept.

OK, 10" from intake flange to hood.

Your carb is let's say 4" tall. Again, no idea whether that's "accurate", just, let's make the assumption, for the purpose of discussion. OK fine, you've got 6" left, after you've accounted for the carb.

OK now, you've got this "high rise" intake. It's 5" tall. No idea whether yours is 5" tall or what; just, mentally deduct 5" from the space you have available under the hood after the carb has deducted ITS space. 10" minus 4" minus 5". That's the REALITY.

OK... NOW you have exactly 1" left for an air cleaner.

Are we clear on this process yet?

It doesn't matter how "high" your intake's "rise" is, if all the air coming into the top of the carb, has to skweeeeeze through a 1" gap, AT BEST, to get into the carb. I don't give a rat's buttocks how much horsepucker that "high rise" intake gave your motor on the dyno, IT WILL KILL your motor's performance if you try to jam it into an engine bay that's THAT TIGHT. Period. No "drop base" air cleaner, no Edelbrock Holley Mr Gasket or WHOEVER air cleaner, is going to give you ANY MORE THAN 1" of clearance between the top of the carb and the air cleaner lid.

Are we CLEAR on this yet? If not, now's the time to ask questions, pull out your tape measure, whatever whatever whatever, because all you have is 10" or whatever it happens to be, and ALL THE PARTS you want to jam into that space, have to be NO MORE THAN 10" or whatever.

Questions?

You have only a few limited choices: lower the motor in the engine bay (not gonna happen in one of these cars); get a carb that's less tall (yeah right); accept the complete strangulation that the air cleaner being mashed down on top of the carb produces; put on a taller hood; or GET RID OF the "high rise" intake.

Your pick.

It's all numbers. They either add up or they don't. Don't bother arguing with me about it; don't give me a buncha "butt butt butt butt"; don't tell me you have all these $$$ tied up in this intake and you're gonna use it anyway, and you JUST GOTTA have a stock hood, and you want to find a way to fit 13" of $hit into a 10" space; I can't be bothered with any of that. It's up to you to make the necessary adaptation(s) to make your pile FIT.

 

Hi rise RPM and Vic Jr intakes fit with the RIGHT GM air cleaner base:

The base of the air cleaner that was used in the 60's -70's on sbc and bbc muscle cars and vettes is what fits . The lids are the same.. electric choke may not fit. Throttle cable mount will need modding to lower it .
Aftermarket holleys will need the bowl vent tubes shortened. (angle cut them) qjet and eddy carbs fine.
Edelbrock carbs require the "banjo" fuel inlet fitting.
GM HEI requires a flat slice off the back of the air cleaner base to fit. Does not effect filter.

Source the Z28-L88-Lt-1-L-72 air cleaner base from chev restoration parts supplyers..
Find s f bird and camaro stock hoods with room to spare with hi and rise RPMVic Jr intakes.
This is the lowest base you can buy. It works.
GM sorted this all out in the 60's on big block vettes etc.


Trim a flat at the back of GM L88LT-1 base to clear HEI

 

Get rid of the intake unless you go to a taller cowl hood. Otherwise buy an Edelbrock Performer and a drop base air cleaner and you will be good.. believe me its tried and proven on these cars and will support plenty of power for a street car.