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My Fiat engine has its original single Weber Carb fitted. The bonnet shaped the way it is means at full throttle the underside of the bonnet gets sucked onto the air filter and starves the engine of air. So at a certain rev it gets a flat spot. To overcome this I have always figured I could make a custom made Plenum chamber to fit directly onto the carb & cold air feed silicone hose / tube assembly to take cold air from beneath the engine. Not ideal because the air would not go directly into the carb but come sideways and then in the plenum it'd go 'up and over the wall' before supplying the air. I don't know how much of a difference this would make but it'd have to be better than what I have at the moment.
I have always frowned on the idea of open heart surgery on the Bonnet and fitting a cowl or air scoop - because I've thought it'd detract from the look of the car; it looks like an old fashioned 1930's Alfa - but fitting a scoop might make it look a bit too 'modded'. Add to that was my concern that were I to get caught in the rain - could water make its way into the air feed? Then what would I do about a filter; where would the filter be positioned? Obviously it would work infinitely more efficient to have a scoop directing air straight into the carb but when I looked into this years ago I read something somewhere about the 'best air' to be had was immediately forward of the windscreen and not on the bonnet at all; can't remember why now. So asking those of you that have fitted a scoop/cowl - how did you find it performed & what about the filter set up and what about rainwater? I know there are 'reverse scoops' which would have less of an issue with rainwater but to my mind - a reverse cowl wouldn't perform as well as a forward cowl?
In similar cases - what have others done about their engine breathing?
Thanks for your input
I have always frowned on the idea of open heart surgery on the Bonnet and fitting a cowl or air scoop - because I've thought it'd detract from the look of the car; it looks like an old fashioned 1930's Alfa - but fitting a scoop might make it look a bit too 'modded'. Add to that was my concern that were I to get caught in the rain - could water make its way into the air feed? Then what would I do about a filter; where would the filter be positioned? Obviously it would work infinitely more efficient to have a scoop directing air straight into the carb but when I looked into this years ago I read something somewhere about the 'best air' to be had was immediately forward of the windscreen and not on the bonnet at all; can't remember why now. So asking those of you that have fitted a scoop/cowl - how did you find it performed & what about the filter set up and what about rainwater? I know there are 'reverse scoops' which would have less of an issue with rainwater but to my mind - a reverse cowl wouldn't perform as well as a forward cowl?
In similar cases - what have others done about their engine breathing?
Thanks for your input