This came with my old '67 C50, sitting in the bed It had a paper filter in a 60's ish housing on the engine. Thought I would clean it up and maybe use to display it in the garage with a few other oldies. Anyway, being all inquisitive it looks like it was modified at some point with a 3/8th copper tube brazed into the bottom bowel past the filter.Mod for PVC line maybe? Haven't seen this before...Would that be a reasonable conclusion? My memory as a kid working in a real DX service station is kind of dim.
I know on my oil bath air cleaner from a 1953 chev 216 motor, a Fram CA148 paper filter fits it pretty well. Just remove the metal framing inside the cleaner and replace with the paper filter. Just an idea...
-Patrick 1953 Chevrolet 3100 261 / 4-speed / 4:11 / Commercial Red
Should clarify a tad. It had a standard paper filter in the formally "dime a dozen" snorkel housing in the engine. The oil bath unit was under a pile of leaves on the flatbed. The old girl delivered new farm implements for years before retirement.
That 3/8 line is more than likely the fresh air intake for the PCV system...it's tapped into the fresh air side of the air cleaner. If not used I would just cap it off.