Getting rid of oil bath air cleaner

[barmanvarn]

Working to revive my Dad's '69 GMC C15.

At some point, he went to a modern filter. When he did this, he simply cut the line coming out of the valve cover and plugged the remaining 3" of line.

He and I have a different approach to these sorts of things. Personally, having a 3", plugged hose coming out the side of the valve cover is driving me nuts.

What is he best way to remove this hose for a cleaner look? Is there something I can use to plug the hole in the valve cover? I'm assuming I can buy a new valve cover that doesn't have this hold but don't want to spend that money just yet.

thanks

[DPowers]

Why not just put a push in breather in place of the hose?

[barmanvarn]

Originally Posted by DPowers

Why not just put a push in breather in place of the hose?

I'm a complete newbie here so I'm not 100% clear on your suggestion.

Are you talking about a push-in breather on the opening in the side of the valve cover? Is there a reason to do this over plugging/removing the hole entirely?

Thanks

[piecesparts]

I personally go out of my way to keep the PCV setup close to what it was in the original setup. An external breather in the valve cover will let oily vapors escape and then you have a mess on your engine, all of the time. Where as if you run a hose to the bottom of the custom air cleaner, as many have connections to do so, then the escaping vapors are drawn into the carb intake.

The whole design of the PCV (Positive Crankcase Ventilation) is to have a vacuum connection on one valve cover and a clean air connection on the other to keep the crankcase swept clear of vapors from heating the oil in that crankcase. It also helps the engine purge itself and to run more efficiently.

[barmanvarn]

Originally Posted by piecesparts

I personally go out of my way to keep the PCV setup close to what it was in the original setup. An external breather in the valve cover will let oily vapors escape and then you have a mess on your engine, all of the time. Where as if you run a hose to the bottom of the custom air cleaner, as many have connections to do so, then the escaping vapors are drawn into the carb intake.

The whole design of the PCV (Positive Crankcase Ventilation) is to have a vacuum connection on one valve cover and a clean air connection on the other to keep the crankcase swept clear of vapors from heating the oil in that crankcase. It also helps the engine purge itself and to run more efficiently.

That makes sense and I do like that idea. I just didn't like seeing that hose stub sticking out the side of the valve cover. LOL

This is all new to me so I'm still learning.

Not to go off-topic but there is also a hose coming off the top/rear of the valve cover. The truck is an hour away so I can't go out and look....what is the purpose of that hose?

thanks for the assistance folks

[RichardJ]

Fresh, clean, filtered air from the air cleaner enters the crankcase through that cut off stub. The air mixes with the crankcase fumes, blow-by past the rings, moisture from condensation create during every cold/heat startup. These contaminants are drawn through the PCV valve into the intake manifold and burned up.
A push-in filter would work, but no one ever cleans or replaces them. Drawing air from the carb air filter has the advantage of better filtration and they usually get changed when dirty.

[barmanvarn]

Originally Posted by RichardJ

Fresh, clean, filtered air from the air cleaner enters the crankcase through that cut off stub. The air mixes with the crankcase fumes, blow-by past the rings, moisture from condensation create during every cold/heat startup. These contaminants are drawn through the PCV valve into the intake manifold and burned up.
A push-in filter would work, but no one ever cleans or replaces them. Drawing air from the carb air filter has the advantage of better filtration and they usually get changed when dirty.

More great info. Thanks!