Hi, I am new here. I just bought a 1963 Plymouth Valiant Signet 200. It is all original and I want to keep it that way. I do notice the gas milage is not where it should be, so I would like to change the air cleaner to an aftermarket one that has open sides to let more airflow. There are so many to choose from and finding the right one is giving me difficulty. Can anyone please make a suggestion?

Thank you
Lisa

All the ones I see to fit the 1 barrel are too small to offer any flow advantage. I would just put a new filter element in the stock housing and give the car a good tune up.

_________________
“Buy the ticket, take the ride.”
― Hunter S. Thompson

What mileage are you getting?
I agree,, a good tune up will do more for you than any after market air cleaner.

_________________
Slant power!!!
At least I try...

Hi Lisa,

Welcome to the site and congrats on your 63 Valiant purchase!

Indeed, the 1bbl factory air cleaner is more than enough and will not offer any restriction to that engine/carb. Best to just replace the element if it is dirty.

Good tune up items (in rough order of importance) would be:
1) Adjust the valve "lash" (clearances) as per the factory manual.
2) Make sure the ignition points are adjusted properly, and the ignition timing is also adjusted right.
3) Check and/or replace the spark plugs. Best to get a plug like an Autolite 65 or an NGK GR4, but others will work too.
4) Check the spark plug wires for arcing by running the car at night in a very dark place, and looking for flashes at/near the wires. If you see any, replace the wires. There is a lot of junk out there, so please come back to the site here to ask about those, if they are needed.
5) Several other things, but good to try the above first, especially #1...

All the best,

Lou Madsen

_________________
Home of Slant6-powered fun machines

The air cleaner is not causing your low mileage, and there is no aftermarket air cleaner that would improve on what you have -- pretty much all aftermarket air cleaners would make things worse, or at best do nothing.

As soon as you can, get the three books listed in this thread. Follow tune-up parts and technique suggestions in this post. Also see this thread.

_________________
一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

Carbs are jetted for Sea Level.

When above SL, you'll run rich.

How far above SL do you live?

_________________
Ed
64 Valiant 225 / 904 / 42:1 manual steering / 9" drum brakes

The most comprehensive solution is the one given by SlantSixDan. You might try to do first the stuff that needs the least new parts, and then add until you see enough improvement.

Dart 270 list the basics, but I will also add a carburetor check. At least check fuel level in carb bowl (refer to SlantSixDan links to the carb), and sure the carb jet size matters. A carburetor refresh/rebuild might help too, have a rebuild kit handy for gaskets and pieces (you can make some of the gaskets from rubberized cork sheets, I do the carb. bowl gasket this way)

One recommendation (and my apologies if you feel is too silly): do one thing at a time, and see how the car behavior improves. Don't try to throw everything and the kitchen sink to it at one time. It will help you to identify what might go wrong in the future, and it helps to troubleshoot if someting goes sideways. (I know from experience, not fun...)

_________________
/6 Dodge Charger 69
...there's nothing like using the "Search" link above to solve most of your problems...

before you start doing anything...just what is the MPG you are achieving? It might be what is supposed to be...

Concur with above, particularly cpslntdchrg's "one thing at a time" philosophy. If you change one thing and performance suffers, just reverse the process...if you change many with the same result...you're in a quagmire...could be one of those many is the cause, more than one, combinations, synergy...just do one at a time, be patient. And as Dan suggests, read the manuals first and get a feel for the engine and tuning parameters. have fun!

_________________
https://tinyurl.com/yynpj4v2

Personally, after checking all the above.... I would put testing the vacuum advance on the list... if economy/mileage goes to crap and
everything else is in order... lack of that 13 degrees of advance in a 60's points distributor will tank gas mileage fast... use a hand vacuum
pump and see if the pod will hold vacuum (any leak will do 2 things...not allow the added advance, and lean out the carb because of the
extra air at the port...