Strange Air Cleaner Element

Here’s an interesting one. I was standing around in the shed procrastinating, as I’m sure we all do, when I got to thinking about how I could get a Uni Filter into a CB filter housing, for that stock look but with 100% filtration. I fished out my two CB air cleaners, one from my car and another I got with a CB stash I found earlier this year. (I found a front bonnet lid, F125 motor with a sump protection grille, and this air cleaner).
Anyway, when I opened up the “new” one I find the primary filter missing and this paper element in there. It’s just pushed over the end of the inlet tube. As you will know the air comes in down the middle to the oil bath, then up the sides and out. This would have been completely useless as it has a 10mm hole in the other end that wasn’t covered, and of course once it got wet with oil it wouldn’t have flowed any air so just choked the engine. People do some strange things.
As for the Uni Filter in the CB air cleaner housing, well that’s for another day, haven’t worked it out yet. Nothing’s impossible eh? I’ll let you all know.
Have a good Christmas
Tony

Hi

VW Australia sold Australian made filters to replace the oil bath filters in the 1970s on Kombis and Beetles, not sure if they made them for Type 3s. I think Ryco made them, they are no longer available.

Steve

Tony,
Have to agree with you re the usefulness of the paper filter against the traditional oil bath. There were so many stories about cooked CB engines many being the result of incorrect filters, oily and muddy fins. Many people reckoned it was the fact that the air intake on the filter was facing the rear "firewall" so they cut an additional hole in the firewall to try and get extra clean air.
Ryco was the favoured supplier in the 70s whether it be the correct cartridge or not.
How was the F125 motor that you salvaged- was it cooked.?
countrybuggybill

Steve
I read your response and I thought, why haven’t I seen one of those? So over Xmas I’m at an old stash of VW parts I bought at a clearing sale back in the early 80s (see http://forums.aussieveedubbers.com/viewtopic.php?tid=94576) and there’s a strange air filter. There are no markings on the metal parts but when I get it apart I see the element has “Bendix Filter made for Volkswagen Australia” on it, so I think this is what you are talking about. It has “ripples” of oily dust in the filter end of the elbow so the engine it was on was breathing and dusted, as you would expect from a paper element filter, the rear of a VW on a dirt road is a very dusty place. It looks to me as though it would hang to the left side of a single port engine and probably was supported from a triangular bracket using the coil mounting bolts. If you put it to the right side it’s support bracket tab is out in no mans land. It won’t fit a twin port unfortunately, hits on the manifold. Thanks for the tip Steve.

Bill
What do you think, is this a new “accessory” you now have to look for so you can say you “have them all”? In answer to your other question, yes the F125 is “cooked”. It came with all the correct CB parts, sump grille, crank nut, flip up breast plate with no holes, no heater fan housing, 6V 200mm flywheel, and 2 of the exhaust “bends” pulled out of the boxes. The dipstick was very wet. I made a terrible mess washing the water and sludge out of the sump and getting some kerro in there. She’s probably all rusted up inside. Not a big issue, I never intended to use an F case anyway, but as with all restorations you have to have the original somewhere, regardless of condition, so you can say it’s all “authentic” eh?

Cheers
Tony

Hi Tony

So Bendix made them, I thought it might have been Ryco.

The one they made for Beetles actually replaced the whole top of the air cleaner with a plastic top.

Steve