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Engine compartment / Inhaler for asthmatic air filter (inexpensive hack)
« on: October 09, 2020, 08:52:54 PM »
I've ordered several parts from Kaiser Willys Auto Supply, and they've generally been solid. Less so with the "Cleaner to Carburetor Air Horn Seal (hose)."
The thick, old-school rubber OEM hose on my 3B was holding up brilliantly, I thought... until I pulled it off to clean the oil bath, and discovered the bottom side had turned into rubber lacework. So I ordered a replacement from K-W. It felt both thinner and less pliable than the original, which didn't come as a surprise -- motorcycle gaiters for vintage bikes offer the same disappointment. Apparently, rubber really is one of the things they really "don't make like they used to." Should I blame the Vietnamese, the French, the P.R. of China, or...?
No matter. It was the right length and diameter and looked proper when I clamped it on. At the time, I was fighting a timing issue (I thought) after putting in a Pertronix igniter. Eventually, I felt like I had the timing and carb working together about right, but for one weird issue: whenever I revved her to 1,800 rpm or so, she'd fall flat on her face. Reducing rpm cured it, but it was pretty hard to get up even the smallest hill.
Finally, while fiddling with tuning with the hood up, I tugged the throttle cable pretty soundly, and you know what happened: complete bog. Another tug, and I saw what was happening: my spanky new carb horn hose was collapsing inward and cutting off practically all air flow. A few days later, I encountered a semi-fatal electrical error, and stopped worrying about air flow for a while.
As of today, she's running again, and it was time to address the hose. I like to keep her close to stock, so I defaulted to a cheapskate solution from the local auto parts store: a piece of radiator hose, just under 3 inches O.D., with the ends cut short and the curved part shoved into the carb horn hose. Works a treat; looks stock, and it completely solved the collapsing issue. I guess if I were building a racing Hurricane I'd worry about restricting air flow, but there's no noticeable power reduction at the speeds I drive.
FWIW, I used a Master Pro, P/N 20611, but any sturdy hose (or spring, I suppose) with an O.D. of ~2-7/8 ought to do the trick.
The thick, old-school rubber OEM hose on my 3B was holding up brilliantly, I thought... until I pulled it off to clean the oil bath, and discovered the bottom side had turned into rubber lacework. So I ordered a replacement from K-W. It felt both thinner and less pliable than the original, which didn't come as a surprise -- motorcycle gaiters for vintage bikes offer the same disappointment. Apparently, rubber really is one of the things they really "don't make like they used to." Should I blame the Vietnamese, the French, the P.R. of China, or...?
No matter. It was the right length and diameter and looked proper when I clamped it on. At the time, I was fighting a timing issue (I thought) after putting in a Pertronix igniter. Eventually, I felt like I had the timing and carb working together about right, but for one weird issue: whenever I revved her to 1,800 rpm or so, she'd fall flat on her face. Reducing rpm cured it, but it was pretty hard to get up even the smallest hill.
Finally, while fiddling with tuning with the hood up, I tugged the throttle cable pretty soundly, and you know what happened: complete bog. Another tug, and I saw what was happening: my spanky new carb horn hose was collapsing inward and cutting off practically all air flow. A few days later, I encountered a semi-fatal electrical error, and stopped worrying about air flow for a while.
As of today, she's running again, and it was time to address the hose. I like to keep her close to stock, so I defaulted to a cheapskate solution from the local auto parts store: a piece of radiator hose, just under 3 inches O.D., with the ends cut short and the curved part shoved into the carb horn hose. Works a treat; looks stock, and it completely solved the collapsing issue. I guess if I were building a racing Hurricane I'd worry about restricting air flow, but there's no noticeable power reduction at the speeds I drive.
FWIW, I used a Master Pro, P/N 20611, but any sturdy hose (or spring, I suppose) with an O.D. of ~2-7/8 ought to do the trick.