flyitlikustolit

i bought a shaker scoop, it's for a 403 olds engine in a 77 T/A. I got the cleaner assembly, the scoop, the mounting ring, the cleaner lid, and I also stilll have my stock air cleaner base from my trans am. how do you make it functional? the drop bas on this bad boy is like 2 1/2 inches! it's crazy! and the air cleaner lid looks like it fits right inside the bottom of the scoop, effectively blokcing considerable amounts of air. what now? I know i need to open up the scoop for starters.... then what? is it pretty much a bolt on deal except for cutting the hole in the hood? or what? I was thinking of using my stock cleaner, the scoop, and turning the lid upside down, while using a 3 inch filter. that way, the fiter would be in the scoop, and could suck air. I'm probably an idiot, but I'm completely lost. my search was helpful, but it didn't find any installation advice. any ideas, fellas? especially if you've done this mod??

CamaroRS385hp

well i don't know any answers to your questions, but i love shaker hoods and not too many people have done it to thirdgens...good luck with it, can't wait to see some pics later on

flyitlikustolit

can't wait to finish it. so far, it looks like the aircleaner base will fit, i just need to get a new throttle cable bracket, as my adjustable one isn't gonna cut it. the throttle linkage gets in the way of the base. I'm gonna go hunt down a Mr Gasket one from the local speed shop. obviusly, I also need to remove some bracing, and mark lines for the hole.... all that cut twice measure once crap. (that's a joke, guys ) one thing i did notice is the the back of the sccop touches the cowl/top of the firewall/bulkhead/WTF ever it is. I'm thinking aboiut what to do, and I think I'm going to be cutting part of the lip on the back off, so it will fit. so far, this isn't too bad. when I have more time (i.e. when my friggin classes are over in 2 weeks) I'
ll play with it some more and start measureing and cutting.

one question: which would look better with the shaker: the hood from an 85 T/A (4 vents on it) or the hood from an 82 (regular flat hood)??? I just got an 85 parts car, and I'm thinking I like the idea of the 4 vent hood with a shaker.

flyitlikustolit

you know, i keep seeing you GA boys on the internet.... fb0dy.com, TGO, LS1tech..... some of us should get together, have a bonfire/boozefest or something. anyway.... back on topic. I looked at the air cleaner lid..... it sticks up way into the scoop. i put my edelbrock lid on, and there's a good bit more space. kinda looms cool, IMO, too. I'm going to try opening the sccop, and then using the edelbrock. I'm also glad my 14" K&N fits perfectly. I was gonna be pissed if i had to buy another $40 filter.

CamaroRS385hp

sounds good to me...i'm not sure where lawrenceville is in GA..augusta's about halfway up on the east, and starting this fall i'll be down in valdosta (very bottom middle) for a couple years..i'm up for something if it came together

still dont have any tech info for ya, just know it'll look sweet when you're through

grngryoutmyway

iTrader: (1)

Theres always the ACFA... but they meet down by the airport. Theres a fbody gathering in Marietta at the end of May. I made a post on the SE region boards about it and the website is www.fbodygathering.com I'm up in Athens btw bout half an hour from ya!

Air_Adam

I don't think the 403 came untill '79. If it was a '77 Trans Am, it would have had a 400 Pontiac motor.

Just thought you might be interested

flyitlikustolit

indeed, I am. it says T/A 6.6 on the scoop, near the opening, and it's non-functional. who knows. I did a test fit of the whole assembly. I think when i pull my carb spacer out, it will make a hug improvement in the fitment. I think I'll be able to get the whole cleaner assembly underneath the hood, even when closed. also, I'm going to take measurements and begin marking on my hood where I'm going to cut. I was thinking.... should i use an 85-90 T/A hood, with the 2 vents near the nose, and the vent on each side, near the cowl? I think that'd look kind cool. or should i use my 82 T/A flat hood? I'm leaning towards the former. I just bought a rolling shell 85 WS6 for $250. I'm gonna take the nose, the hood (unless a bunch of you guiys think it's a dumb@$$ idea), and most of the interior. I'm gonna sell it either in whole, or parts, once I'm done taking what i need. a friend of mine wants it for a drag car. hey.... whatever. seriously. someone tell me honestly: would the 85 hood look good with a shaker scoop sticking through it?

flyitlikustolit

and I'm gonna look at that gathering... maybe I'l have the best near to completion enough to drive it up there. I know where valdosta is, and augusta too... and athens is 45 min away, max. I know some folks who go there to drink..... er, I mean, study.

