Air Filter Replacement ?

Old Fogey UK

  At the moment, I'm still using the original oil-dipped metal mesh air filter with my Daytona replica Zenith 228 carb.

I'm wondering if it would perform better with a modern pancake filter with a cleanable fabric element - particularly as my original filter is the type where you can't take the mesh out of the housing and you have to dip the whole thing in oil (yuck !).

K&N do some nice universal pancake filters and they're available in England. Ron Hewitt at Daytona sells a 5 inch diameter 2 inch deep pancake filter which he claims works on some cars but doesn't say which. 

K&N do a 5-1/2 inch diameter 2 inch deep one that I can buy at my local car accessory store.

Would this filter be OK on my 254 engine or would I be better fitting something else ?

(I'll be keeping the old filter to put on when I get to car shows !)

ken1962

You could spend some time and change to a pancake filter or use the oil pan. Remember back when these cars were on the roads the majority of the road was dirt. My 1936 hudson oil filter boasts it can collect over a pound of dirt. Times change and so do roads. Our cars aren't driving through the 1930/40s dust bowl of oklahoma cheers ken

bob ward

An illustrative story from Australia where the locally produced Holden used the same engine from 48 to 63. In 1959 the air filter was changed from an oil bath unit to a paper filter. Typical motor life extended from 50,000 miles to 100,000 miles.

Old Fogey UK

So, the answer is that I should make the change to a K&N filter.

Thanks guys.