A while back, we found another site (if I can ever find it again, I’ll post the link) where they had converted the original horse-hair air filter (which was prone to catching on fire!) so that it could use a modern-style air filter. We thought this was a great idea, so we tried it ourselves, and were very pleased with the results.
March 7th, 2010 at 6:13 am
If you are running the original 239 flathead you should know that they used an oil bath air filter. This provided vital cooling and lubrication for the valves. You will find many examples of flatheads running aftermarket air filters. They also bend valves easily and shorten engine life. I suspect your original filter was an empty oil bath filter. They take a single quart of oil and should be emptied and refilled with clean oil periodically. I have owned a 51 f2 since 1975. I got a lot of good advice back then when this stuff already looked foreign. Also, you may be plagued by a fuel problem when going uphill or under load. The fuel pump is driven by a pushrod which wears down over time. This causes a critically short fuel pump stroke. For overall durability these trucks far exceed the f1. Good luck and enjoy. ED