Topic: 68 289 air cleaner nuts & interior color !!

[mhubert89]

hi ,
i just restore my 289 air cleaner from my 68. can someone told me if the interior of the air cleaner is black, blue or something else ? the wings nut on the top stay natural color ?

[J_Speegle]

Wing nut on top is zinc (silver, clear or what ever your local platter wants to call it) At this moment can't remember if the snorkel to air cleaner base hardware is zinc or zinc dichromate.  Normally I see those with the CF head markings

[mhubert89]

Wing nut on top is zinc (silver, clear or what ever your local platter wants to call it) At this moment can't remember if the snorkel to air cleaner base hardware is zinc or zinc dichromate.  Normally I see those with the CF head markings

pefect thanks, and i paint my air cleaner bol blue , but inside the bol..wich color its suppose to be ? seen to be black originally ?

[Dudley]

My '68 289-2V from SJ May/June build looks like a blue interior, but either a mist of black was applied on top of the blue or turned black from perhaps use or age. The area inside the filter is blue, but the area outside the filter looks blackish over blue. Perhaps 11,500 miles of exposure to California smog??

[mhubert89]

My '68 289-2V from SJ May/June build looks like a blue interior, but either a mist of black was applied on top of the blue or turned black from perhaps use or age. The area inside the filter is blue, but the area outside the filter looks blackish over blue. Perhaps 11,500 miles of exposure to California smog??

yes mine i can see some black and somes gray ...thanks for your picture and times !

maybe its suppose to be black and some overspray blue when they paint the outside of the air cleaner

[Bob Gaines]

hi ,
i just restore my 289 air cleaner from my 68. can someone told me if the interior of the air cleaner is black, blue or something else ? the wings nut on the top stay natural color ?

The inside of the air cleaner was typically blacked out (over the blue) in the area from the inside ring of the air cleaner element to the carb opening. Some overspray in the area of where the air cleaner element sits (groove )suggests to me that a mask was used and you see blow out of the black outside the perimeter. Of course with the air cleaner element installed you don't see that. My caveat is that I have not seen all varieties of regular Mustang (Shelby's yes) air cleaner bases only enough to suggest to me that it was typical .Others may have seen different. Wing nuts are plated silver zinc or cad as Jeff wrote.

[mhubert89]

The inside of the air cleaner was typically blacked out (over the blue) in the area from the inside ring of the air cleaner element to the carb opening. Some overspray in the area of where the air cleaner element sits (groove )suggests to me that a mask was used and you see blow out of the black outside the perimeter. Of course with the air cleaner element installed you don't see that. My caveat is that I have not seen all varieties of regular Mustang (Shelby's yes) air cleaner bases only enough to suggest to me that it was typical .Others may have seen different. Wing nuts are plated silver zinc or cad as Jeff wrote.

perfect that's help a lot ! thanks

[J_Speegle]

No such thing as "California smog" in 68. By then it was a 50 state thing not a specific area/region. It was about the engine and/or transmission that year

[Dudley]

No such thing as "California smog" in 68. By then it was a 50 state thing not a specific area/region. It was about the engine and/or transmission that year

I was not being serious with that, just popped into my thoughts more as light humor for lack of a better reason, as evident that the black was not evident inside the snorkle leading up to the air cleaner's main body which is visible in the one picture. I thank the replies regarding the application of black being paint as I was curious if it was paint or deposits of some sort.

[mtinkham]

I would love to have heard the original discussions on the purpose for blacking out the inside of an air cleaner base.  Seems as though this expense could have been put to better use....like galvanizing or painting inside the cowl area!!

[J_Speegle]

I was not being serious with that, just popped into my thoughts more as light humor for lack of a better reason, as evident that the black was not evident inside the snorkle leading up to the air cleaner's main body which is visible in the one picture. I thank the replies regarding the application of black being paint as I was curious if it was paint or deposits of some sort.

OK now I understand - Then possibly backfires over the years of use

[Bob Gaines]

I would love to have heard the original discussions on the purpose for blacking out the inside of an air cleaner base.  Seems as though this expense could have been put to better use....like galvanizing or painting inside the cowl area!!

I had surmised the complete black out of the area was to make invisible the occasion backfire situations that would leave a black soot deposit in the area causing customer concern. Kind of like a similar effort of brush painting the top of the steering box so a consumer wouldn't see flash rust and be concerned or pinch weld painting so a consumer wouldn't see the normally jagged pinch weld on the rockers and be disappointed on quality. Just my take on the subject until I hear of something more plausable.

[jwc66k]

Most of the stock air cleaner housings I've seen were rusty on the inside. I glass bead blast them to get rid of the rust, but that process leads to more rust potential as there is no metal protection left. The next step is obvious, paint it. I use a light coat of flat black on the inside before I paint the outside blue (top and housing), and I don't care if there is a slight amount of blue overspray on the inside (you can't see it anyway). I think the snorkel and heat riser tube were dipped, at least on 65-66 Mustangs.
Jim

[jwc66k]

No such thing as "California smog" in 68. By then it was a 50 state thing not a specific area/region. It was about the engine and/or transmission that year

As this car is in Canada, two questions: did an Export car have different smog requirements; what is the DSO on this car?
Jim

[mhubert89]

Most of the stock air cleaner housings I've seen were rusty on the inside. I glass bead blast them to get rid of the rust, but that process leads to more rust potential as there is no metal protection left. The next step is obvious, paint it. I use a light coat of flat black on the inside before I paint the outside blue (top and housing), and I don't care if there is a slight amount of blue overspray on the inside (you can't see it anyway). I think the snorkel and heat riser tube were dipped, at least on 65-66 Mustangs.
Jim

perfect i will do this , tin coat of black for the inside ! thanks