Topic: Opening Shaker Hood Scoop

[Squirrel]

Lol sorry eroc I misunderstood. And that's exactly what I was wanting to know squirrel. Thanks. If you could say just how you did it step by step id appreciate it :-)

a steady hand with your dremel tool, cut along the edge lines(i used the drill bit looking attachment here) and smooth down after with dremel(used a wider attachment with sand paper texture for this).  touch up the paint.  bought the pre cut screen off ebay for less than 20 bucks and installed with jb weld, done.

brett ran a dyno with and without open shaker and noticed 6hp gain.  looks the way it should have came from the factory.

[Burd Turd]

The stock 542 ac deldo air filter is listed as a ram air filter. it's disco'd, but you can find them. it has an oiled element around the air filter to catch most of the dirt before it gets to the filter, looks like a humidifier element. I stashed 2 years ago, you can wash and re-oil them for maint.

[Grand73Am]

well the plastic hose for the front "ram air" is going to slow the air flow down a lot. If it was one of the pipe cold air intake style then it would actually be doing some good. If you open your shaker and use a use a filter that has the filter lid also then you should really get some good air flow. Have to remember that it is actually sucking air it so all you have to do is make sure the cold air is getting to the carb and not that you really have to force it there.

I don't think the air is going to slow down because of the plastic hose. The air will be forced into the front ducting as you drive and build pressure inside the air cleaner. It's really not a matter of air speed as it is of pressure. Sure, the engine sucks air... even standing still, but having pressurized air is a power benefit or there'd be no need for ram-air setups.

[Grand73Am]

a steady hand with your dremel tool, cut along the edge lines(i used the drill bit looking attachment here) and smooth down after with dremel(used a wider attachment with sand paper texture for this).  touch up the paint.  bought the pre cut screen off ebay for less than 20 bucks and installed with jb weld, done.

brett ran a dyno with and without open shaker and noticed 6hp gain.  looks the way it should have came from the factory.

Your shaker really does look great and that, along with the different sound it makes, may make it worthwhile.

As for the 6hp gain on the dyno, that doesn't relate to a power increase in actual driving use. The 6hp gain on the dyno only applies to an engine sitting stationary on a dyno, or to a car that's not moving. So it's not comparing horsepower to a car with a closed shaker driving down the road benefiting from the extra power gained from air being pushed into the air cleaner ducting at the front of the fender, creating the ram-air effect with air pressure building inside the air cleaner. The faster you go, the more pressure is created. I suspect in a driving situation, horsepower is actually lost with an open shaker since the air is just allowed to escape out the rear of the shaker, instead of being forced into the carb.
So, I think to really know if there's a difference in hp when driving the car, another method of testing would be necessary...like a day at the track swapping shakers and comparing timeslips over multiple runs to see if a definite advantage shows up one way or the other .

[Squirrel]

all i know is my car was tons faster after cutting open the shaker, ripped a dual burnout about 50' then
stopped for some cheese coneys. 

JK of course...

[Grand73Am]

Joking about the cheese coneys or the burnout  .

Did you have the air cleaner ducting all in place before opening the shaker? I ask because so many cars don't have the ducts connected up, so aren't benefitting from having functional air ducting as it is. Then I could see opening the shaker would help to get better air to the carb.

But, if you did have all your ducting in place and, after opening your shaker, you had noticeably more performance, then that is a good indication that opening the shaker worked for you. Of course sometimes it's just that it feels more powerful, so can be kind of a subjective thing. It'd be nice to see some track times to see some provable improvement at speed.

But you've given me the idea to try it out on my own cars. I have an opened shaker I can swap on and see if I feel a difference too...and maybe get me some cheese coneys, whatever those are  .

[NWW-79 T/A]

I got to looking at my shaker and noticed there's no need for cutting. The 73-76 scoop has three rivets that you drill out and you can chunk the plate. I found a 73-76 screen on ebay. These year shakers are larger and stick further from the hood than the 77-81 so if you saw an increase in hp maybe i'll have a pretty substantial one. Thanks for the help :-)

[Burd Turd]

I try to get into the low 11's on the way to get an icecream.

[Squirrel]

i have tried several combinations and they are all about the same.  i have two air cleaners, one with the air horn off and sealed over and one in stock configuration, it's all the same but i like the way it looks with the shaker open.

i did rip that burnout but that was after i got 3.42 rear gears installed, ask dew, i will never forget it.  first time i nailed it threw us sideways, the second time i gripped hard and nothing but smoke and long stripes of brand new 255 bf goodrich tires on the concrete.

come to cincy for the cheese coneys, we are known for it, skyline, gold star, and about 30 others.

[NWW-79 T/A]

One last question, if its opened do you need a filter for the shaker?

[Grand73Am]

Of course, you have to have the air filter inside the air cleaner. But, for the scoop opening, people usually do like Squirrel did and install some kind of screen to keep leaves and whatever other debris out of the air cleaner. You don't have to, but some trash might get inside the air cleaner housing. Not a big deal if you open it up once in a while and clean the air cleaner base out.

[NWW-79 T/A]

K

[hada76]

I've wondered about the perceived benefits of an open shaker. Seems to me if you have your front air cleaner ducts connected, you get good air from the front of the car, forced into the air cleaner where, when the shaker is closed, the air is forced into the air cleaner, creating a ram air effect. If you open the air cleaner, seems like you'd lose the ram air effect since the air can just blow out the back of the scoop. So, might actually lose power.

there always seems to be some question as to the benifit of cool air induction.  personally i dont think there is any question its beneficial. to get the true effect of the open shaker i sealed off all other openings on my air cleaner base so the only air source is the scoop. the sound of the air rushing in at idle is only surpassed by the WOT growl

[NWW-79 T/A]

Would driving on a rainy day with an open shaker be ok? I mean, im sure people did when they were open from factory.

[AussieTATA]

I try to get into the low 11's on the way to get an icecream.

Lol!!