Although not a common issue -- I have seen this type of filter turn into a flaming mess. Had a friend with a 57' Chevy and the engine backfired blowing raw fuel onto the filter -- it caught fire. Scorched the hood before he realized what had happened ...

theres alternatives to the factory mesh element... my friend came up with a way to use a K&N filter element.

the snap ring style was used on Mr Gasket fly eyes and some knock off brands

the zig zag wire was used on Cal Custom Fly Eyes...

the Cal Custom Fly Eye is actually slightly larger in diameter then the others and the screens and retainer rings do not interchange.

some had a vent hole in the bottom and some didnt , ive seen this on all different makes.

i hope this info helps a little

For what it's worth, this is the one I had on the 396 in my '62 in '69. I bought it from Joel Rosen at Motion. The filter gave up fast after a few carb backfires.
Verne


Attachment 168047

I still pick them up at the 3rd and 4 tier (Ie. small local swap meets-guys just cleaning out their garage) swap meets for $5-10

I'll give you 20 bucks for one. Double your money! Deal?

ive picked them up cheap too..prob is..all the estate sales, yard sales, antique shops,and swap meets, etc are closed..so ebay seems to have a surge of traffic lately..

and they just keep raising the fees...

I have seen a lot of different fly eyes

the size and shape of the chrome base is different on some

different hold down snap ring or wire

different screens

different vent tube styles

here are some pics I saved

the old Motion car pics show the snap ring

The earliest Mr G had a giant snap ring around the entire top and was bolted together. Rarely ever see these.

That early style Mr. Gasket was the one I bought from Joel in '69. The element was a gray foam.


Verne

Thanks for all the help guys. In the end, we were able to use a generic drop base along with a 2.5" filter element and squeeze the whole thing under the big block hood. Really like to stock air cleaner look, even though a fly eye might be a cool change of pace down the road.

Blair