MNformula350

iTrader: (2)

Here's a pic i have on my computer of a shaker with the 85-92 T/A hood

85_ZED28

:hail: :hail:

flyitlikustolit

that **** looks bad @$$. I think I'm gonna cut my hood for practice. I won't have my parts car for a while, and since my friend wants it for a drag car, he'll need the hole in my hood for a blower or air cleaner or something. thanks for the support. I'll have pics as soon as it's done.... should be in a few weeks. when I'm done, i think I'll write a tech article on it.

JeffW

yes use the t/a hood looks bad......

now for the aircleaner question as i remember my 80 ta the air cleaner cover was smaller inside the scoop to allow air around and in it did not fit the shape of the shaker. There were some shakers that were functional that the back opened with vacumm so when you matted it, it opened. may be an home made thing every one was doing though. Look at the chevell ram air ?? hood it had functional vents that used vac to open them would be a cool touch to really make it stand out. The other option which works is to cut the back out and just screen them in. Get a water proof air cleaner like a k&n that is oil treated.

Can't wait to see mor progres pics.

Jeff

flyitlikustolit

ahead of you. I'm using the lid off of my edelbrock open element. it's 14", just like the stock one, but it doesn't go up into the scoop like the stock one does, allowing plenty of airflow into the scoop. so you guys think I should go with the 85-92 T/A hood?

CogsRS

iTrader: (1)

I think you should go with the '85 hood. Also, you can cut the back of the shaker off to make it functional. The 76-77 ones were functional I do believe. Yours is probably a later model one. Also the 403 was available in 77-79. As was the 400. Both were 6.6L motors. Didn't really have anything to do with the shaker though. I researched the 77-79 T/As a whole lot about a year ago when I was looking for one. Ended up with the Camaro though, and glad I did.

ddn69

ehh screw a shaker get a blower. LOL

Or at least ram air shaker like the mustang mach 1s

Nate

wilyk9

iTrader: (13)

Yup, the 403 first appeared on 77 models, and the 400 was around until 79. Each used a different base I believe, due to slightly different clearances between the carb and hood. The shaker was functional from 70 1/2 through 72. There was a flap that opened via an electric solenoid that was activated by a switch on the throttle linkage. WOT = Open Shaker Flap

In 73 Federal noise levels standards forced an end the functional shaker, all TA's from the factory from 73 on were non-functional. Easy enough to make a shaker functional, just cut out the opening. Also, there is a kit available here to retrofit any year/style shaker to be functional, complete with electric throttle activated solenoids similiar to the factory setup, if so desired. Or they could be wired to an interior switch. Careful if you order one, be sure to get the right size, not all shakers are the same.

I started this same conversion last summer on my 85 TA using a shaker from a 79. However, I found that I did not like the 79 base, just too big in my opinion. Puts the shaker to close to the cowl which will make cutting the hood difficult at best. I disassembled the shaker and am in the process of modifing it to fit the original base on my car. That will also allow me to move it a little farther forward to better clear the cowl. Remember that a shaker is called a 'shaker' for a reason, it shakes with the engine. So if it is touching the cowl when is shakes, something has to give. At a minimum, I would be concerned with it cracking the fiberglass.

More work, but I think the results will be worth it in the end. Hope to have it finished this summer.

