Fitting a stock air cleaner on a Weber 32/36 - a few ?s

[Buckeye]

Tom,

FYI, I used Air Cleaner Mounts from AutohausAZ to replace original ones when I integrated original air cleaner to Weber carb.

 

 

http://www.bmw2002faq.com/articles.html/technical-articles/engine-and-drivetrain/weber-3236-carburetor-amp-stock-air-filter-integration-r127/

 

 

Edited May 31, 2016 by Buckeye

['76mintgrün'02]

Thank you Steven.  There were a few other little details I may as well include.  I spent a whole day getting this fit, but I believe the next one would go very quickly.

 

This filter assembly was missing one of the fixed nuts, for attaching the housing to the brackets, so I replaced it with a special nut from a VW.  Extra credit if anyone can tell me what these nuts were originally used for...  

The stepped down portion was just a hair bigger than the hole in the housing, so I turned it down.  Drilling the hole out may have been easier, but I use the lathe every chance I get.

 

(I did add a couple of tack welds to hold it in place)

The brackets were a bit bent and I misinterpreted the double mount one and installed it backwards.  There is a tall leg and a short one and the tall goes towards the back of the car.   By putting a little arch in the brackets, I was able to make them apply a little inward pressure and sit low enough to pull down on the filter, before the bolt hits the bottom of the notch.  I am very impressed with how well they hold the filter down tight.  I plan on adding thumb screws, so I will not need a wrench to take it off.

 

I appreciate the link Buckeye.  I will order a few from Blunt, when I place my next order.  

 

The filter housing I have is clean, as in there is only one hole (in the bottom) to fill and the other one is for the breather.  I also ran a piece of VW cloth covered fuel vent line from that fitting over to the tank vent.  I do not have the charcoal canister, but see no need for it.  I do like sending those fumes into the mix.  

I also did something which is only slightly related to this post, in that it raised the hood level a hair.  I added two pieces of closed cell foam to the top of the cross bar, under the hood braces, which took all of the bounciness out of the hood!  It just looked flimsy vibrating the way it did.  Now it looks slightly plump and solid.

It warms my heart knowing this is what is under my hood... as it was meant to be (aside from the color and the need for a bit more planishing).  

I also find it amusing that all the air enters the engine through one hole in the front of the car and exits through one hole at the back.  The engine is like a big air pump and I believe the way air enters the engine is an important consideration.  The side draft guys recognize this, while tuning intake and horn lengths.  They even have a formula for the ratio of the displacement, to the volume of the air box.  It seems funny to call this an upgrade, when it is actually a return to the stock configuration.  I will say that it is a bigger improvement than I had imagined.

 

Sorry JohnP, I did not actually measure the adapter, but it could not be made much shorter and still clear the carb top.  I may be able to do that for you today.  I would suggest using the clay trick, to check clearance while you are installing yours.  Use tall skinny/soft balls of clay and be gentle.  Body metal is soft and outward dents are ugggly... I've put a couple in my trunk lid : (

 

Tom

Edited May 25, 2018 by '76mintgrun'02

[PWM2002]

I recently installed a JAM adapter to my 32/36 and had no trouble with it. There are two issues going on on this thread that need to be addressed. One, the images of the adapter shown in this thread are very old and are not the adapter that JAM currently sells. Two, the tack welded flange needs to be removed entirely (not cut of as in the images above), to do this you need to drill off the tack welds carefully, and make sure to grind them smooth. Then set the filter housing base on top of the JAM filter adapter, scribed and cut the opening of the filter base to match the opening of the JAM adapter. After that was done I glass beaded the air cleaner and powder coated to match the original color (in my case Grey). If you do this, the adapter with the stock 1/4" Weber DGEV baseplate spacer fits fine, no height issues on the stock intake manifold. I did find however that the upper paper gasket supplied in the kit was a poor fit, so I cut a  new one on a CO2 laser.   

Edited May 31, 2016 by PWM2002

['76mintgrün'02]

That is good information.  Did you happen to take any photos of your adaptor/installation?  It sounds a quite a bit more involved getting the new ones to fit, so it seems like a shame that they stopped making this style.

 

That stock gray is a beautiful color, imo.  I am not sure what color they were in 76, but I would like to return to that color.  BTW, Resra has a beautiful one for sale right now in the FS section, but this one is 'good enough for who it is for' ; )  It is an excellent place to practice shaping metal and painting.  

 

I just measured this 'old style' adaptor and it is 1 5/16" to the top of the 'body' and 1 11/16" to the top of the flange.

