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The fibre material inside the oil bath air filter on my 1947 Clipper is getting pretty thin. I don't know what amount should be in the filter housing but it appears to be only about 2" thick and the filter housing could hold much more I am sure. I have noticed that the carburetor gets wet with the 50 wgt. oil so I assume the filter material is no longer sufficient and is being drawn up through the filtering material. It appears to be something like the material wood fibre "excelsior" used for packing but I doubt that it would withstand being soaked in oil. Does anyone know a suitable source of original or replacement product that could be used to augment what is still in the filter? It would have to be something which I could push up through the holes as the filter cannot be disassembled to access the filter material without grinding spot welds etc.

The material is kapok, a fiberous vegetable (tree) material common to Mexico and other similar climates. Google kapok and you'll learn more than you ever wanted to know. Don't know about sourcing it, some folks have filled the space with "Chore Girl" woven brass or bronze kitchen pads but of course that doesn't have the same absorbitivity as kapok. I've also heard that shredded coconut husk is a good alternative.

Unknown about finding the original coarse kapok material as all I've seen advertised seems to be a fine cotton like stuff used as insulation. Some have mentioned using the copper mesh such as found in kitchen pot scrubbers.

I personally wouldn't consider the Chore Girl copper mesh as a good substitute for the oil bath though it is similar to what was used in the non-oil bath filters (the oil-wetted mesh).

Kapok was also used for decades and decades as the boyant filler for marine life preservers, I'd bet (though not heavily) that there is still a source for it to be found somewhere. You don't want the "cotton" from the seed pods, you want the fiber thats from the bark of the tree I believe.

PS - I just googled kapok fiber and find it's commercially available, sourced from Indonesia, though it seems it's the cotton for upholstery padding and the like. Perhaps searching a bit further....or go out and buy a coconut.

Thanks for the help. I shouldn't have tossed out my dads' old "Mae West" he brought back from WW2!

clipper47, until you can find the air filter element material you seek, try what I did: Replaced the component with a modern pleated paper element. A Purolator A30057 or equivalent will work. I did the same with the 37 Six. I do not like messing with those oil bath air cleaners. The new pleated paper type are as efficient (or more) in filtering with less restriction.

Also, you may be interested to know that the Clipper is now full of coolant. I filled the system today with two gallons of full strength anti-freeze and three gallons of purified (reverse osmosis) water. Much less expensive than the 50-50 mixture that is sold for the same price as the full strength.

(o {I} o)

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John, Thanks for this. I was going to ask about replacing the oil bath with a paper filter but you beat me to it.Also thanks for the update on the cooling system rebuild.

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Dave, the pleated paper element replaces the part that has the Kapoc material. No cutting, bending, or drilling. Just lift out the old part, clean out the oil, and install the new type filter. Stock looking from the outside, modern in the inside. More efficient filtering, less air resistance, and easier to maintain. What's not to like? I kept my old filter part, wrapped it in a plastic bag and put it with accumulating spare parts.

(o {I} o)