Embossed AC212CW Air Filter Element Age
 

Hey Guys,


I recently came across this old AC212CW air filter element. It has the early "Best Way to Protect Your Engine" printed lettering and "AC Spark Plug A212CW" embossed in the rubber. I thought his was the 1968 style but it has the diagonal wire mesh as shown. Can anyone tell me the years this was made/used.


Thanks,

Jason

‘

No answer for years used but if selling, Jim’s seeking one for his ‘69 9561 car as last post of this thread…
https://yenko.net/forum/showthread.php?t=181596&page=4
:beers:
~ Pete

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For those curious, I confirmed with a very reliable source that this is 1969-early 70 correct.

Jason

Nice! Good info.

This element came out of a flat bottom cowl induction air cleaner. The flat bottom version was used from Dec of 68 to late spring/ early summer of 69.

Yes - that’s the one that I have on the Pace Car Steve. I thought that the soldered square mesh wires (rotated 90 degrees) lasted through the 69 model year. The latest 69 Camaro that I’ve ever owned was 05E though.

Steve, I have the same air filter with the same raised lettering, that will work for a 67 also. Mine has a fairly dirty element, and I wish there was someway to clean or replace it.

I have seen that filter on an original low milage 1966 Corvette.

Well its perfect for my survivor 67 l78 Camaro. My previous research dated as 68 and 69. Well it will be installed on that car now!

In my post I was only stating when flat bottom cowl was in production not the element. The new information helps me if it was used in 67!
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The same filter (the one Steve posted pictures of) was used from 1965 through 1968 on both open and closed element air cleaners.

This 212 filter was assembly line installed on a 1967 Chevelle. Note the out-line font style of embossed letter.

The '67 and earlier 212s did not have white ink stamped lettering. The NCRS 1967 Judging Guide shows this also.

That said, with the air cleaner lid in place, no one will know...

Bill is correct - He beat me to it while I was typing the spiel below!

The mesh shown in Steve's and Bill's pics (which I call "Diagonal Mesh") was used on the 212's from their inception (1965 I think) through at least 7/14/1969.

However, as Bill noted the 65-67 version (and early 68 model year) has larger “outlined” embossed letters (not the small block letters in Steve's pic), and they have no silk screen on them at all.

Sometime during 68 model year they went to that smaller embossing. And also during the 68 model year they added the BEST WAY TO PROTECT YOUR ENGINE" silk screen.

( Steve, just keep your A/C lid on your 67 and no one will know the difference! )

I have pics of an NOS 212 Diagonal Mesh filter just like Steve’s in box dated 7/14/69. So the Diagonal wire orientation, and the small embossed letters, lasted AT LEAST that long.

At some point after that, the same wire mesh material was rotated 45 degrees so that the wires ran horizontally and vertically (which I call "Square Mesh"). I understand that the Camaro judging manual says that happened in late August or September of 1969. The earliest NOS 212 filter box I have found with a Square Mesh filter had 1970 as the newest model year application on the box (but had no box print date on the flaps); so that box could have been printed any time during the 1970 model year. After that one the next “no doubts” NOS Square Mesh box I have seen was dated 1973.

The version in Jason's pics with "expanded metal" mesh (which I call "Diamond Mesh") is the one that many have said was ALSO used during the 1969 model year, based on “day one” photos from original owners, and magazine road test article photos of 69 Camaros and 69 Chevelles with Diamond Mesh filters.

I must admit to having had my doubts about whether those filters in those old pics were actually AC filters and had not been changed before the pics were taken to some off brand filter with a thinner element material for better air flow. But I believe it now, because the details on Jason's filter prove that that version was ALSO being manufactured by AC in 69 (perhaps 68 and early 70 model year as well), for three reasons –

1. It has the small block-letter embossing on it, which went away when they reoriented the wire to the horizontal/vertical Square Mesh (which per the judging manual was late August/September of 69, and per my NOS box date records could have been some time later in the 1970 model year).

2. It has no indentions around the outside edge of the top surface. At the same time the small block-letter embossing went away, the top was changed to add those 8 indentions seen on later filters. (Later on the top went to 12 indentions, then eventually back to 8.)

3. On the bottom surface it has 8 indentions around the outside edge AND 8 indentions around the inside edge. At the same time the top changed the bottom was also changed to only have the 8 indentions on the outside edge, and none on the inside edge. (Later on the bottom also went to 12 indentions around the outside, then eventually back to 8 around the outside.)

So the small letter embossing means Jason’s filter is after 1967, and the shape of the top and the bottom mean it is before some time during the 1970 model year when the top and bottom changed.

Notice that the tops and bottoms of Jason’s filter and Steve’s filter are IDENTICAL on all those details. That puts them within the same time frame of 68-70. Which means that during at least part of that time frame AC was using both the square-holed Diagonal Mesh AND the expanded metal Diamond Mesh. Maybe that was different AC manufacturing plants, or perhaps even different lines within the same plant(s).

Amazing info!:headbang:

To add to Jeff's fine dissertation, note that there is a difference between Jason's and Steve's filters in the "Diamond Mesh" construction. Look closely at the mesh diagonal angle and type of construction. Also, on Jason's the overlap is vertical while on Steve's the overlap matches the diagonal of the mesh at a true 45 degrees.

As has been said, with the lid on, Steve's would pass scrutiny as a '67 version while Jason's would not.

Steve, since the A212CW filter is used in so many of our cars, might I suggest that this thread be saved as a sticky??

Yes. That's why, to distinguish between the two versions, I call Steve's type filter "Diagonal Mesh" (for the diagonal straight wires) and call Jason's type "Diamond Mesh" (for diamond shaped holes, as opposed to the square holes on Steve's).