I also remembered that I have a few extra air cleaner cover nuts for my EA81 Subaru.  I think they are cool, because they have rubber washers built in (seals for the Subaru cover holes) and the grip portion spins independently of the rubber washer portion.  (They are the same thread as the original BMW bolts).

(If you ever run across a pair of pliers like the ones above, buy them.  They are cool, because the jaws stay parallel as they are opened.  I reach for them often).

I just turned the bolts I was using around and ran them from the inside out.  Now I wish I had left them a little longer, when I cut them, but they are just long enough to work.  I may spring for some longer ones, when I am feeling flush.

Tom

[PWM2002]

29 minutes ago, '76Mintgrun'02 said:

That is good information.  Did you happen to take any photos of your adaptor/installation?  It sounds a quite a bit more involved getting the new ones to fit, so it seems like a shame that they stopped making this style.

 

That stock gray is a beautiful color, imo.  I am not sure what color they were in 76, but I would like to return to that color.  BTW, Resra has a beautiful one for sale right now in the FS section, but this one is 'good enough for who it is for' ; )  It is an excellent place to practice shaping metal and painting.  

 

I just measured this 'old style' adaptor and it is 1 5/16" to the top of the 'body' and 1 11/16" to the top of the flange.

I also remembered that I have a few extra air cleaner cover nuts for my EA81 Subaru.  I think they are cool, because they have rubber washers built in (seals for the Subaru cover holes) and the grip portion spins independently of the rubber washer portion.  (They are the same thread as the original BMW bolts).

(If you ever run across a pair of pliers like the ones above, buy them.  They are cool, because the jaws stay parallel as they are opened.  I reach for them often).

I just turned the bolts I was using around and ran them from the inside out.  Now I wish I had left them a little longer, when I cut them, but they are just long enough to work.  I may spring for some longer ones, when I am feeling flush.

Tom

Hi Tom, 

I knew I'd be asked for pics, I hope to post them by this weekend. After I installed my air cleaner, I realized, I really needed to do some detailing in my engine compartment. That being said, one thing led to another, and it's back apart, along with a bunch of other pieces, lol.

As far as the color is concerned, my '02 is an early '73 and the air cleaner was originally grey, I'm pretty sure yours would have been black on a '76 (but my knowledge of the later models may not be right).

 

Paul

[John_in_VA]

20 hours ago, PWM2002 said:

As far as the color is concerned, my '02 is an early '73 and the air cleaner was originally grey, I'm pretty sure yours would have been black on a '76 (but my knowledge of the later models may not be right).

 

Correct, and not a full-gloss black.

['76mintgrün'02]

I am not a stickler for total originality, per year, per say.

Any of the colors they used would look 'correct' to my eye.

A previous owner two-toned this one, over original grey(non '76 housing).

I may be able to wash it off of the base.

 

If black is the 76 color, that narrows my choices a bit.

My aunt said the other day "... it is like discussing black, you know?"

Of course, I went into how many poof cans of black I have... as she cocked her head in dismay.

From left to right, we have  Ultra-Flat, Flat, Semi-Flat, Satin, Semi-Gloss, Gloss and Primer Black.

I could have sworn I had a can of Ultra-Glossy Black. 

The factory sheen seems like Semi-Satin to me, but I have yet to find a can    

 

I put two different brands of two different sheens on the Subaru's wiper arms and accidentally got a cool crackled finish. 

Something like that might blend in with my engine bay.

 

Steve's oh-so-original 76 has a beeautiful black high-ribbed housing.  I am hoping to run across one of those and put the lid on my modified base.

 

I did use a little acetone to wash the failing black spray paint of the neck of the housing.  I do like that grey.

Tom

['76mintgrün'02]

I picked up a small piece of hose, with a ninety degree bend in it and cut it down to fit onto the breather port, to direct the flow over the carb intake.

 This should keep oil from spraying onto the lid.  

 

I think I have seen some photos of (earlier?) air cleaners, in which the steel tube was the shape of my rubber addition.

I am happy with the fit and eager to see where the oil goes now.

Tom

[jgerock]

Tom - I'm trying to figure out where those VW bolts are located.

I suggest adding a hose clamp to that rubber elbow - you don't want that piece ending up inside the carb.

 

And - those vintage JAM Engineering ads are just that - Vintage ads from old Roundel Magazines. 

['76mintgrün'02]

5 hours ago, jgerock said:

I'm trying to figure out where those VW bolts are located.

