Author Topic: Original Air Cleaner for 69 SS  (Read 48143 times)

CNorton

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Re: Original Air Cleaner for 69 SS
« Reply #15 on: November 12, 2006, 08:51:34 PM »
I'd say that the air cleaner top appears to be Cal Custom or an equivalent after-market replacement type.  Just by looking at the picture, I don't believe that it ever had a GM mark on it.

gro51

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Re: Original Air Cleaner for 69 SS
« Reply #16 on: November 13, 2006, 01:01:54 AM »
That air cleaner doesn't appear to me to be anything GM ever put on an engine.  I guess the vave covers are debatable.  I think those would be correct for a '69 Camaro 350, but JOHNZ disagrees.  I find it hard to believe that a '67 and '68 350 SS Camaro would have both chrome air cleaner lid and chrome valve covers and that a '69 would suddenly have a chrome air cleaner lid and  painted stamped steel valve covers. ???
Joe
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69OlympicGoldSS

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Re: Original Air Cleaner for 69 SS
« Reply #17 on: November 13, 2006, 01:57:25 AM »
<<shows a few pictures of a supposed original '69 SS 350 and it looks to me to have a chrome air cleaner lid as well as the polished finned aluminum valve covers. >>

No '69 ever had polished finned aluminum valve covers - that's an owner-inspired modification to the as-cast finish on the owner-added Z/28 valve covers (the same ones used on the Corvette). The current GM replacements are polished, but they were never that way in production. Only the chrome air cleaner lid is correct, and all L48's had painted stamped steel valve covers.

Ok, so you are saying these are Z-28 or vette valve covers.  I would agree that the air cleaner doesn't appear to be a GM part, based on photos I have seen.

Thanks to alll for your input.
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JohnZ

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Re: Original Air Cleaner for 69 SS
« Reply #18 on: November 13, 2006, 04:51:06 PM »
I guess the vave covers are debatable.  I think those would be correct for a '69 Camaro 350, but JOHNZ disagrees.  I find it hard to believe that a '67 and '68 350 SS Camaro would have both chrome air cleaner lid and chrome valve covers and that a '69 would suddenly have a chrome air cleaner lid and  painted stamped steel valve covers. ???

There is no debate on the valve covers - that's the way it was; the only production Camaro application for those finned aluminum valve covers was the Z/28. However, they were available over-the-counter as service parts, and lots of folks bought them and installed them themselves. Note the oil fill tube extension on the driver's side valve cover in the photo - that's an aftermarket addition of some sort.
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firstgenaddict

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Re: Original Air Cleaner for 69 SS
« Reply #19 on: March 30, 2008, 04:20:55 PM »
If those are real no dripper 69 valve covers they are valuable!
James
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crobjones2

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Re: Original Air Cleaner for 69 SS
« Reply #20 on: April 01, 2008, 05:10:40 AM »
Here is a pic of my original air cleaner for a 69 SS350
Chris
69 SS 350

x77-69z28

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Re: Original Air Cleaner for 69 SS
« Reply #21 on: April 01, 2008, 02:34:01 PM »
the valve covers are z-28/corvette 1969 till whenever. the air cleaner looks aftermarket. i have never seen one like it on a camaro.pull off a valve cover and see if there are drippers inside. drippers would be 70 and up.
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Jonesy

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Re: Original Air Cleaner for 69 SS
« Reply #22 on: April 01, 2008, 03:44:15 PM »
The air cleaner looks aftermarket to me. i can only see one valve cover and it appears to be dull, which doesnt mean anything. the valve covers look GM. They will have a part number cast into them on the inside and either they will have drippers or not.
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69redrsss

