'69 E air filter housing - dent or normal?

[GeorgeK]

I am cleaning parts, to get them to the painter/powder coater/plater.

The air filter housing has this bung underneath with an indentation of the housing (69 E).

Is this an original configuration, or has it been bent sometime in the past? There is other damage to repair before repainting, but I'd rather know before paint.

[edmayo]

I don't think the dent belongs there,,,,but before powder coating realize that the powder coating will forever plug up the squirt holes in the spray tubes. They must be taped up.

[GeorgeK]

Ed, thank you.
I noticed the reference to the squirt holes in here already.

[Richy]

I'm sure the dent does not belong .

[G69]

The dent comes from when the one-year-only MFI air filter housing wasn't worth $3000.00 and a careless person laid it down too hard.

The nipple is for condensed blow-by oil to escape into a tube to drip overboard...
It shouldn't be too hard to hammer & dolly the dent out. If the nipple leaks it is a nuisance all over the top of the engine. But it is not gasoline.

In your Alpine climate you just may need the 'starting solenoid' fuel priming squirters in Winter. I would hope not.

There are so many joints and clamps in the hoses and tubes to cause a hidden leak on the intermittent only, key-on-start, activation of the primer 'starting solenoid' and squirters it is an extreme fire hazard. You can never really know what's happening within the air-box during key-on-start prime solenoid and squirters activated. One or more can dribble all over the lower air box instead of into the velocity stacks.

That is why PORSCHE went to a series of squirters built directly into the stacks later. It is still an accident waiting to happen with all those seams, joints, clamps and rubber fuel hose. But is is a little less complex. The later years have no full rich solenoid on the rack so the modified squirters are the only enrichment for cold starts. They should not be removed.

You are lucky to have the '69 only, dual solenoid MFI pump that allows full enrichment of the fuel rack on cold start so if the temp during driving season does not fall below -20C you may be able to disable the primer and its complex tubing and run with just the basic enrichment solenoid on the rack alone. That is what I do but I do not run during Winter when salt and brine coat our roads.

A Mercedes transmission oil plug fits in the fuel console where the ($850!) enrichment solenoid goes and then you'll be set. Reuse the original copper ring from the solenoid- not the one with the plug.

Remember it's not just the fuel hose from the primer solenoid to the air filter assembly that is a big problem to disconnect each time you want to remove the air-box for access to the top of the engine- it is also the orientation of the metal tubes within the air-box, and the aim of the squirter holes that must be aligned to squirt into the stacks properly to operate correctly.

Any of these failure points off their design spec may result in a fire.

[GeorgeK]

G, thank you for the thorough explanation.
I don't plan on driving in winter, snow or salt, and not ever in sub-freezing temperatures, so the fuel priming setup will be disabled.

[G69]

You are very welcome.

[72targa]

You are very welcome.

You have me completely rethinking getting my car back up and running. Scary details but critically important.

[denniso]

Of of curiosity, what makes this unique to a one year only 69? To my untrained eye, it appears the same as other metal MFI filter housings?

[edmayo]

69 is first year for MFI, so has spray tubes for starting, elbow at back is for vent hose to oil filler, but 70 and up also had additionally a smaller fitting in that elbow for the charcoal cannister system.