Fresh air duct installation on BN6

[BrettBBonner]

Help! I can't seem to get on the fresh air duct on my BN6 at the firewall. Is there a trick here? I don't want to remove the fender. The car was just painted and I don't want to deal with painted bolts and all.

 

[Keoke]

Hi Bret, aside from tons of patience , making slight cuts around the duct to establish a flair will help.I have a spare Firewall flange which I use to create the flair and engage the airducting with the flange at the fire wall.Fwiw---Keoke.

 

[BrettBBonner]

And besided the spare flange and the small cuts, can you use standard 4" dryer ducting? Is there a special type of ducting that makes this job easier?

I understand you can't get the original paper coated stuff anyway.

 

[Dave Russell]

Moss now has some very close reproductions of the original type hoses. # 456-130. Plastic or metal dryer duct doesn't look very original, if it matters.
D

 

[Mac]

Small cuts help but also remove the air cleaners and carb's for added room. Lay a blanket over the engine and lay on it facing to the rear and yes, order up extra patience. Once you get it on then the next challenge will be to tighten the clamp. It can be done, just takes time and sometimes lots of it. I wouldn't use dryer ducting or anything like that, looks bad. The Moss duct material looks good but is much tougher to install since it is not very flexible. Good luck. Mac

 

[GregW]

Hi Brett,
If you haven’t bought the ducting yet, take a look at this. Tom's Import Toys Since it’s made of rubber it may stretch onto the flange easier. Maybe call and ask. I have the Moss ducting. I had trouble with it unraveling when installing but it looks original.

Good Luck

 

[Keoke]

Hi Bret, /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif I do not think any material is available that makes the job easier.However, part of the trick is to compress the Paper tube material as much as possible assuring you still have the proper length. Then when you get it to fit over the flange expand it again. This will prevent the tube from unraveling if its of reasonable quality and hold the tube inplace while you tighten the clamp.--Fwiw---Keoke

 

[tahoe healey]

I used the blue masking tape on the ends to prevent the unraveling and tearing. And I used some WD40 to help it slid on easier applied using a soaked rag. WD 40 evaporates and does not stain and the tape can be torn off (tape only across the end - if you go around it makes the fit even tighter) It was not easy on my BJ8.

 

[bob hughes]

I came up with an idea, and have seen a derivative of it on a car in my local Healey garage, but have not tried making one yet. It envolves the making of a collar or transition piece that fits into the duct on the work bench and then slips over the spigot on the bulk head, the seal is made by a rubber ring held in a rolled groove on the socket end of the transition piece.
Bill Rawles made something similar for a modified Healey, he made a reducing section by forming a cap in steel by welding up a collar in 1 inch to 1 1/2 inch wide steel to be a reasonable fit over the spigot, then capping it with a circle of plate then installing a reducing offset section into the plate to take a 2 inch diameter air hose. It was easier to assemble into the car than the traditional ducting. Otherwise plenty of care and patience is required as outlined in the other comments, flaring the end helps a great deal but make sure that you maintain the cicle and do not forget to slip the clip on to the duct first. In my eagerness to install ducting on my first car, I forgot and had to remove all and start again. arrrrgh.

Good luck

Bob
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cheers.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/england.gif

 

[Johnny]

The correct air duct is available. Try British Car Specialists in CA. The type of hose is actually used in pipe organs. Ask any organist. On my BN7 the ducting passed thru the firewall (had to soap it up to work in). Also used soapy water and petroleum jelly to slip over heater core inside, worked pretty well and didn't distort the air duct.

 

[Keoke]

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/savewave.gif
Johnny, they are working on the other side of the car.---Keoke--- /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Randy Forbes]

[ QUOTE ]
And besided the spare flange and the small cuts, can you use standard 4" dryer ducting? Is there a special type of ducting that makes this job easier?

I understand you can't get the original paper coated stuff anyway.

[/ QUOTE ]
The plastic variety breaks down and falls apart over time.

I used the Moss type on a BJ8 while the fender was off; highly recommended!

On my own car (a BN6) Paul Tsikuris removed my crumbling vent tube and continued to assemble the bodywork without using the forethought to replace the duct (just one of my gripes __remember the engine turned dashboard they polished off the face of the earth?__).

I ordered some silicone duct from Pegasus Racing (comes in 6 or 10 foot lengths) and other than threading it around the portion of my rollcage that extends from the side of the bulkhead to the front suspension, it wasn't that hard to install. Much more flexible that the "original" variety, doesn't unravel and does have a stiff spiral wire for support.