Chrome air cleaner need a lid

[oldstyle]

Hello, I could use some help. I have this Riviera (66?) chrome air cleaner that I found at a wrecking yard years ago. Is the missing lid just a plain Riviera black lid or a special lid?

 

Thank you,

Raul

[Turbinator]

58 minutes ago, oldstyle said:

Hello, I could use some help. I have this Riviera (66?) chrome air cleaner that I found at a wrecking yard years ago. Is the missing lid just a plain Riviera black lid or a special lid?

 

Thank you,

Raul

Raul, I have any color lid you want for a Riviera air cleaner, except chrome plated. Give me the inside diameter of your cleaner and I’ll double check what I have fits.. Measure the ID and OD of the throat on your carburetor as well. Might as well be complete. Does the chrome air cleaner fit the carb you are going to use? 
Turbinator

[Pat Curran]

It is a 1966 air cleaner and the lid should be chrome.

[RivNut]

What is the diameter of the hole in the center? From my perspective, it doesn’t appear big enough to fit over a Quadrajet.  As Pat says, it requires a chrome lid.

[RivNut]

 

Edited June 26, 2022 by RivNut (see edit history)

[1965rivgs]

That is a '66 Quadrajet air cleaner and the lid is painted black, not chrome, and covered with the decal / metal plate. This particular air cleaner is also a closed crankcase and AIR type.

In '66 the rubber hose for the closed crankcase runs into the air cleaner body, not the snorkel. What looks like a large hole at 3 o'clock is actually a large nipple under the base of the air cleaner which connects to the AIR system. This car had an air pump which fit into the drivers side corner relief on the cast aluminum valve covers.

I'll bet Raul is in California ....or a neighboring state.

Tom Mooney

[RivNut]

Just now, 1965rivgs said:

That is a '66 Quadrajet air cleaner and the lid is painted black, not chrome, and covered with the decal / metal plate. This particular air cleaner is also a closed crankcase and AIR type.

In '66 the rubber hose for the closed crankcase runs into the air cleaner body, not the snorkel. What looks like a large hole at 3 o'clock is actually a large nipple under the base of the air cleaner which connects to the AIR system. This car had an air pump which fit into the drivers side corner relief on the cast aluminum valve covers.

I'll bet Raul is in California ....or a neighboring state.

Tom Mooney

I posted a more accurate picture.

[1965rivgs]

30 minutes ago, RivNut said:

I posted a more accurate picture.

The second pic you posted is not accurate for  '66 425 Quadrajet chrome air cleaner. Your first pic is and the lid is obviously painted black.

I've had quite a few '66 Riv and Wildcat GS cars and they all had black painted air cleaner lids.....except for the MZ Super Wildcat car which has a different air cleaner all together.

Tom

Edited June 26, 2022 by 1965rivgs (see edit history)

[kegart]

Look for loose chrome in the filtered air area. I had one that looked like yours and had to clean it with steel wool to remove  loose pieces and seal with clear coat.

I didn't want a chunk of chrome going down the carburetor. 

I got rid of it because even with the clear coat,  it continued to flake. 

 

Kevin 

 

[RivNut]

2 hours ago, 1965rivgs said:

The second pic you posted is not accurate for  '66 425 Quadrajet chrome air cleaner. Your first pic is and the lid is obviously painted black.

I've had quite a few '66 Riv and Wildcat GS cars and they all had black painted air cleaner lids.....except for the MZ Super Wildcat car which has a different air cleaner all together.

Tom

Edited June 27, 2022 by RivNut (see edit history)

[1965rivgs]

13 hours ago, RivNut said:

  Yes, the lid in this picture is painted black under the metal, decaled plate. The black is visible on the outside edge.

  Also notice in `66 Buick turned the snorkel to the passenger side because the AIR pump, when so equipped, would occupy the space on the drivers side.

Tom

[joelj]

I think that the lids were the same on all 63 to 66 4 bbl cars. The one that I had was painted black and not plated. I think that the chrome housing was specific to 1966 and had the larger opening for the quadrajet air horn. Also, the lids seat against the air cleaner element and not the housing. If you buy a lid and and it appears too small it is because the lid is supported from underneath by the element.

[oldstyle]

Thank you for all of the replies. 

So, is the lid the same as found on the normal black air cleaners or is it a special lid?

[RivNut]

1 hour ago, joelj said:

I think that the lids were the same on all 63 to 66 4 bbl cars. The one that I had was painted black and not plated. I think that the chrome housing was specific to 1966 and had the larger opening for the quadrajet air horn. Also, the lids seat against the air cleaner element and not the housing. If you buy a lid and and it appears too small it is because the lid is supported from underneath by the element.

Only 63 (red) and 64 (black) were the “pancake” style air cleaner; the ‘65 was boxy.  The chrome pancake style in 1966 was part of the Gran Sport option.

[RivNut]

19631964196519661966 Gran Sport.

I did not insert a picture of the Super Wildcat (dual four barrel) air cleaner with the dual snorkles

[1965rivgs]

  I didnt look over the other pics but the picture of the 66 GS is not correct...among many things the snorkel is turned to the drivers side which is incorrect as I stated above...and it has chromed, stamped steel valve covers instead of the '66 factory cast aluminum valve covers. At least the painted air cleaner lid is correct.

 

Tom

 

 

 

[1965rivgs]

2 hours ago, joelj said:

I think that the lids were the same on all 63 to 66 4 bbl cars. The one that I had was painted black and not plated. I think that the chrome housing was specific to 1966 and had the larger opening for the quadrajet air horn. Also, the lids seat against the air cleaner element and not the housing. If you buy a lid and and it appears too small it is because the lid is supported from underneath by the element.

