Carburator Air Control System

[WARVET]

Ok, so I'm looking through my assembly manual yesterday and I come across a part called the Carburator Air Control Seal. I'm looking at the picture thinking..."I've never seen this before". So I go looking in the hood, and guess what...I find the Carb Air Control.

Now I'm hoping that all of the guru's here will tell me if I'm wrong, but I want clean - cool air going into that carb so I removed the mechanizm and replaced the plastic frame so now the air can flow directly from the back of the hood into the air cleaner. IMO the engine was being choked before with only the little openings inside the engine compartment for air.

Comments?

Anyone heard of this thing? Was it for emissions?

 

[Bill75]

When you press the pedal to the floor a switch connected to the gas pedal is closed activating a solinoid which opens up the door in the rear of the hood allowing the additional air required by the 4 bbl to enter the carb. Normally there's a rubber gasket that seals the top of the carb to the bottom of the hood to allow the passage of this additional air directly to the carb. Under normal driving conditions, the engine breathes thru the openings in the air cleaner.

It has nothing to do with emissions, just gizmo gagetry.

 

[Vettehead Mikey]

It has nothing to do with emissions, just gizmo gagetry.

That's the truth! And pretty poor gadgetry at that. Even with the door permanently removed, it's much easier for the engine to 'suck' air through the two openings in the air filter housing than it is through the hood ducting.

I read on another forum about a guy in Miami that went to the trouble of building a dedicated fresh air housing and instrumented it to measure temperature drop. He got only a few degrees benefit, not enough extra HP to offset the extra weight of the ducting.

It won't hurt removing the door, just won't help anything.

 

[WARVET]

I'm guessing that at speed - a lower pressure is created near the windshield and then some cool air might get in, but I agree that normal driving the two opening in the cleaner will get most of the air into the carb.

It's gotta be better with the door off, even if it only reduces the wieght by 2lbs.