Cool air intake for an A? Not quite yet.

Ok people, over 6 months latter I've finally sat down, been real patient and got this sob computer, camera, hosting site and van site to play the telephone game with each other so I can actually post a few damn pictures.

After I put the Ter' aluminum radiator in my '66 last July, I noticed that there may be enough room to get some cool fresh air into that nice little Edlebrock four barrel. After fabricating this first attempt everything looked good to go and then my ego got totally deflated when the lid didn't quite close all the way.

Oh well, the one I'm working on now is going to be Z shaped. We'll see if I can make the upper radiator hose short enough to clear it. Stay tuned.

After I punched out the top sheetmetal of the radiator support:


Looked like everything was good to go...


Then OOPS

thats what they make different size and bigger hammers for .!!!!!!!!!!

Hmmmmmmmmmm This cold air intake is very interesting, I've never seen one of these before. but I really like it!.......alot!! Are you at all planning to tunnel the doghouse for more cold air? This cold air induction is such a great idea

I think its a good approach, but like we all run into, " The Devil Is In The Details", I really like that see thru look.

Thanks for the compliments guys. We'll see If I can get'r done next week. I'm also concerned if my acrylic will hold up to the heat and vibrations inside the doghouse. I can always use sheetmetal based on the prototype though.

OK Jeff, The bigger hammer approach works great on a lot things, but being a glazier I usually use that as a last resort.

Chris, the high point (or low) is that recess in the lid. I was thinking that a Ford lid would let it fit just fine.

haakowii, I was thinking about adding a tunnel, but I doubt that be actually installing one. I love the openness of the front. However, I also thought if I added a tunnel I could put in a vent to blow on the driver and passenger. I discovered that if you leave the master cylinder cover off, you get some well placed cool air.

What I will be doing is having a custom belly pan made the takes in air a little below the bumper. Mike S. in Wisconsin has a high riding A-108 that he says increased his and MPG significantly when re-did his pan.

My heart just sank seeing the doghouse lid pic.

You have me thinking now... I'm thinking that if we borrowed from the ram air concept, with the cutout in the hood, and a rubber gasket sealing against the hood, a duct like yours wouldn't need a top... use the doghouse cover ass the top surface of the duct... If I had all that acrylic sheet, I'd be cutting windows in my doghouse!

Someone on here posted a pic once upon a time of a modified bellypan... had louvers cut in the bottom aimed up at the rad... would be a lot of work to do that...

Now you got me thinking Corey! The reason I'm playing with this is because I have an aftermarket radiator that is shorter than stock. What about everyone else?

I'm imagining a funnel on top of the carb that gets the ram-air seal to a hole in the lid. Duct (hood scoop) on top of the dog house lid with an elbow at the end of the lid. A duct then runs in front of the doghouse down to a hole in the floor (or the tunnel) or even just the front of the dog house.

WOW i like your idia Larry, im working on the same concept- not as pretty. im useing a later model air cleaner snorcle (mid 80s) welded on a stock 2 bl. air cleaner. and useing the flexable plastic tube, im not sure if i want to cut holes in the radiator pannel yet, i ran the tube down in front of the engine for now. ive modified my belly pan, added a 30$ hood scoop from jcw.

Larry, weld a panel with the cutout for the air cleaner to the underside of the lid, with the front opened in front of the rad. Something like that to keep it looking stock!

Before my Chevy was T-boned and i gave up on it, I had similar ideas. I bought a Griffin radiator which is shorter than stock and wanted to do away with the fill tank on top and change the cooling system to a newer closed system so I bought this
for a radiator cap and it has a visual sight gauge to check coolant level. But the height of it would hit the air cleaner so I got a small spacer for under the carb and one for the air cleaner. Anyway with the air cleaner so high and the fill tank gone I figured i could put a flange around the bottom of the air cleaner with weather-stripping and an aluminum plate with weather-stripping on the bottom of the lid that would connect to duct that went over the radiator and to a raised extension of the tunnel that leaves the existing tunnel intact giving a large cold air intake all the way to the front of the van. Possibly cause a ram air effect at highway speeds? There is a huge difference when it’s cool down here and not so damn hot.


Reggie’s racing van is the only one I’m aware of that has a cold air intake. Please excuse the poor quality of this old video of it but you can see it a little when I’m shooting from the back of the van there is a 6” flex duct that comes thru the top of the doghouse to the carb and and then under the passenger seat.
BTW I talked to Reggie over the holidays and he said the new motor is running very strong and it is shifting into second before the front end comes down.

There are many techniques out the for doghouse ventilation.
I myself are using two. One evacuates the "box heat" through a thermostatically controlled switch , duct and blower set up, out and under the floor pan.
Drawings for that are on the Yahoo site.
The second is a cold air induction that draws cold air up from under the belly pan to the air cleaner snorkel tube through a 2 1/2 hi temp hose.
Are they 100% effective? ....No . Do they help?----Yes.
I'll post picture when it thaws outside.
Mytch

Way cool video Carl.

Mytch, I'm sure everyone (including myself) is looking forward to those pics. Also, what is that file listed as? I couldn't seem to find it.

File is on the Yahoo site. Under Photo's look for "Dog House Exhauster".
it's still there i checked.
Mytch

lets try it again....

the plan is good but the vehicle might have an issue or two. i thought about this a bit in the past but i figured the vibration and engine movement might cause a problem. this rigid piece your makin is great BUT it will need a flexable joint at the top of the rad. along comes the stock car boys and the answer to that problem. most stock cars use a flexible surround between the bumper cover and radiator that is real tough and durable and you make it to fit. look under www.allstarperformance.com for the kit. i will try to come up with a part number if i can. this set up is not going to work i don't think with a stock type radiator. no room at the top for it. but yours looks like it will work with some "tweaking". these guys also have breather assemblys that are close to your design and might work also.
as for the belly pan i had a scoop in my van and it ran warmer with the scoop. put an old one with no holes on and dropped 15 degrees in temp. my truck has a 360 with 9:5 - 1 compression ratio and runs 220 on a hot day in traffic and 180 on the road. just make sure all the bolts are in and the seal at the lower rad tank is in place. this way all the air coming in through the grill area HAS to go through the rad and cant escape out vents, scoops, and areas that are not sealed. boat style bilge blowers will do a great job of exchanging the air and they take a 3" vent line thats flexible enough for any application and there cheap. just mount it away from the drivers compartment and mount the bracket in rubber cause they draw a pile of air and vibrate a bit while doing it.

Cold Air Intake

Terry

Cool, love the plexi one. I've never given this any thought, but now you've got my brain working.

Finally uncovered the van and took some pictures.
Here's the cold ?? air intake under the belly pan




Hi temp intake hose from intake to air cleaner snorkle.
Note thermoswitch for the exhauster in the upper right.





What happened to the picture size???
Oh well----
Exhauster Hose



Exhaust blower (bilge blower) blows out under floor pan


Mytch

Hey Mytch, 'Cool' set-ups.

Did you just cut off part of the snorkel?

Btw - if you click on the thumbnail you get the blowed-up pic.

Saved the original air cleaner.
Then picked one at a swap and cut the flanged inlet off
Mytch

has anyone run an auxilery rad such as a heater core and mounted it remotely to help with cooling??...just looking at all these ideas and I think they are great...I have been contemplating using variations of these to include a remote heater core and fan to assist further in cooling...I had an original heater box from an econoline the early years but all my stuff was burnt to a crisp in a barn fire..but i was toying with that idea originally...