The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk Oil Bath Air Cleaner?

Just got my first "old truck".... a '62 Chevy Stepside with a 235.

I'm wondering about this oil bath air cleaner though. I was thinking about swapping it out for a regular modern day paper filter. Is there anything I should be concerned about before I do that?


[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/0803/bloody_hammer/Odds%20and%20Ends/62chevy.jpg[/img]

Nice truck & welcome to the 'bolt. Oil bath filter questions are asked a LOT. Use this & you'll turn up more info than you can shake a stick at. I prefer and use a dry element.

I would use the dry type also. Keep the oil bath for show. It is nostalgic.

And. it's a very good air filtering device (50 wt oil to the fill line).

Beautiful truck man....but for God's sake....get that back bumper offa there! It's killin me!!!

The oil bath filter is highly effective for dusty areas. Just rinsing out the element with kerosene or solvent is relativley easy and you never need to buy a replacement. A couple farmers I knew in Wyo told me they were essential for the field trucks/tractors.

If you decide on a paper filter, I would BE SURE to get one that is the least restrictive you can find. Some of the paper filters (cheap) are so restrictive they actually simiulate choking the engine, causing the engine to run rich and eventually causing a loss in fuel milage.

Joe

Personally I'd keep the oil bath cleaner,It's really a good cleaner in my opinion.Easy to clean.I have a friend who took off his on a volkswagon then mt st helens blew.Ate his motor up with all the ash.Yes he installed a paper filter.The mechanics told him it would have better to leave the oil bath on as it would have been better filter for this.I know thats extreme dust but I think it would have been better also.Why do you suppose they put them on farm equipment?All the dust?just my opinion, Tom

but.... i don't live on a farm.

I personally think that an oil bath is an OK filtering device. They can be a little messy. Paper filters are much more convenient and work well.

I would say that whether you go with a paper element or the original oil bath, you will do just fine.

Paper filter-more convenient
Oil bath-more original
Which do you prefer? Personally, I can put up with the inconvenience of occasionally cleaning the oil bath filter for the originality and uniqueness. It's funny that people with modern cars and their paper filters think an oiled reusable filter, K&N, is an improvement, while we're discussing whether or not a paper filter would be an improvement.

Personally, I don't see a difference (performance-wise) in normal, every day use. Oil bath seems to be better with dusty environments, though.

My grandfather swears by the oil bath setup -- he's been using them since time immemorial (or the late 1930's... I'm not sure ).

Personally, I like paper filters because they're not messy, but I don't have a problem running the oil bath that is in the truck.

Someone here once wrote "keep the oil bath, you may need the extra oil some day". I thought that was nuts, but I can't tell you how many times I've gone to the well to retrieve oil for various applications.

I like the oil bath filter on my '51 1300.With little effort they are easy to clean and not too messy if you organize yourself.It's part of owning one of these great trucks.

from Lumbergh So true on the K and N air filter....quite a few people use em and swear by em on a daily basis with all modern motors available....nuthin new under the sun fer sure....