Fellas, I've included a photo of my 292 Y Block. Don't laugh, but I can't understand how the carb gets air to it. The air cleaner housing is closed, so how does the air get in? I've searched the forum for the answer and also searched "oil bath air cleaner" in case that's what this is, but I still don't understand it. Every air cleaner I've seen has some means to get fresh air into it. Please solve the mystery!
Thanks!
Barber Pole (feeling dumber than dirt!)

 

The top and bottom do not seal off the outside. So air flows in through the space between the top and bottom, goes through the air cleaner oil, then through the carb.
Generally something like this

 

Thank you! Mine doesn't have the gap where the top and sides come together like the one in your illustration, but there is a similar sized gap between the sides and the bottom of the housing, so I guess that's all that is needed to breathe...it just seems like it would need more air than that could produce but obviously not. Is the one in your illustration an oil bath? Since mine has the gap at the bottom (and the bottom is not dished out so that it could hold oil), I'm assuming mine is NOT an oil bath? At least I hope it isn't...

 

For clarification, my air cleaner housing is like a pot turned upside down. It sits overtop a plate, and the plate rests on top of the carb. There is a small gap between the edges of the "plate" and the sides of the "pot". I can't think of a better way to describe it...

 

pull it off the carb and it will be obvious, there is a slot around the bottom.

 

Yours looks like an oil bath. Like Eric J said, take the top off and you’ll be able to tell. My pic was just a generic one to give you an idea. Your opening looks like it’s on the bottom, not top like the pic.

 

Oil bath air cleaners are very efficient and work well, they are getting hard to find because people often threw them away. Oops! Flush the element with kerosene or solvent to clean and fill with crankcase oil to line.

 

Hart to tell with your pic but it appears to be a paper element filter. The oil bath type is sort of like a bunt cake pan with a top that comes off. I have the oil type on the '66 and paper on the '60.

 

That air cleaner appears to be an oil bath, but it's not the original that came on the truck.

 

Thanks to you all for your replies! I was finally able to take a photo of the air cleaner that I had taken off the engine, cleaned up, and painted. Disassembled, it doesn't look like there is any place to put the oil, so I'm assuming this is not an oil bath. Is that correct?

 

That's not a oil bath air filter. It appears to be the same one that was on a 57 y block I had. The dry element is round and about 4-5 " tall. It sits on the bottom. I bought a new element for mine at a really old school hardware store. I'll bet it is original to your 292.

 

Thanks for the confirmation, Greg!

 

All 1964 292 trucks came with an oil bath air filter number C3TZ-9600-AA.

1961-1962 used a C3TZ-9600-H - replaced by C3TZ-9600-AA

1963 used a C3TZ-9600-E - also replaced by C3TZ-9600-AA

all oil bath, too.

- but one wing nut and you can swap to any other applicable filter system - looks like someone swapped in your case.

Chad

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Thanks Chad!