Air Cleaner: OEM vs exposed filter

NYC Bronco · Jan 23, 2020

I am not a knowledgeable mechanic.

What's the site think about the OEM Air Cleaner assembly vs going with an expose filter like this from TBC: https://www.tomsbroncoparts.com/product/air-cleaner-low-profile-chrome-v8-new

pros and cons? I'm guessing I would obviously not connect the low pro to my OEM charcoal box, or would that really be a connection to the carb anyway?

Broncobowsher · Jan 23, 2020

The OEM one, with the duct connected to the grill will do better. Cold air intake.
Don't have the duct, pulling air from under the hood, the open element does look good. But sucks hot air from under the hood.
And the open element also fights you for hood clearance. The hood is real close to the carburetor in these trucks.

jckkys · Jan 23, 2020

The only advantages of open element air cleaners are the perception that they look more like an old school hot rod, and they're cheap in every sense of the word. They make more noise, and don't filter the air as well. The hood's cross member pushes the top of the open element down, smothering the carb. So don't flow as well as the OE air cleaner.

jckkys · Jan 23, 2020

The only advantages of open element air cleaners are the perception that they look more like an old school hot rod, and they're cheap in every sense of the word. They make more noise, and don't filter the air as well. The hood's cross member pushes the top of the open element down, smothering the carb. So they don't flow as well as the OE air cleaner.

Nothing Special · Jan 23, 2020

Another advantage to the open elements is that they're less likely to ingest water when fording deep water. So since fording deep water is SO common... %)

(stick with the OEM, I wish I had one)

Crush · Jan 24, 2020

I put an oem mustang 5.0 dual snorkel air filter on mine. Looks awesome and is closed with two air intakes. Hooked one snorkel up to the stock cold air intake behind the battery and modifies another plastic duct for the drivers side and hooked the other snorkel up to it

68Broncoz · Jan 24, 2020

Crush do you have a picture?

Lawndart · Jan 24, 2020

Crush said:
I put an oem mustang 5.0 dual snorkel air filter on mine. Looks awesome and is closed with two air intakes. Hooked one snorkel up to the stock cold air intake behind the battery and modifies another plastic duct for the drivers side and hooked the other snorkel up to it

I bought one. It did not fit my Bronco. The throttle linkage gets in the way - well, at least that, as I did not get any further.

The cleaner sat in the shop. Then I acquired a '63 Galaxie. The OEM air cleaner looked a bit like a Grandma version. I chopped the snorkels a bit and it looks kick ass on the Galaxie. I may paint the bottom portion light blue to match valve covers to make it look more stockish.

Crush · Jan 24, 2020

Here is one without the snorkels hooked up. I will have to get one in a week and a half that is more up to date. Im out of town at work right now

You can barely see the plastic connection on the driver side behind the washer bottle and the stock one on the passenger side has some wires stuck in it. But if you look bard you can see them;D

oh and this is on a 351 with a 69 mustang 4 barrel intake and holly 600 double pumper with phenolic spacer and eat shield. i also have a 1" body lift but it would have fit without it. now there is a 5.8 ho 4v decal on the sir cleaner too

matts460 · Jan 26, 2020

if you have enough room an HIPO GT 390FE (think 66 Fairlane) air cleaner is pretty cool too with chrome top. I actually bought a concourse correct 289 HIPO air cleaner for my Bronco. Simple and looks great. Bought a 302 4v decal for it.

Rustytruck · Jan 28, 2020

I use to run the stock air cleaner top and remove the bottom bowl and run a flat 3/16 aluminium plate cut to fit the stock diameter air filter element. Then its open element and clears the hood and cost almost nonething and easy to make.

Nothing Special · Jan 29, 2020

Rustytruck said:
I use to run the stock air cleaner top and remove the bottom bowl and run a flat 3/16 aluminium plate cut to fit the stock diameter air filter element. Then its open element and clears the hood and cost almost nonething and easy to make.

What's the purpose of downgrading to an open element without getting the old school hot rod look?

jckkys · Jan 29, 2020

Again, if you look at the OE air cleaner, you can see the top is designed to avoid the cross brace of the hood. The round types whether open element or closed like the 5.0 4V Mustang units, have to lower the whole top, smothering the carburetor and reducing potential air flow. It would have been a lot cheaper for Ford to use an existing air cleaner, than to design a special one for EBs. They didn't make the EB air cleaner to frustrate hot rodders with a preconceived idea of what an air cleaner should look like. The corporate bean counters wouldn't allow the extra expense for an esthetic preconception.

Nothing Special · Jan 30, 2020

I don't know if you were trying to answer my question or speaking to someone else. But if it was me, does that mean the advantage of Rustytruck's method is that it gives you the poor performance of an open element filter without getting in the way of closing the hood? If that's the advantage I'd rather have the original setup and have hood clearance and a cold-air intake and less intake noise.

jckkys · Jan 30, 2020

I was still addressing the OPs question. Several posters were claiming conventional round air cleaners closed or open would work as well or better than the original. The issue is that the OE air cleaner has enough room above the carburetor by avoiding by being in front of the hood cross member to allow it to breath. The round types smother the carb, because the whole top is lowered to avoid the cross member.

Crush · Jan 30, 2020

so you are saying that every factory carbed ho mustang and 460 powered truck(same air cleaner) has the carb smothered by the stock dual snorkel air cleaner? i dont think that the engineers and bean counters would allow that to happen either. mine flows just fine and probably alot better than the stock bronco one.

jckkys · Jan 30, 2020

No, I'm saying a Mustang air cleaner in an EB is a bad idea. What you do in other trucks is irrelevant to this thread,. That's why Ford only used EB air cleaners in EBs. No other Ford truck or Mustang has as limited hood to engine room. You can butcher your hood or leave it off and this won't be a problem. The EB air cleaner was designed for the EB body so it works well in EBs. The Mustang air cleaner works well in Mustangs. The ONLY reason to use a Mustang air cleaner in an EB is a misplaced concept of what an air cleaner SHOULD look like, based on what people are used to. Do you claim there was no reason to design and build a completely different air cleaner for EBs? Did they have extra money they wanted to waste?

Crush · Jan 31, 2020

the op was just asking about air cleaners. wanted to see a pic and it was posted. the dual snorkel was not in production during the eb run. it WILL fit a stock eb under the hood without mods. my bet is it flows way better than the eb air cleaner and if it was available then may have been used instead of producing that eb style. also the eb style is an iteration of the age old oil bath air filter that has been around since vehicles started using air filters. which was a good design for oil bath because of how the air flows up and around the oil puddle in them. and for you to say that the eb air cleaner flows better in an eb than any other air cleaner - that engine doesnand air cleaner dont know it it is in an eb, a truck, a car or a go cart. it is going to flow how it flows no matter where it is. but if you want a stock air cleaner then the eb one is the only one. everyone has a vision of what eb's should llok like and what accessories they should have on them. the op asked a queston about what fits and got answers and can now decide what he likes.

and to address carburator clearance how you say it smashes down on top of it. there is way more room above my carb with the mustang filter on it than the original bronco air cleaner

jckkys · Jan 31, 2020

Will fit, doesn't mean it's a good idea. The 5.0/5.8 4v HO air cleaner is the same basic design as nearly all V8s used. It offers no more hood clearance. I don't believe it flows more than the OE Bronco air cleaner. But then you're smarter than the engineers that designed both. Ford should have hired you.

Crush · Jan 31, 2020

Ok both were not offered at the same time, like i said. But im done arguing with you. I was just trying to help the op with the info he asked for. Op if you want to talk more, pm me please.

Peace out

Air Cleaner: OEM vs exposed filter

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