I've got a 66 El Camino that I bought in pieces
(rolling chassis + parts) last year. I'm still planning out what I want to
do with it, and one of the things I'm considering is cold air
induction. I'd like to do something like the Rudisill cowl plenum through
the firewall so I don't have to get a new hood, but I don't like the looks
of the duct hanging off the side.
I'd rather go straight back from the air
cleaner to the firewall using something like the Ramair box, which is an air
cleaner with a 17" x 3" duct coming straight off the back. There doesn't
appear to be much on the firewall directly behind the air cleaner on a 66
except the distributor and a wiring duct. However, when I looked at the
center of the firewall on the 66, I noticed that the cowl space on the
dash side doesn't have enough room for a 17" x 3" hole without
cutting into the driving compartment. I certainly don't want my engine
sucking air from there. When I look at the location of the sheet metal under
the dash area that forms the bottom of the cowl area, it looks like it could
be cut out and moved down to accommodate the 17" x 3" duct hole without
interfering with the heating ducts or other under-dash items. But I can't be
sure with the car torn apart. Interestingly, the offending sheet metal moves
down as you move away from the center of the firewall, making room for a
cowl duct on the right side of the car (where the Rudisill duct
goes).
So I'm looking for some opinions from the list,
especially those that have a 66 Elky or Chevelle.
1) Is there some reason why you couldn't move
the sheet metal that forms the bottom of the cowl area down to make room for
a 17" x 3" hole through the firewall? (a structural reason, or interference
with things in the dash area)
2) Is this too much trouble to keep the engine
compartment clean and have cold air? The car is already torn apart, so now
is the time to do it.
I apologize if the explanation of the problem
is not clear.
Tom Tomlinson
'71 Malibu
'66 El
Camino
