Correct Twin H air cleaners for '54?

iceblade10

Can anyone enlighten me as to what the CORRECT Twin H air cleaners are for a 54 Hornet?

I've seen at least 3 different types, and they've all been mounted on 54s.  They can't possibly all correct, could they?

The first type has the large perpendicular canisters on the end, which I assume are oil baths?  (I also assume these would be the earliest type?  Yet I've seen them on lots of 54s online?!)

The second type has a more conventional metal mesh/fabric/paper filter element right on the end, and is squarish where it connects to the carb (I would think this is the correct one for 54)

The third one is very similar to the second one, but is rounded/curved where it connects to the carb (people on eBay seem to indicate that this is for the 55 Hornets)

Thanks! 

Glowplug

The first two aircleaner are correct for a 1954 With twin H. The round end aircleaner were AMC Hudson use.

iceblade10

Thanks Old...  Any reason they used 2 different types?  Old stock they had to use up?

duncan

First type oil bath for sever dusty conditions Second type  light dusty condition or they were a option.
Oil bath were messy to change oil and clean up. Second type easy to clean.   Ray

53jetman

The second type above were standard equipment with factory installed as well as dealer installed Twin H.
The first type (oil bath) were an extra cost option @ $. 7.85 each air cleaner, or 16.;70 for the pair.  A rather steep price to pay for such an option. in fact of the 88 Hornets & Hornet Specials sold at our dealership during 1954 campaign, no one customer ordered or requested the oil bath style air cleaners.

iceblade10

Thanks Jetman, great info!  It amazes me how much you remember from 1954!

I think the oil bath ones kind of "look cooler" because of how archaic-looking they are to me... but would definitely want the other variety for ease of maintenance.  We don't have much dust in PA anyway - just humidity!

Glowplug

Paved roads were not the norm even in 1954. So dusty conditions were the prevelant.

SuperDave

I encountered a late September 54 Hornet Hollywood with the rounded dry A/F and AMC decals. That car also had AMC seat belts in front. Maybe installed later by the dealer?

iceblade10

Dave, I wondered if that would have been the case...  Sometimes you see "transitional"stuff like that... My '54 was made in October, which I think was the last month before they switched over to the '55s.  So, it would have been one of the last '54s off the line.  It's plausible it would have had the AMC-style air cleaners...

I also bought a bunch of original 54 Hornet advertisements on ebay, and you can clearly see which ads were made by the Hudson Motor Car Company, and which were done by AMC after the merger.  It's interesting to see the change in marketing strategies, as the Hudson ads talked about how "glamorous" the car was, while the AMC ads focus on "lower price."

50C8DAN

Hudson really no longer competed at the Buick level after '54.  More at the Olds/Pontiac/Merc level.

railknight

I have two rounded end Twin H canisters with paper filters on my 1953 Super Wasp.  I was told the Twin H setup was added to the car by the dealership (Mutto Sales, Belleville, IL)  in 1954 (along with a whole bunch of other dealer accessories) as a means to help finally push the car off the sales lot.

Of particular interest, the Fram air filter care instructions on each of the canister decals read at the very bottom, "Hudson Motor Car Co., Detroit, MI."  No mention anywhere of American Motors. 

Could be that Hudson made these rounded end Twin H canisters available to dealerships prior to AMC introducing them on the 1955 6 cylinder Hornet and Wasp models. 

Dan 

SuperDave

just for the heck of it. I took some pics of the two different filters. The late or "hash" are original and not modified as far as I can see. All decals in original position. The stepdown ones have been painted  with wrong shade of red and someone has drilled a hole above the carburetor to prime the carb. Decals are also in wrong place. note that even the end caps are different.

SuperDave

additional pic of step down filter

onerare39

A poll was done a few years ago on this forum regarding the preferred choice of air cleaner, the choices were the same as you have noted here.  The highest vote went to the dry filters with the square ends.

  

SuperDave

I can't help but wonder. Why did they redesign them? I can see that the newer ones might flow a little better, but a very big company expense with little gain. Since my 49 two door is so "Clabbered Up" I'll use the Hash ones if I can get all the other TH parts rounded up.!

53jetman

Dave, I don't think it was so much that Hudson redesigned them, but that Fram had a "Better Idea".  They found they could build them cheeper !

SuperDave

Cheaper is better ! LOL