And I plan on using the TA hood with the vents, and making it functional as well. I like the vents to break up the broad expanse of that third gen hood. Good luck with your project flyitlikustolit, post some pics when you finish it.

flyitlikustolit

thanks. I was wondering: what are you doing? i have a shaker for (i think) an olds 403, and I was just going to trim the lip off of the shaker to fit the cowl. are you going to take the base off of the scoop, and re-position it? I was just planning on bolting it on, trimming the lip, and cutting a hole in my hood after removing some bracing. any tips i should know?

FAST RS

79 trans am with a 403 olds = my dream car. We used to have one then my mom put it in her brothers name when my parents got divorced then when i turned 16 i asked him if i could have it back and the ****ER said i coudlnt have it then he sold it to some guy who totald the car

wilyk9

iTrader: (13)

The scoop I am using is also from a 79, and it was an olds motor. I know for sure because I found it in a boneyard, but there was no air cleaner base. The air cleaner base that I tried to use is from a 77 400, but I just think that it is way too big when I fit it on top of my engine which is basically stock aside from an edelbrock intake and valve covers. If I did not have all of the emission stuff, it might not be so bad.

I have removed the fiberglass portion from the metal base. I have also separated the ring section from the flat portion of the base. This required me to drill out some spot welds. My plan is to cut and remove a short piece of the ring section to make it the same diameter as the stock 85 air cleaner. I will shorten the clamp also to the same diameter so that it will clamp the two halves together. I will also be able to further modify this piece allowing me to adjust the height and angle of the scoop to better fit the hood opening. I also plan on making the scoop functional, possibly using the solenoid activated door.

Your approach is definately much simpler though. Not sure about trimming from the shaker to fit the cowl. Honestly, I did not consider doing that. I would be concerned about not having enough lip left to attach the hood seal correctly. Also, you would still have to cut the hood opening quite close to the rear of the hood. Might be ok, but I want to be sure that the hood does not get weak in that area. Think I still will go with moving the shaker further forward. I also think that it will look better in the end.

One other thing you should be aware of with my approach is the size of the element. Since the stock air cleaner is a smaller diameter, it solves the problem of it blocking the opening in the scoop. However, it is not a standard diameter and is quite short, so I am still trying to find an taller element that will fit. My thought is that if the element itself is tall enough to fit into the scoop, it would maximize the ram air effect if the scoop is made functional.

Unfortunately, I am going to be too busy with other commitments for the next few weeks to be able to make much progress on this. Will post pics as soon as I get back to it and get some progress made.

flyitlikustolit

I may experiment with your idea. my problem is that I don't have easy access to a welder to put it all back together. beyond that, I might be able to do something like what you're doing.

I looked specifically for the air cleaner base with the scoop, although i think the scoop actually does fit the base of my 82's air cleaner. i'm using the 79 cleaner because it has a better drop, and i'm running a performer RPM intake, so i need the extra drop. I'm using a 3 inch element. I'm going to carefully cut out my scoop opening soon, so I can do some measuring and see if my element is a good size.

the only thing that concerns me with moving the opening, is that where the ring is situated, it's set up for best airflow when you open the shaker. I do agree that I may shave a bit off in order to angle it a bit to fit flush with the hood better. we'll see. school is keeping me from tackling this hard core, so when i finish classes for the semester in a couple of weeks, I can go ***** out and finish it. i think it will look great.

wilyk9

iTrader: (13)

Wonder if the 82 air cleaner is a different size from the 85? My shaker would not fit directly on the 85 air cleaner base. Diameter of the shaker was too big.

I do not think that moving the opening in my case will be an issue since the element diameter is smaller and gives me a little more room to play with. This, however, remains to be seen since I have not got to that point yet.

Post some pics and details when you finish. I'm very interested in seeing which route you take and to see how it turns out.

flyitlikustolit

you got it. I'm gonna experiment some more, and see which might work better. I'm leaning towards my cut it/bolt it on idea. I'm also gonna start writing the tech article when i finish. that'd be a nice addition, don't you think?

wilyk9

iTrader: (13)

Most definately.

