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As time passes and the air filters for our S.U. carbs get harder to find and more expensive, I think it's time to start thinking about making permanent replacements for them.
As many of you already know, I threw out my stock S.U. HS6 air filters more than a year ago. It took very little work or money to make nice(r) replacements for them.
Initially I gutted the stock filters, cleaned up the front and back plates, and installed two 6" round filters I made by cutting one taller FRAM filter in two.
This worked OK, especially after I painted the metal covers to match my car's body color.
Later on I bought two Spector chromed air filter assemblies that use a 6-3/8" filter element. These filter assenblies are available at nearly any parts store for under $15 each.
These are secured with one center bolt, so I had to make a 'bridge' to allow me to use just one center bolt vs. the two that S.U. requires.
The only other obstacle was the backing plate with the 5" center hole that came with the new filters.
I used the rear covers from the original filters and cut the raised outer rim off them. Then I cut the ring flange from the center of the new backing plate so I had two flat pieces of sheet metal to join to make a rear backing plate that would fit the S.U. and the new, larger filter element.
In my case, I braized the two pieces together, but pop rivets would have worked equally well.
I ended up with nice chromed air filters that accept any round 6-3/8" element. The Spector filter are only a couple of dollars each, so until they decide to stop making them, I have a good source of quality, inexpensive filters.
When or if those elements become hard to find, I'll probably go K&N.
Steve
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