Bill, yours is a nice filter. I'm searching for a nice one, but they are very, very hard to find. I'll use my "thin block letter" one in the interim.

Later square mesh.

X2 on this.
Very common question answered well by the right people.

When did they make the filter with the small raised letters without the silk screen? I have seen a few but of them over the years. I am fortunate to have a virtually flawless one that's exactly like Bills on my 67 Corvette. Those original AC filter elements are really cool.

That would have been for a brief period during the 68 model year, after the embossing changed, but before the silk screen was added.

Large embossed font lasted until AT LEAST 8/1967.

The earliest box date I have for a silk screened filter (which has the small embossed letters and silk screen together) is 3/9/1968.

So the small font without silk screen should fall some time between those dates. (Of course, the window could be shorter than that, but should not be longer than that.)

First off,

Jeff,

I can not express my gratitude and your commitment to the details of this hobby. Your knowledge never ceases to amaze me and I doubt I am speaking for only myself.

Thank you everyone for the replies.

After initially not receiving replies to this thread, I posted this filter up on EBay here:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/376607210634


I offered the filter element to others here for $2500 and will honor that for other paid members. I know it is a crazy chunk of change for a used element but it is one of those devil in the details items. More detailed pictures can be seen in the ebay listing.


Thanks,


Jason

That's all great data.

Great info, thank you! I was told by someone on the corvette forum that the small raised lettered version came out sometime in 66. That really never made sense to me that there would be two different versions of the same filter made at the same time. I thought the only way that would be possible is if there were multiple manufacturers of those AC filters???

There can be some real genius's over there:scholar:

That's why I like it here so much more!

It’s actually not a big job to change the embossing on those molds. The pattern shop probably had updated versions along with older versions on the shelf. It always amazes me that people think that there are hard cut off dates for cosmetic changes. The updated mold could be damaged in production - supervisor calls the pattern shop for a mold replacement - and the old mold replaces the damaged mold. Iron patterns were the same way. Cosmetic changes could be run interchangeably. Engineering changes were more disciplined.

For sure. Today that would require a “TWO” (temporary work order) which is considerably faster than a formal engineering change request.

Learning can be bittersweet.

Air filter on her car.

Now the hunt is on.
AGAIN:biggthumpup:

Here's my 212 air filter, the best I can do until I find a correct one.

That's a great filter Tim!!

Bill, we will see how it does in two weeks. It will be on a small block, so no one will will even look twice at the car ��

I don't disagree at all with that in general. But a couple observations:

Regarding the change from the large outlined AC A212CW embossing, to the small AC SPARK PLUG A212CW embossing, my first question is WHY did they make the change? Two plausible reasons come to mind -

(1) The older style is almost impossible to see / read if you don't put the light on it the right way and make some effort to find it (shows up much better in pics than in person), while the later style is much more obvious and easy to see / read. Seems like a good reason to change it.

And (2) apparently someone in company brass must have decided that the actual name of the company "AC Spark Plug" should be on their filters rather than just an "AC" logo. Tinkering with how a company's name appears on the company's products is usually not left to the plant workers at or near the bottom of the management chain, and comes from a directive "on high".

If either or both of those possible reasons are why the change was made in the first place, then I think it very unlikely that they would have reverted back to the old style after the changeover was completed. Some overlap during the changeover process is certainly possible, even likely. But once all plants / lines had changed, I think going back most likely did not happen on this particular item.

Regarding the changes to the shape of the top and bottom and presence of (or absence of) the indentions (which create a little more stiffness in the filter body), that seems more like a change with an engineering reason, versus just a "cosmetic" decision. So again, once all plants / lines had changed, I think going back later to the flat top without the rim indentions most likely did not happen.

Just my thoughts and conclusions. Feel free to disagree!

Here's another example that I thought was for the 69 and 70 model years. This has the white lettering and a very small and faint embossing.

Are there any box print dates on the flaps of the box?

The 8 indentions around the outside edges (top and bottom, with none around the inside edge of the bottom), should make that a later filter design than the one Jason posted. (Subject to the overlap discussion above).

I believe yours was made after they switched the square-holed mesh filters from a diagonal orientation to the horizontal / vertical orientation, because all the horizontal / vertical Square Mesh filters I have ever seen have the 8 indentions top and bottom, while I have never seen a Diagonal Mesh with those indentions on top (and they have 16 on the bottom). Again, the judging manual says that change happened late August or Sept of 1969.

Jeff -my experience in the plant was that only engineering changes were firm and had hard cut offs - when old equipment became obsolete. These changes often required updated part numbers. These changes were expensive. Lipped rim could even have been added to eliminate the possibility of sharp wires protruding. Your guess is as good as mine :-)

Here's another one like dvss1's filter above, for sale in this site's classifieds: https://www.yenko.net/forum/showthread.php?t=183714

Reportedly the original filter in an original early takeoff LS6 air cleaner. If so, that places it somewhere in the late Nov-69 to July-70 time frame.

That fits with all the earlier discussion.

I got this back in the 90’s. 542’s we’re out, the guy said is was a replacement for it. since then I’ve found 2 of them, I’m taking this to the swap, what’s it worth. I think I paid 65, it does fit in a TA shaker set up, but I’d rather have it go in the car who needs one
Prob the last run, only number is a small stamp on one side, it is a Way thicker filter than a 542. Diamond mesh.
1995 on box

A good friend of mine has this filter, would anyone know if this is a GM filter or repro? I'm thinking it's an older reproduction.

----Not a re-pop IMO. Not sure what year or fitment though....Bill S