I Have a 1965 401 nailhead all stock except bored.040 over came out of a Wildcat. The air cleaner is also from a wildcat with original Wildcat 445 decal. The snorkel tip is round and appears small compared to larger oval snorkel tips I have seen on many Wildcat 401's and I understand Nailheads like air. This is all packaged into a 1936 Buick 3 window coupe and because of belt brackets the snorkel is angled to the passenger rear of the engine. Would there be an advantage to having a larger snorkel tip to allow for more air ( I could cut it back as it is tapered) or going to a bat wing type air cleaner for more air flow ?
I think we need pictures to better understand what you are saying and because it sounds like a cool car to see! Cheryl
X2! If the only way to run a snorkel tip is pointing towards the fire wall, I would do bat wing type like you mentioned. Pixs Please!
What a nice looking car! It even has the spark plug covers adapted. There is another type of air cleaner with a more oval opening, but I am not sure it would help. They were on the GS and Rivs. I am not sure where else they lived. It certainly deserves something classy. Cheryl
Thanks. That was my original question, why the 2 different size snorkel openings for a 65 401 Nailhead. I think the Riv needed a shorter air cleaner for hood clearance but why the larger oval opening. Would it offer any advantage?
The oval cleaner should be a little less restrictive, but the aftermarket is where any vast improvement will be found. The oval would make the rolled end hard to duplicate after cutting. Cheryl
There is an outfit that sells duplicate snorkel tunes, listed as correct for Chev 409 cars but they sell different sizes.. I havent had the chance to measure yet to see which might fit a pancake air cleaner....the 7111, 3612 or 9067 might work.. https://show-cars.com/02-engine-external
The air cleaner on your car looks to be a duplicate of the one on my '65 Riviera. All Rivs had this one in '65, unless it was a Gran Sport. The flatter air cleaner shown above came on single four barrel 63-64 Rivieras as well as other Buicks. Funny thing is, in 1966, Rivieras reverted BACK to the 63-64 style air cleaners.
Only the GS Rivs in `66 had the chrome pancake air cleaner. The standard Rivs had a top hat air cleaner shaped exactly like your `65 but the base fit a quadrajet (standard because all domestic `66 Rivs were 425 equipped) and the snorkel was pointed to the passenger side, not the driver`s side as in `65. Tom
I'm sure the guy I bought it from said the air cleaner was from a 65 Riviera but I thought that Riviera's had a decal that said RIVIERA at the top. Maybe not all years though. It fit so really did not care much & engine came out of a Wildcat. What I don't understand is why the difference in size of snorkel tip opening (round vs oval) is their any advantage especially since mine is pointed back. That pancake ac looks to be bigger diameter also but I know shorter- pretty sleek.
I've found that even the larger GS style air cleaner is restrictive, especially at higher rpm's. It's noticeable even in street use. Some folks have modded theirs by adding air holes in the baseplate or around the back to increase flow. I'll guess Buick used the smaller snorkel to control sound? A batwing style would look nice on your '36. I don't know if the larger intake openings would be a hp improvement until you get up there in rpm's.... it depends on how you drive it. I like the open element air cleaners with the finned aluminum tops, they go well with the valve covers. It's a street rod, it doesn't have to be 'correct', just find something that looks good to you! There are a lot of options.
Make a cold ram air from the back of your favorite air cleaner straight into the firewall. Like the 1968 Buick cold air option, cold air is your friend. 16 square inches (2x8) should good for 500 hp. You have a scoop ready!
Being a street rod, the factory air filter housing looks goofy on there, especially how nice everything else is
Agreed, I've taken to using a taller (3"?) filter with no flange for racing, works well and I think(?) offers an advantage..
I may have found the right one for it at O'Brien Truckers =an aluminum cast Bat Wing with fins to match and polished. A little pricey though.
I have one of these for the nailhead in my '64 Riviera. It's only the top. You'd need a base for your carb - AFB or Q-jet, and a 14" open element filter. I painted the grooves between the fins to match the engine color.
