1966 275 GTB in silver blue, a 3 carb version with no snorkel style. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login the black paint has a bit more gloss for the cover and the valve covers to. The decal is also present at the front of the cover.
Another late build is this 1966 275 GTB 08497. It features an alloy body but originally white with a black interior; now something different as blue over tan. The motor was delivered with 3 carbs and now features six but for sadly for our purposes, no air cleaner cover! Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login also with the torque tube design making this alloy body long nose car an unusual combination of design features being delivered with 3 carbs originally.
The air cleaners were originally finished in satin black, with dull nickel screening (on non-snorkels). The ID tag is not a decal, it is a metal plate. Since the air cleaner top cover is reversible, the plate can appear at either the front or rear of the air cleaner, but the factory usually placed the cover so the plate was at the front. Some units have no plate, but a stamped ID number into the top cover.
thanks dyke a source for cold air like what the daytona has on its air box may have yielded a little more power?
Not saying absolute, but all the 330 GT 2+2 snorkelled air filters I have seen, including Series 2, are perfectly oval, without the cutout.
A pet hate of mine is seeing road, non competition cars, without their original, and needed air filters.
what you understand under "CUTOUT"? I remember that I often get hurt when changing the sparkplugs on a 330 GT that I get hurt from the sharp edge of the snorkels
You can see the 3 carb 275 GTB below has a cut out in the air filter box, probably to clear the distributor. Image Unavailable, Please Login ...whereas the 330 GT filter box below does not have the cut out and is perfectly oval. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Incorrect information in my post 11 here. Not absolute, but from what I have seen, only the early 330 GTC has the cut out in the corner of the air filter box, as shown in the Eurospares diagram below and the 330 GTC Owner's Manual. The 365 GTC does not have an air filter with the cut out. Image Unavailable, Please Login Early 330 GTC air filter box with cut out below. The top cover is different to that of a 3 carb 275 GTB air filter. Image Unavailable, Please Login Later 330 GTC air filter below without cut out. Image Unavailable, Please Login Last 330 GTC had air filters with a straight edge in the corner as the 365 GTC cars had. I have also seen a 365 GTC with a perfectly oval air filter without the straight edge in the corner. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Steve: I think you will find the paint finish did not vary. It is only the way people, over the years, have restored the air cleaners.
After @DWR46 kindly clued us in regarding the paint finish for the cover and the screen is there anyone who makes reproduction covers with the screen and the bottom piece as well to house the air cleaner? It seems some cars are missing these parts as Steve notes. Though this air cleaner assembly seems to be a part on the motor that liberties are taken with during a restoration. For example different shades of black and textures to. The metal ID plate sounds easy to do a replacement for? On one cover it was simply painted over when the rest of the cover was painted! How about a close up example of the metal ID plate, anyone? I can't recall air cleaners ever getting this much attention Steve
Parker Hall (now Motion products) makes some of the air cleaner ID plates. Also, as long as we are wasting our time on air cleaners, you will notice on late 330 and 365 snorkel units, as pictured in previous posts, the top cover has indentations that are oval in shape, and not round. This style used an "oval" shaped filter element that was greater in diameter than the previous "round" filters. My best guess is this was an attempt to address the larger engines need for more potential air flow so they made filters with more surface area.
From the 365 GT 2+2 Owner's Manual where the oval filters are seen below. Referred to in the Manual as Air Filter and Silencer. Image Unavailable, Please Login
and going a step further with this idea; when running without any air cleaner restriction did the motor run better or was the tune up changed to compensate for greater air flow?
CH: Difficult question to answer. The factory rarely used air cleaners on race cars, so they obviously believed the filters created some restriction in air flow. Based upon the filter technology of the time, I feel they were correct. As to changing jetting when running without the filters, that is more difficult. I have personally not found richer jets are needed when removing the air cleaners. In that era, Ferrari tended to jet their engines slightly rich, especially on the "top end" so as to not burn pistons during extended high speed running or on long straights found on European tracks. Today, on the dyno, with race gas, we almost always end up taking fuel away from the original factory jetting to make the most power. Also, today's fuels are so different from those of the 1950-60s. Basically, with American ethanol fuel today, we need about 14% more fuel by volume to equal the same mixtures as is was back then. However, as I mentioned earlier, the factory's rich jetting back then ends up about right for most street Ferrari's today.
Apologies for veering slightly off topic, but while we're obsessing over small (engine bay) details, I tend to find all the way too carefully placed coolant/heater hose decals/logos on many (restored) cars, regardless of model, almost pathetic/ridiculous. I doubt workers at the factory assembly line spent (wasted ?) time to make sure each hose manufacturers (print, not a decal) logo be clearly visible or used only hose sections with it/them in the “strategically” right position. I could see such practice perhaps originally afforded to Salon/Show examples, but it does give rather unnatural (unrealistic ?) appearance in production car(s).
Here is 275 GTB/C 09067's double decker air filter, and with only 2 nuts on the top cover. Pic RM Sotheby's Private Sales. Image Unavailable, Please Login 275 GTB/C's normally don't have any air filters and have the rearward facing scoops as 09027 below. Pic RM Sotheby's. Image Unavailable, Please Login Dyke's 275 GTB/C Cavallino article also shows an example with the double decker filter box. What is the reason for the double decker filter box? Are the scoops enclosed within or are there filter elements inside?
Steve: GTB/C #9000 series cars DO have air cleaners. The special "tall" air cleaner (with a single unique filter) is needed to clear the velocity stacks which are inside the air cleaner.
Thanks, Dyke. Are the #9000 series cars meant to run with the air cleaner all the time, rather than without it, as mostly seen? Were they all supplied by Ferrari with them? It's rare to see one with the air cleaner installed.