What is the most visible part in your engine compartment? Unless you have covered everything in chrome, the air cleaner is the first thing that catches your eye. If you're looking for help trying to find the correct breather for your performance car restoration, you've come to the right place. Most of the auto manufacturers had cool-looking air cleaners on top of their muscle engines; some just looked good, and some were actually designed with performance in mind.
In the beginning, Mopar air cleaners were bulky, but slowly they developed a more streamlined look. Keep in mind that even though several years of air cleaners look similar, they may have significant differences. There were subtle differences between models and model years for various reasons, such as accommodating new or revised accessories or solenoids, rerouting hoses, or improving airflow. Consider this a guide to finding that "correct" air cleaner for your Mopar.
The first year for the pie tin identification plate used on the HP engine air cleaners was 1967. All round four-barrel HP air cleaners from '67-'71-except for 273 types used with fresh air hoods-had the pie tin I.D. plate on the top. The I.D. plate simply rested on the lid of the air cleaner. The lids that received the I.D. plate had a dished area in the center that measured 5 inches across with a single hold-down stud that held the lid and I.D. plate to the carb.
(HINT) Be careful when hunting for the '67 440 HP type dual snorkel. There were versions made for other applications that looked similar, but did not have the larger 5-inch "dish" recessed in the lid to accept an engine I.D. pie tin like the HP versions used. Also, make sure it has the smaller 411/44-inch AFB carb opening and not the larger 5-inch AVS or Holley carb opening. In 1968, the big-block HP and the 340 engines started using the Carter AVS carburetors, which had a larger air cleaner base-to-carb opening than the previously used Carter AFBs. Some '68-'69 HP big-block C-Body cars with A/C use the '67-style dual snorkel air cleaner. Of course, these had the larger carb opening size for the AVS carburetor.
Starting in 1970, a significant change occurred. Small-block, big-block, and Hemi engines had the valve cover breather moved from the left side to the right side, and the PCV valve moved from the right side to the left side. How does this affect air cleaners? The nipple that allows the hose to connect the air cleaner to the valve-cover breather now faced towards the right side valve cover. Just another tip for spotting the air cleaner you are looking for. (FYI-right and left are determined as sitting in the driver's seat.)
All of the High Performance nonfresh-air cleaners used from 1972 to 1974 were painted orange.
On '55-'56 Chrysler 300s,...
On '55-'56 Chrysler 300s, you need to find the triangular-shaped "bat wing." These were used on top of the old-style Hemis featuring two four-barrel carbs.
On the '57 cars with the two...
On the '57 cars with the two four-barrel package, two small, oval, open-air cleaners (unsilenced) with filter elements facing the right and left sides of the vehicle-sort of like a prelude to cross rams-were used. The same air cleaners were used for Poly-head engines and the 392 Hemi.
From '58-'62 a pair of small...
From '58-'62 a pair of small oval football-shaped air cleaners were used on engines with the two inline four-barrel carbs.
On the wild-looking long ram...
On the wild-looking long ram intake (the one with the carbs hanging over the exhaust manifolds), a pair of low-profile, somewhat small, 11-inch round air cleaners were employed. These had two hold-down studs.
The one-piece intake used...
The one-piece intake used on the Max Wedge engines supported two staggered AFB carbs, and used two round, low-profile air cleaners.
The '63-'67 361 and 383 four-barrel...
The '63-'67 361 and 383 four-barrel cars had a small 11-inch round, 311/42-inch deep black "unsilenced" air cleaner. The '63-'65 versions didn't have a nipple for the PCV hose, while the '66-'67 versions did. "Unsilenced" meant that the air cleaner didn't seal to the base, leaving a gap that allowed more air in and carburetor noise out.
In '64 and '65, the 426 Wedge...
In '64 and '65, the 426 Wedge 365 horse engines were topped off with a large, round, unsilenced chrome air cleaner.
The '65-'67 273 High Performance...
The '65-'67 273 High Performance (HP) engines used a small round air cleaner that was the same as a '63-'66 big-block unit, only it was chrome and had an I.D. plate that read "Charger 273" for Dodge, or "Commando 273" for Plymouth.
The '66-'69 street Hemi had...
The '66-'69 street Hemi had the recognizable big round "chrome dome" assembly sitting atop its dual inline AFBs.