Air Maze

D

Dave Mellor NJ

Well-known member
Never knew it was Ford stock. It has a number in the parts book
 

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And despite the fact that Ford sold them, half the folks on this forum will tell you that rare NOS air maze filter should be thrown in the trash because “Ford never intended for them to have an air filter”. :)
 
thodge said:
and despite the fact that ford sold them, half the folks on this forum will tell you that rare nos air maze filter should be thrown in the trash because “ford never intended for them to have an air filter”. :)
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👍👍👍
 
In my opinion if you are using engine pans and donot ride on dirt roads the air maze is not needed.
 
Whether the mesh on an Air Maze filters anything smaller than a young child is indeed debatable, but my engine is noticeably quieter at road speed with it installed. That’s compelling to me.
 
JayJay said:
Whether the mesh on an Air Maze filters anything smaller than a young child is indeed debatable, but my engine is noticeably quieter at road speed with it installed. That’s compelling to me.
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My memory is foggy but I think the Model B added a piece on the carb intake that was a filter but also specifically designed to reduce engine noise.
 
If you oil the element and let it dry, it accumulates a lot of dirt. I'd rather clean the filter periodically than run that all through my engine. I use an original AirMaze my grandfather put on his A. The new paper element filters would be better, especially if you position them "upright" so they don't get gas soaked when overchoking the engine. And, NO, it doesn't make my engine run rich.
 
In 1929 Henry Ford patented his idea for an "Air Cleaner" for the Ford Model A Zenith carburetor .....though that idea never made it into production.

Here are the drawings for Henry Ford's 1929 "Air Cleaner" patent:

554597


Brad in Maryland





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IMO, whether Henry intended the Model A to have an air cleaner or not is moot. What matters is: Is the engine better off with one fitted? The answer is a resounding YES so I use one.
By the time the Model A came on the market, many of the other manufacturers were fitting them and within a few years, I doubt any weren't Can you imagine any modern car maker not fitting one?
 
The original Air Maze Filters I have had consist of wire mesh screens, not paper air filters. Accessories are listed in the July 1, 1931 Parts Price List starting on Page 47. The A-18500 Air Filter is listed on Page 48. Thanks for posting the original box.
 
Don't put one on a Tillotson. When you snug the bolt down to hold it, it will slightly depress the air intake on the aluminum carb (or pot metal or whatever it is made of) and will eventually wiggle it's way off and you will lose it out on the open road.

That happened to me years ago.

I would only use a repo Air Maze I wouldn't use that original it is too rare!! That way if it falls off, who cares:)
 
JayJay said:
Whether the mesh on an Air Maze filters anything smaller than a young child is indeed debatable, but my engine is noticeably quieter at road speed with it installed. That’s compelling to me.
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For many years, old timers referred to any air filter on an engine as a "silencer".

It noticeably reduces the hissing sound coming out of the carb on a running engine (especially a big engine with a big carb on top).
 
my double venturi "early" carburetor makes that same hissing sound, very obvious to my passengers and contributes to the original sounds and smells of these antiques, why do so many folks want a 90 year old car to sound and drive like a modern ?
 
Tom F OHIO said:
I heard years ago that the air maze could cause a fire is this not true?
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If you substitute a paper filter for the steel mesh, and your carburetor leaks fuel into the inlet and gets absorbed by the filter, then you have something that will catch fire easily. It won’t cause a fire per se (it’s a fuel reservoir, not an ignition source) but it’s not a healthy situation - fuel very close to a hot exhaust manifold. Some folks install their paper-filter Air Maze pointing upwards so the fuel drips down rather than accumulating in the paper filter.
 
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