[Chevelle-list] Cold Air Induction on a 66

[tom]

I've got a 66 El Camino that I bought in pieces (rolling chassis + parts) last year. I'm still planning out what I want to do with it, and one of the things I'm considering is cold air induction. I'd like to do something like the Rudisill cowl plenum through the firewall so I don't have to get a new hood, but I don't like the looks of the duct hanging off the side.   I'd rather go straight back from the air cleaner to the firewall using something like the Ramair box, which is an air cleaner with a 17" x 3" duct coming straight off the back. There doesn't appear to be much on the firewall directly behind the air cleaner on a 66 except the distributor and a wiring duct. However, when I looked at the center of the firewall on the 66, I noticed that the cowl space on the dash side doesn't have enough room for a 17" x 3" hole without cutting into the driving compartment. I certainly don't want my engine sucking air from there. When I look at the location of the sheet metal under the dash area that forms the bottom of the cowl area, it looks like it could be cut out and moved down to accommodate the 17" x 3" duct hole without interfering with the heating ducts or other under-dash items. But I can't be sure with the car torn apart. Interestingly, the offending sheet metal moves down as you move away from the center of the firewall, making room for a cowl duct on the right side of the car (where the Rudisill duct goes).   So I'm looking for some opinions from the list, especially those that have a 66 Elky or Chevelle.   1) Is there some reason why you couldn't move the sheet metal that forms the bottom of the cowl area down to make room for a 17" x 3" hole through the firewall? (a structural reason, or interference with things in the dash area)   2) Is this too much trouble to keep the engine compartment clean and have cold air? The car is already torn apart, so now is the time to do it.   I apologize if the explanation of the problem is not clear.   Tom Tomlinson '71 Malibu '66 El Camino