I suggest adding a hose clamp to that rubber elbow - you don't want that piece ending up inside the carb.

Jim, you mean VW nuts, right?  Let me know if you figure it out, I almost remember, but not quite.  It bothers me a little.  I have parted out a couple of them and taken almost every little bit and dropped them into cans.  It is fun to dump out a can and play "what's it?"  It seems like the bugs have a few more 'odd' bits than the bimmers.  Older design, I suppose.

 

As for the hose, it really really does not need a clamp.  It is quite sticky rubber and hard to pull off.  I even took a dremel with a sanding drum to the inside to open it up a bit, which may have made the rubber even stickier.  I share your concern though and spend some time looking down into the throat wondering if it would fit!

 

I just finished a 180 mile jaunt, mostly on the freeway and got the best mileage I have seen.  I had never actually touched 20 mpg, but rounded up to that, considering the 3.9 rear end and then non-adjusted speedometer (76).  Today I got a solid 23 mpg.  I wonder how much the new old air cleaner had to do with that?  I have also been back into the carb and adjusting the timing for quite a while.  It may be starting to pay off.

 

As for the JAM adaptors, mine does not have any markings on it. I have also seen one which is basically the same, but with recesses for the bolt heads and a Weber logo on it, so apparently they made them too, at some point.  It is a very nice example, which fits the same way, aside from the recesses, which are an upgrade.

[dang]

I did mine the more common way also...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

['76mintgrün'02]

Great photos, thanks for posting them.  I had never actually seen a stock Solex, nor the stock rubber gasket, so those photos are especially helpful.

It appears as though we are achieving the same end result, in terms of height, or close to it.

There's more than one way to swap a SOlex.

 

I am curious though, what do people do if they want to run the stock air cleaner housing with a Canon manifold.  I doubt it has tapped holes for the mounting bracket (on the driver's side), or does it?

Tom

 

 

[PWM2002]

Hi Tom, 

I finally had a chance to reinstall the JAM adapter and air cleaner on Father's Day and get it back on the road. The JAM adapter is a pretty crude casting, I spent some time polishing the throat opening before installing.

 

The JAM adapter seems a little less restrictive than other adapters.

 

 

The only finicky part of the install was the clearance between the fan blade and the intake boot. If you raise the boot too far to miss the blade, the boot can rub against the hood torsion spring tube.

 

I saw your post with the rubber tube placed on the valve cover breather tube. I haven't found a need to do that with this configuration, the secondary vacuum tube seems to keep the air cleaner pretty clean, time will tell.

 

Paul

['76mintgrün'02]

Wow, you have done a lot of detailing under the hood.  That is looking really good.

It is neat to see yet another style of adapter.

The rubber snorkel I have came with holes chewed in it from riding on the fan.

The little hose clamp that holds the box to the metal snorkel was rusty and not able to tighten, so I suspect that might be why it fell off.  It did not take much to get that screw loose and tighten it down.  It should stay put now.  I will keep my eye out for a better snorkel, but figure the carb is getting 93% cool air and 7% leakage from the engine bay... or thereabouts ; )

 

That rubber elbow eliminated my oily mess completely.

I will keep an eye on it, to make sure it is compatible with the oil.

It is just a hose I picked up off the ground at the wrecking yard; grey inside and black outside.

 

Nice looking clips on that cleaner.  Did you have them plated, or find new ones?  

I found a set on a Mercedes that fit nicely.  The ones on mine had worn thin, from rubbing on the underside of somebody's hood.  The Mercedes clips are slightly thicker wire, yet just fit the mounting tabs.  fwiw.

 

Do you have any Playdough you could use to check the clearance from the lid to the hood?

Did you run the fuel tank vent line into the cleaner?

What are you referring to when you say secondary vacuum tube?

Edited May 25, 2018 by '76mintgrun'02

[PWM2002]

Thanks, I can't take all the credit for the car it's a '73, was a one owner southern car, up until a year and a half ago with 48k and original paint.

 

As for the clips, I am pretty sure I got the oem ones from ECS tuning. I thought about glass beading and replating the originals, but It's time consuming tedious work.

 

I will try to get some play dough and check the clearance for you.

 

As for the secondary vacuum line, the Weber 32/36 has a brass inlet (usually capped because the cheap chrome air cleaners they supply ignore that vacuum) on the right side near the base, you connect that to the secondary vacuum tube on the bottom of the air cleaner breather tube. 

 

 

Edited June 21, 2016 by PWM2002