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Re: Original Air Cleaner for 69 SS
« Reply #23 on: October 24, 2009, 05:47:53 PM »
Per my Nov. 1969 printing Camaro Master Parts Catalogue the 350 & 302 shared the same valve covers in '67 & '68 (chrome it would appear from all pictures you can find).  However, in 1969 the 350 shared the same (painted) covers as the other small blocks with the left one with an oil fill added to it.  Only the 302 is listed with unique part numbers.  My parent's '69 had a L48 and it was as the Camaro parts cataloque suggests.  This was a station wagon so no one likely modified it in the one year the original owner had this car before my parents bought it. This suggests to me that any chrome valve covers were either added by the dealer, non-documented by GM or the documenation was never retained. 
To add to the confusion (for myself at least) my (restored about 10 years ago by someone else) '69 L48 has chrome covers exactly like those in '68 but the left one has the revised oil fill which was added in '69 to the painted covers.  My car was built near the end of the '69 production run.  I am never the less changing back to painted units I found after a long long search.
As for air cleaners there are two 4BBL small block parts listed for 1969 with the second one apparently added later. Since there is only one air cleaner element part listed for non-cowl 350s physically they should be the same.  Unfortunately, it doesn't say whether the new part was chrome. A check of other cataloques (Nova & Chevelle owners claim to have had the same chrome option for their SS equipped L48s) may help clarify.   I may have no documented proof (other than numerous pictures) but I would say that any original chrome lids were most likely exactly the same as a non-chrome lid.  I have yet to see a reproduction of either painted or chrome with the correct profile (bump on the top of the lid where the element sits).

 
Les
'69 Garnet Red TH350 SS350 RS

william

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Re: Original Air Cleaner for 69 SS
« Reply #24 on: October 24, 2009, 07:12:22 PM »
This is from a Nova site, taken in 1969. This is how all manual trans L48 Camaro [exc ZL2] and Nova engines would have appeared. One slight difference may be the overspray on the manifolds; probably a Tonawanda engine.

« Last Edit: October 24, 2009, 11:02:53 PM by william »
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69redrsss

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Re: Original Air Cleaner for 69 SS
« Reply #25 on: October 24, 2009, 10:56:44 PM »
Good picture of the air cleaner top.  Do you know the original source? I've seen this picture before but didn't notice the overspray like supposedly happened to big blocks.  I have also seen some pictures showing the same Tonawanda sticker on the rad end of the other valve cover.  This is of interest to me because my engine came from that plant. As you can see from these pictures the stickers were not added to pristine rebuilt engines. I've attached two pictures (one with the valve covers switched but if the cover was the correct right side the stcikers would have the same placement).  The last picture is of a L48 chrome top which actually looks like it may be original and not just a show engine. Sorry for drifting off the original topic.
Les
'69 Garnet Red TH350 SS350 RS

69houdini

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Re: Original Air Cleaner for 69 SS
« Reply #26 on: October 25, 2009, 03:20:48 AM »
/Users/johnbateman/Desktop/index.php.jpeg/Users/johnbateman/Desktop/index.php.png
I don't know if these pics will post but Kurt and John are right I went through this 1 year ago and was helped out on this sight. My SS 69 convertible l48 looks just like these pics to a t and there are no decent repos out there for sale.

miket1

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Re: Original Air Cleaner for 69 SS
« Reply #27 on: November 22, 2009, 02:16:18 AM »
Apparently GM went to painted valve covers to save a few bucks, I remember when I saw the first new 69 SS 350 arrive at the dealer back then, it just didn't look right for an SS Camaro to have painted valve covers, we were used to seeing chrome. The local speed shop was doing well selling  chrome valve covers and open element air cleaners .
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dougrmac

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Re: Original Air Cleaner for 69 SS
« Reply #28 on: November 23, 2009, 03:10:24 PM »
My original unmolested 69 L48 has the chrome air cleaner top and painted valve covers.

69redrsss

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Re: Original Air Cleaner for 69 SS
« Reply #29 on: November 24, 2009, 03:24:19 AM »
Can you tell me when your car was built and where? If anyone else could provide similar info for their L48 (as well as whether it had a chrome top or not) it may help sort out whether there was a cut-off date for the chrome topped units.  As the '68 SS350 air cleaner top looks identical it might have been a "while supplies last" part for the '69 350SS/L48.

The attached 69 Nova SS ad shows the chrome topped air cleaner for an automatic equipped car.
Les
'69 Garnet Red TH350 SS350 RS

 

anything