I have just about finished a resto on my 55 olds convertable, four years in the doing. I was looking at the air cleaner .Am I missing somthing here?Looks like it dosn't take a paper filter ,nor does it look like a oil bath type system.If left alone it would only keep out stray cats and large rocks.There must be somthing I can do keep it stock looking and still work well.Any enlightment would be appreciated. Thanks Tedd

 

Hmmm..it's been about 35 years since I had my '55 Olds, but it seems to me that it was an oil bath type. Maybe there's a part missing from your air cleaner .

 

It is an oil bath system. The outside cover has two intakes. The next part is the cover for the oil pan. The next part is a pan which holds approx 1 quart of oil.

 

Talk about messy! But it sounds like that is your only choice since your car is a restoration. Otherwise I would fab up something or modify the housing to hold a paper filter. But of course that isn't an option on a restored vehicle. Good luck.

 

Is there any benefit to be had by switching from oil bath to paper? HP, Performance, flow?

 

Well, I would think that the newer paper elements are probably better but everything is relative. If you are talking about changing from an oil bath to a paper element filter on an otherwise un-modified 50's or early 60's engine I would guess that the benefit would be negligable. If however, that engine has been thoroughly rebuilt with performance in mind then probably going to a paper element filter would be just another step in an obvious direction. I remember seeing how a company advertises that their paper element system w/ associated tubing is an improvement over stock element and housing in a new vehicle, so what do you conclude from that? I am not sure....... To be honest, I think that the biggest improvement is cleanliness and ease of changing the filter meduim.

 

A lot of people remove the oil reservoir and use modern filters. Yours might have already been used that way. Most filter companies have pages where you can find a filter that fits. They go by the outside measurement, inside measurement and height. A lot of people call your filter housing a bat wing because of the outside scoops. They are very expensive to replace $200- $300 used. If you want to go with the stock oil bath and don't have all the pieces you can find them on e-bay. Take care

 

Clloyd is correct about the rarity of that dual intake air cleaner. It's popular to use on hot rods because of its styling, often winding up chrome plated, and is in demand. Oil bath air cleaners work just fine, and were replaced by paper elements mainly due to lower cost and easier servicing. Only high performance applications might dictate a different air cleaner element than the original one that fit your housing.