Did a 1970 Stage 1 ever have an open air element or did they all come with the closed 2 foam system? Also, does the sealed foam system work that well? Did it add or subtract HP? I'm considering buying a Stage 1 tribute - it has a regular air cleaner- and wondering if getting a full assembly is worth it or necessary. Thanks! First post!
Welcome to the forum!! No, no 1970 Buick's ever had an open air cleaner from the factory. While the dual snorkel system is not ideal, it is better than nothing.
No it was not optional,it was standard in any GS.So if you want it you will be paying something like $400.00,performance wise its not worth anything,you actually will loose some performance over a regular aftermarket air cleaner.Its good as a original part,if you show the car,as they will deduct points if its not there.For every day driving ,the aftermarket is better.And the car you are considering is not a original GS S-I anyway....Bruno.
x2. So, if you want your GS to look factory, by all means pick up the dual snorkel air cleaner but, be prepared to pay highly for it. As speed increases negative pressure is formed above the air inlets and most (maybe not all) agree that the benefits are nil. Many just invert the air cleaner top to help get more air into the carb from inside the engine bay. Some, myself included, leave the factory base on and just add a taller element to get more air with a chrome top for looks.
Thanks for the replies! I noticed they aren’t cheap, so I was looking for a way out, lol. They sure look great though. It’s not a real GS so I can just stick with the open air cleaner and put the money elsewhere. like Headlight bezels. What’s up with those?!
I have seen the dual snorkel breather but no extensions on two (GS?) cars. It is as if someone removed all the dual snorkel hardware from the breather and installed short snorkels. Was this an option?
Brad a year late but iv'e wanted to ask for a while.. Being that your custom scoops are a little bit taller, wider and longer, do you think they work better than the stock ones? even if just a bit?
I can definitely see some type of “payment” in my future. The cars with the pink air cleaner lids also work better. To be honest a friend took out his high beams and ran ducts to the air cleaner. He used a GS air cleaner without the fiberglass pieces on it. Supposedly that set-up gave him some more HP then the original factory set-up. Poston used to make a front spoiler with duct holes in it. That also supposedly worked. Duane
lol! I'm surprised to just how much money they are going for. Buick made more of those ram air cleaners than any other car company's ram air systems. They were made from 69-72 on all GS models, 350's, GS California, and 455's and 73 -75? without the foam. The foam ones are estimated at 53,000 manufactured in just the production cars. Time is catching up I guess and they are getting less and less.
I'm not sure I'd call the Buick GS's system "ram air" for any year '69-'72 ... Buick itself described it as a "fresh air" or "cold air" system. That said, Buick's system was standard on every '69-'72 GS when other manufacturers (incl GM sister Divisions) had their "ram air" or "fresh air" systems as options. That's why Buick made way more of 'em than any of the others.
