Air Cleaners to Cold Air Box
Well, after the time devoted to researching the ideal air cleaner solution and the expense of ordering the K&N offset filters, I became convinced that an air box delivering cool air to the carbs is the way to go. I recently saw several approaches to these “boxes” on some of the Jag Forums, and Mike Gassman of Gassman Automotive http://www.gassmanautomotive.com convinced me that the cold air delivery system would be a good modification to make to assist with expected heat problems under the bonnet. I anticipate that my air conditioning system will add more heat to an already “hot” situation. Mike has a very talented welder/fabricator on his team, Brandon Tyree, who designed, fabricated and installed the “box” – I am going to call it a “pipe.” I don’t know why “they” call these things “cold air” boxes – they do not deliver cold air, but instead, ambient air from outside the engine bay to the carbs. A “pipe” also has all smooth and rounded surfaces which would seem to promote better air flow than a “box.”
Brandon began with a three inch tube and worked his magic. The pipe punches through the side wall of the RH engine bay valance and snakes down to the front of the RH wheel well, near the reservac tank. A K&N air filter is installed on the end of the pipe.
The pipe installation will require a slight relocation of the wiper motor. Mounting points have been located and the final fitting of the wiper motor will occur after the engine is removed, before bodywork and painting.
After the engine is removed from the car and access is improved, the valance opening will be refined and a trimmed MGB gear shift leaver rubber gaiter will be used as a grommet to cushion the pipe through the valance wall.
Removing the air pipe is quite easy. The two clamps on the silicone sleeve joining the two sections of the pipe are loosened allowing the wheel well pipe to be removed. The same four 9/16″ inch hex head bolts used to fasten the air cleaners are then loosened and removed. The original carb/air cleaner gaskets are also used.
The air pipe can then be rotated and lifted away.
Thanks to Mike Gassman for the ideas and conceptual design and to Brandon Tyree for his superb execution.
This image shows the hole cut in the engine bay valance for the pipe. As mentioned it will be “cleaned-up” when the engine is out of the car and before bodywork and paint. Locating the hole was a little trickier than it might have otherwise been because of the previously located air conditioning hoses, drier, and trinary switch.
The following two images show the pipe joint, silicone sleeve, clamps and pipe extension to the K&N filter.