  All correct except the lids are not all the same. The pancake and the taller "top hat" lids are different.

Edited June 30, 2022 by 1965rivgs (see edit history)

[1965rivgs]

1 hour ago, RivNut said:

Only 63 (red) and 64 (black) were the “pancake” style air cleaner; the ‘65 was boxy.  The chrome pancake style in 1966 was part of the Gran Sport option.

  Also the standard '66 air cleaner was much like the standard '65 top hat style but the base is a quadrajet base and the snorkel indexes to the passenger side, not the driver's side as in '65. You posted a pic of one.

Tom

[1965rivgs]

1 hour ago, oldstyle said:

Thank you for all of the replies. 

So, is the lid the same as found on the normal black air cleaners or is it a special lid?

Same lid as the other pancake style air cleaners.

Tom

[RivNut]

Tom, 

I just post so that you can correct my errors. 😎

[1965rivgs]

13 hours ago, RivNut said:

Tom, 

I just post so that you can correct my errors. 😎

Hi Ed,

 

  Nothing personal, as always and for many years, I`m just trying to post accurate information.

 

Tom

[RivNut]

2 hours ago, 1965rivgs said:

Hi Ed,

 

  Nothing personal, as always and for many years, I`m just trying to post accurate information.

 

Tom

In my posts, I was only picturing the air cleaner, which I did accurately - sticking to the topic.  The topic was not about valve covers, breather orientation, or anything else.  I knew when I posted the pictures that not everything in the picture was “as delivered” but the pictures that I posted were the best for physically seeing the differences.

[1965rivgs]

2 hours ago, RivNut said:

In my posts, I was only picturing the air cleaner, which I did accurately - sticking to the topic.  The topic was not about valve covers, breather orientation, or anything else.  I knew when I posted the pictures that not everything in the picture was “as delivered” but the pictures that I posted were the best for physically seeing the differences.

As I stated, it is nothing personal, I just try to post accurate information which is for everyone's benefit. I also responded to other posts as well as yours. My posts, nor this thread, is about you.

Tom

 

[Turbinator]

On 6/29/2022 at 7:24 PM, oldstyle said:

Thank you for all of the replies. 

So, is the lid the same as found on the normal black air cleaners or is it a special lid?

Depends on who you ask.

[kreed]

If I’m not mistaken, this is what Tom was talking about on the 66 GS which is mine with 16,000 original miles.
KReed

ROA. 14549

[65VerdeGS]

Hi Kreed,

 

Thanks for posting the picture of your '66 GS engine.  Good reference as your car is a low-mileage original.

 

Just curious - why was a block-off black plug inserted into the front of the left aluminum valve cover?  Was this something to do with the A.I.R. system on cars so equipped?

 

[kreed]

I do not know the answer to that question but Jason or Tom can surely answer it.

KReed

ROA 14549

[EmTee]

That port was probably used for connecting PVC pipe to the air cleaner on closed crankcase California emission cars.

[telriv]

Exactly

[1965rivgs]

17 hours ago, 65VerdeGS said:

Hi Kreed,

 

Thanks for posting the picture of your '66 GS engine.  Good reference as your car is a low-mileage original.

 

Just curious - why was a block-off black plug inserted into the front of the left aluminum valve cover?  Was this something to do with the A.I.R. system on cars so equipped?

 

  Usually the `66 425 GS cars, both Riviera and Wildcat, do not have a solid black plug here, even if they are standard, non-closed crankcase cars. The configuration I see most often is a rubber grommet, not a plug, which accepts a push in, not screw in, style domed breather which is chrome. The same style breather in`65 is different because it is a screw in style and has a slightly different appearance. Even if the car is equipped with the closed crankcase option, the same grommet is present but accepts a different chromed breather which is not closed, but has a large nipple, which accepts the return hose to the air cleaner body. The pic of the chrome air cleaner posted at the start of this thread has the hose still attached to the side of the air cleaner as I mentioned in my initial comments.

  The closed crankcase system and the A.I.R system are completely different systems. All that I mentioned above re the typical `66 closed crankcase system has nothing to do with the A.I.R system except that the closed crankcase system and the A.I.R. systems are generally found installed together. The air cleaner pictured at the start of this thread had both systems as I mentioned. There are exceptions, as in a `66 MZ equipped car to be delivered to California. Such a car would be equipped with the closed crankcase system (the rarest of the dual quad air cleaners as the hole for the system is in the air cleaner body instead of the snorkel as in earlier models) but not the A.I.R system.  Buick most likely, as did other manufacturers, receive a pass on the CA regulations due to anticipated low production volume.

 In spite of the fact almost all the `66 Riv and Wildcat GS cars I have witnessed over the years do not have a solid plug in the front of the driver`s valve cover, I have seen many, many `66 valve covers that are loose or in other applications that do have it. This is something I have been aware of and watching for decades, hoping to find a definitive answer substantiated by some sort of factory documentation. Unfortunately, so far, nothing. I do have a theory which involves one of the two factory engine dressup kits which were available in `66 in combination with the readily available plug for owners to mix and match...but that`s just a theory and may not explain the volume of `66 valve covers I have witnessed with the plug.

  Hope this post is helpful to those that are interested,

 

Tom

Edited July 5, 2022 by 1965rivgs (see edit history)

[65VerdeGS]

Thanks Tom for sharing your knowledge about this topic. 

 

Nobody on the planet likely knows more about and has seen as many GS cars as you have, so your input is much appreciated!