My first sports car, an Austin Healey 100M (LeMans replica), had a cold air
box for the trusty SU carbs. The model ran well at LeMans in 1955 I think.
AFAICR it was just a rectangular aluminum box with ducting from the right
(nearside as opposed to farside) wheel well.
Dave Mericle
Leucadia, CA BEACH-N-RIDES
Simon Favre wrote:
> To look at some good examples of successful race cars that used them
> back then, look under the hood of an Alfa GTA or better yet, a TZ.
> The earlier Giulietta Spider Veloces had cold air induction, but the
> path was more convoluted than on a GTA or TZ. The Spider had filtration
> but the GTA and TZ did not, AFAIK.
>
> My Bourgeault Formula Junior has one. The box tapers in toward the rear
> and each carb throat has a brass velo stack on it inside the box. The
> intake originally came from a tube that went thru the cockpit to the
> wheel well in front. This only had a screen for filtration, and also
> made the process of pulling the cockpit section a pain. I took out the
> tube and fitted a K&N inside the cockpit. The air intake is still cold,
> but it doesn't get any ram effect. The seal between the airbox and the
> float chamber was not ideal, so I think I'm better off. Most of the
> later Formula Juniors just had velo stacks sticking out the side of the
> car. I've been meaning to try building a cylindrical box around a K&N
> and fitting a tube back up to the wheel well to try the ram effect
> again. The access to the carb bodies is unrestricted. Access to the
> venturis, velo stacks, etc. is through a cover plate bolted onto the
> air box. Captive nuts in the box and button head screws thru the plate
> hold it on. The whole thing is quite a work of art, typical of
> Bourgeault.
>
> "Jack W. Drews" wrote:
> >
> > Everything I read and am told by "experts" says that supplying cold air
> > to carburetors results in more horsepower. I notice, however, that
> > almost no one uses one. I'm thinking of building one that will also
> > allow ease of opening for the frequent attention those sice-draft carbs
> > seem to need.
> >
> > In a never-ceasing interest in engineering my way to the back of the
> > pack,
> >
> > 1) anybody else use one?
> >
> > 2) what design flaws should I avoid?
> >
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