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air cleaner filter 1956 365 cadillac

Started by flahivek, May 14, 2022, 08:30:14 AM

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flahivek

So I have the original 1956 air cleaner with the three pieces, but the middle part (which I'm assuming act as the filter) is clogged up with what looks like 10 years of active mouse nests. I am wondering if a normal air filter can replace this whole part, or how to go about cleaning it?

Lexi

#1
If it were mine, I would stick with the original metal filter. Your carb is designed to work with the air flow that passes through that system to name one reason. For cleaning it would be great if you have a parts cleaner. As you probably don't you will have to improvise.

First, read up on hantavirus and take steps to kill it if there. It is spread in rodent waste and saliva. Don't think is long living but you want to be sure and have piece of mind. Perhaps soak in bleach for a few minutes. Read up on what kills that virus. The disease has a very high mortality rate. So clean all of your air cleaner components. Again, don't think it lives for too long outside of the rodent that spread it, but better to be safe than sorry.

After hantavirus sterilization I would start by carefully removing as much of the debris as possible using tweezers & compressed air carefully, wearing an appropriate respiratory mask. Also, you don't want to pull out the curly metal filter mesh strands.

After having thoroughly soaked it with bleach and whatever then rinsed; I would look into dipping it in carb cleaner to help dissolve the foreign matter and debris. Seems to be different types and the industrial solution can actually etch or even eat some metals I am told so don't leave in for too long. Monitor your progress. Rinse and blow out with compressed air. Repeat as necessary. Probably best to get that awful carb cleaner smell out before installing so rinse as required. The metal mesh filter canister I believe is a sealed crimped unit and not intended to come apart. Be careful with your fingers as some of these have razor blade like edges and can give you a nasty cut when handling. Clay/Lexi

fishnjim

At first, I was thinking it was in the element, but since mice got in must be the open part?   Should be fairly easy to pick out the nest?   Gloves respirator, and tools/forceps.
If you can't find a replacement, and inaccessible, then I'd torch "burn out" the nests (outdoors) and clean and repaint it.   Just don't let it get too hot and warp or burn through.  Flush it out with detergent and bleach water/rinse and air dry first.   
Since we don't know what they made the nest from, some like fiberglass, it may not all come out as ash so take out as much as you can.  May take some manual efforts.   It could possibly be cleaned in a hot caustic bath, as is, but will need refinished also.   If there's a local car dipper around ask.
If two barrel they make little paper air cleaners (get from the racing suppliers) and a similar larger ones are for 4 BBls, but finding one for the early reduced bore carbs is the issue.   May have to get one out of a later '50s car.   Hood fit is another aspect.   I found an Olds that fit the '58 on ebay.

flahivek

So it is the inner part and yes it's like pine needles, leaves, etc packed in behind the mesh. The mesh screen was definitely not meant to come apart so I will try to maybe torch it out or blow air into it. Thank you

J. Gomez

Quote from: flahivek on May 14, 2022, 11:10:42 AM
So it is the inner part and yes it's like pine needles, leaves, etc packed in behind the mesh. The mesh screen was definitely not meant to come apart so I will try to maybe torch it out or blow air into it. Thank you

Kevin,

The inner screen is packed with "horse hair" and it was impregnated with oil for the filtration.   :o

Removing all the material would best to undo the top piece (as Clay states above) and repack it, if you do not want to convert it using a more conventional air filter element.

There are (should be) several post on this particular subject that you can search to find either alternatives already done by others.

Good luck..!
J. Gomez
CLC #23082

flahivek

So is it the horse hair I am seeing then? In which case it is fine?

Lexi

Jose trumped me on that horse hair. I did not know they came packed with it, (or did not look hard enough). Mine is packed with a brillo pad-like metal mesh. If there is an organic substance in some of these units ixnay on torching or a harsh chemical attack. Clay/Lexi

Daryl Chesterman

Kevin, some close-up pictures would be worth a thousand words, then we know what you are dealing with :D

Daryl Chesterman