The Stovebolt Site Forums The Parking Lot Big Bolts 1959 261 cid air Air Cleaner?

Hi... I'm the proud new owner of a '59 Viking C60 with a 261 and a Rochester single barrel carb. The air cleaner that was in it when I bought it was a farm-fitted oversized John Deere job. I tried to replace it with an oil-bath cleaner, but it doesn't fit - the carb has a wider, shallower opening with a flange for the gasket, and a center stud for a shallow air cleaner. What should I look for to fit this carb?

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Here is the obvious (and perhaps useless) answer: you need an air cleaner that takes a center stud and has the same diameter hole in it's base as the diameter of the top of the carburetor.

Maybe someone will post what years match the 59 carburetor (probably at least 1958-1963)?

Different styles of air cleaners might use studs of different heights (an easy change).

You might want to place a Want Ad in the Swap Meet. Include the diameter of the mounting "flange" at the top of the throat of you carb.

I've got a 1959 261 in my truck. It has the air cleaner I can get measurements if you like but as tclederman wrote you'll have to just size it for your carb.
That was the first year for the 261 so it may have to locate that engine for the air cleaner engine. May be they increase carb size but I don't actually know. Or should try years 59+
Might try here for some info
http://chevy.oldcarmanualproject.com/

I have an oil bath air cleaner from a 1960 Viking with the 261. Requires a long stud to go through it to hold it to the carb. I could take some pics of it and e-mail them to you. If it will help.

I don't think any 59's had paper type filters. Is the airhorn the same size as the pickup's???
If you have a thread point in the airhorn the carburetor is most likely a Rochester BC unit, and that was used on cars. I see lots of them on trucks mainly because people seem to loose or toss the oil bath aircleaners. The model B carburetor has a pipe looking airhorn that the aircleaner clamps on to kinda like a fancy hose clamp of sorts. The stud is something that is part of the aircleaner and does not hold it to the carburetor. That is if you have the correct carburetor.

After rereading your post it sounds like you have a Car type BC carb on your truck.
If you get the correct carb the correct airfilter will fit.

Thanks for all the info. I looked at some Rochester BC images on Google, and I think you've got it right - a later car carburator, with a 2 5/8 fitting rather than the 2 5/16 the oil baths have.

If thats the case, did the car version use a paper filter? (I'd rather paper than oil.) Anyone know what make and model I might look for? I think I remember from researching the engine that some Potiacs used the 261.

Canadian Pontiacs used the 261 with hydraulic lifters. If it came with an automatic transmission, it probably had an automatic choke (the C in BC, I think). Didn't the car air cleaners have a cover that placed the filter to the side of the carbs (because of the lower hoods on cars)? At least some of the car carbs were oil bath.

Over the years of 235s and 261s, Rochester BC carbs came with different sized throats and with clamp-on or center-bolt air cleaners. They also came on some years/sizes of 54-63 trucks (maybe forward control and Hydra-Matic-equipped).

Are you looking for a center-post air cleaner or a clamp-on air cleaner (probably center post)?

After spending a lot of time looking for the correct air cleaner for the newer carb, I decided to see if my local wrecking yard had a Rochester that my oil bath air cleaner would fit. I picked up a rebuildable one for 10 bucks - problem solved.

Thanks for all your replies.

The 59 air cleaner had a fitting for a hose that comes from the valve cover. My truck had another air cleaner coming with it.
And it's without, so I need to drill a hole in this one.

Maybe my carb is also changed , therefore the fitting is not there... must check the numbers and measure the diameter