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Not to laugh, please!
Washing the car removes surface grime that disturbs the airflow, resulting in a higher top speed. Of course, this only applies if your car exceeds Mach 1!
Yes, I always feel the same; an hour or two communing with my PV and giving it come quality time always seems to make it run better!
As far as the air filters go, thanks for the tip. I, too, gutted my nasty old stock filters and I'm always on the lookout for inserts that will improve the airflow.
I set up my 'cover hold downs' a little differently, though.
I bought some stainless steel all-thread rod and cut some lengths to fit the new, higher location of the top cover. I threaded on a nut, leaving about 1/2" inch of rod sticking out, which I ran through the bottom cover plate then through the carb hole, and backed it up with a locknut and another nut.
In effect, this gives me two 'studs' that stick up from the carbs, holding the back cover in place.
Next, I threaded another nut onto each rod, leaving - again - approximately 1/2 inch of rod sticking out on the top end. I then put in the filter elements, set the top covers on, and topped it all off with two stainless wing nuts.
In order to get all the wing nuts aligned when they are tight, I had to fiddle with the top 'stopper' nuts, running them up or down a fraction of a turn until I found the right spot where that wing nuts will all point the same direction when they are tight.
I can see the simplicity of your plan, though. Cutting some tubing to length and using a bolt instead of all-thread would be much simpler.
I think the advantage to my setup is that once it's in place, I can just remove the wing nuts, top cover, and filter without having to struggle with a nut on the back side of the carb. Besides, I like the way those stainless wing nuts look. ;-)
Another tip: If you come across a good deal on 3-hole filters but your carbs have only two holes, dig through the 'HELP!' section of your auto parts store and get some black plastic headliner push-ins. They look like a giant thumbtack. By trimming just a tiny bit off the barbed rod, they will press right into the unused holes in your filters, and they look like a stock item.
NOTE:
I've tried a FRAM filter, and although I had to cut it in half (one filter makes two Volvo filters) it works great. Not the easiest thing to do though; you'd be surprised how difficult it can be to neatly cut a filter down without making a mess of it. I like these, though, and I use them for everyday driving out here in the dusty desert. At under $4, they're hard to beat!
I also came across some lawn mower filters that are about 2" tall, and the right diameter. Don't bother trying those; they're too restrictive. My gas mileage dropped to about 25 mpg (from a usual 30 mpg.)
I'm going to need to go to Home Depot today, ao I'll look in the small engine section to see if they have the Kohler filters...They sound like they'd be just right.
Steve
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