Calderone

That white T/A
LOOKS SWEET !

MNformula350

iTrader: (2)

Here's another one i found on my other computer

flyitlikustolit

seen that last pic. I dunno. the more i look at it, the 85 T/A hood looks too busy.... too much going on with the 4 vents and a shaker. I might use my hood after all, and graft in the two side vents, if nothing else to vent excess heat. But my shaker project is gonna be accelerated after next week.... I got my driveshaft fixed today, so I'm gonna have to get the shaker working soon. wish me luck. I'm also writing a tech article on installing a ford integrated washer/coolant bottle in a 3rd gen. once I test mine to make sure it works.....

Project: 85 2.8 bird

T/A 6.6 = 400
6.6 Liter = 403

kinda makes you want to see whats on Smokey & the Bandit's car huh?
Also 403 only came w/autos.

flyitlikustolit

the "bandit" car was an auto. (the one in the movie). Burt can't drive stick.

jdague1

They used cars with both engines in the movie.

Gumby

Sally could.

wilyk9

iTrader: (13)

Based on what I have read and seen about making the movie, a 400 with standard shift was used mostly for burnout scenes and closeups, while multiple 403 autos were used for most of the stunt work. HPP once did an article on the cars from the movie. Have the issue somewhere around.

Gumby

Yea it sucks when the cheese up movies. Like fast n furious. that dodge had a fake plastic blower glued to its hood. Was real obvious if you looked close. 90% of the stunts were faked too.

flyitlikustolit

saw the responses.... just wanted to write back and say that I haven't made any progress since my last post. finals are this week and next... so by next weds/thurs I may have some new news. I have to set my timing first, b/c it's a bitch to do with the air cleaner in the way. I also took out my spacer, and the entier assembly fits with the hood closed and untouched. I think that when i remove the bracing around the hole I'm going to cut, the scoop will poke out perfectly. still have some trimming to do on the back side of the scoop, though.

flyitlikustolit

i now it's ben a while, but I have some news, finally. I hurt my back a couple weeks ago, so i've had some time off work to play around with the car. I figured out that with a SBC, and an edelbrock PErformer RPM intake, my aircleaner base fits perfectly, with the stock flat hood closed. I used a 14x3 K&N filter (round) and the lid from an edelbrock air cleaner i had lying around (the lid that came with the scoop pokes too far into the scoop, restricting airflow). I also found a hood at the JY where someone had already cut a hole for a 2nd gen shaker scoop. got it pretty cheap, too. I'll let you know if it fits, and if it doesn't, i may yet be cutting a hole, or fabbing up something else.

CamaroRS385hp

sweet, i had forgotten about this thread, keep us update w/ what you're doing, i really want to see how it turns out for you

flyitlikustolit

no problem. when I wake up today around 11 I'll get back on it and put the "new" hood on the car and see if it fits.

flyitlikustolit

hood didn't fit. BUT, it IS the right shape for the scoop, so i'm gonna use it and trace the hole so i can get the shape and dimensions right. I marked my stock hood, and I'm almost ready to begin cutting soon. wish me luck.

MajorPayne

FYI: an Olds shaker scoop has a large offset, otherwise it wouldn't sit in the center of the second gen t/a hood. Maybe you should try to find a pontiac engine shaker, it will be a better fit.

You can get a nice working functional scoop like in the 1970-72 trans ams from:
http://www.pontiactransamshakers.homestead.com/
A solenoid will open the scoop under WOT.

Here is some nice info for working shaker hood scoops, and the best K&N filter to use: http://www.thepontiactransampage.com/shaker.html

And some info on the design in various years:
http://www.transamtech.com/shakertech.shtml

flyitlikustolit

I don't know if it's been said up there, but i have a pontiac engine shaker. we figured it out b/c T/A "6.6" is written on it, not "6.6 litre". thanks for the links, though. i'll look at em and seee what i can do. I still have to cut my hood, and make the scoop functional, too.