And here's our starting point;...
And here's our starting point; a typical second-gen engine bay.
Engines are nothing more than elaborate air pumps, and as such they rely on a steady supply of air and fuel. The fuel side is fairly straightforward, but often times an engine's potential is choked down by an inadequate supply of air. Another issue is the design of the carburetor-topped engine, which lends itself to drawing in the hot air that rises up directly over an operating engine.
Spectre Performance saw these deficiencies and decided to design a simple-to-install kit that would help feed hungry V-8 mills with not only more air, but air that is cooler and thus better for churning out power. For lower horsepower cars they offer a system that utilizes a single intake tube and filter. For more powerful mills they also sell a system with dual intake tubes and filters. In both kits the filter is relocated from the hot area directly above the carb to the far front corners of the engine bay. We should note that most engines really won't see a benefit from the increase in air flow since the air supplied by a typical round air filter is sufficient. However, all engines should see a significant gain from being fed cooler air.
To make room for the new air...
To make room for the new air intake system we needed to ditch or relocate several items like the coolant overflow tank. We also removed the windshield washer tank on the driver side, but considering the tank wasn't being used, it was no big deal.
And here's the engine bay...
And here's the engine bay with everything removed and out of the way.
The first part to be installed...
The first part to be installed was the low-profile dual-feed intake. No drama here as it bolts on just like a traditional round air intake
Next to go in were the two...
Next to go in were the two intake tubes. The kit included all the hardware such as the hose clamps and coupler hoses, so this was a snap to do.
The one major item that was...
The one major item that was in the way was the battery. The solution was to relocate it to the trunk were all batteries should be mounted anyway.
The Spectre kit (PN 900172)...
The Spectre kit (PN 900172) includes the low-profile dual-plenum intake, two intake tubes, two heat shields, two conical high-flow filters, and all the hardware needed for installation.
The next part was the air...
The next part was the air intake partitions. In addition to supporting the air intake tubes, these also help wall off the filters from engine bay heat.
We then installed the passenger-side...
We then installed the passenger-side air filter in the void previously occupied by the Optima battery. Spectre rates these filters at 1600 cfm each, whereas their hpR 14x3-inch round filter is rated at 1330 cfm.
And here's the finished air...
And here's the finished air box section. The block off panel is secured in place by the fender brace so no additional holes need to be drilled. This is great for guys who might want to go back to stock at some point.
After repeating the above...
After repeating the above steps on the driver side, this was the end result. The Spectre system certainly gives the old small-block a more high-tech look, and the twin filters will easily supply the carb with plenty of cooler air.
Here's a dyno graph provided...
Here's a dyno graph provided to us by Spectre. The system made more power all the way across the curve, but most notably in the mid-range area. Peak power went from 297 to 319 hp (a gain of 22). Peak torque was up only 9 lb-ft, but the average torque across the pull was up 13 lb-ft.