VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND NEWER 1949-1954 A/C Glass bowl fuel filter

Hi Everyone

Wondering if anyone knows the A/C part number for the OE type fuel filter that uses the glass bowl? I know that the specialty guys have reproductions for sale but I read someplace that it is still available from A/C Delco. My supplier can get parts but he doesn't have a paper catalog to look it up in. I check the A/C Delco website and the listings don't go back far enough.

Thanks

How about looking in the accessory section of keith hardy's manuals. I believe you may find your numbers there.

Bob

I looked it up on Keith Hardys site. The part number listed in the 51 accessory manual is 986399. This part number doesn't cross to a A/C Filter number unfortunately. I'll keep looking.
thanks

The "modern" glass bowl AC filter is a GF-48. Was first availablel in 1956 and still sold today. The filters sold prior to that were not AC, they were the Moraine brand....also a GM brand but difficult to gets parts for. The GF 48 used an AC GF124 element which are readily available. Actually the junk settles to the bottom of the bowl and the element lasts for years.

i'm aware of at least three gf 48 ac fuel filters , all of which are of different external configurations. the early ones had dome shaped tops and were found on most mid 50's gm products. by at least 1961, the tops lost their domes and assumed a rather flat top.the currently avbailable is a flat top. junk yards abound in the variations. a dome shaped top, common to the 56 up corvettes will fetch 50 bucks at carlisle. mike

When I bought my '50 it had a dome filter on it. Replaced it with a flat top as the domed one looked like new.
Also have some of the original non-pleated elements to sell.

Thanks for all the information guys. I really appreciate the help.

I ordered the GF48 and GF124 from a AC Delco distributor yesterday. I got a phone call this afternoon that the GF48 is discontinued. The GF124 cartridge is available. My distributor did do a locate and was unable to locate a GF48 for me.
Any ideas to locate?
Don

They are in the Filling Station catalog. #FS-607 , $18.50.
....www.fillingstation.com....

Is this what you want? E-bay 360073139572

Thats a nice example. Even had the early smooth filter element. Will be intresting to see what it sells for.

I just received the glass bowl filter and cartridge exactly like the above e-bay item from National Chevrolet for $15.00.

hoppy

Great Hoppy,
But I've only been at this for a couple of years, who is National Chevrolet and where are they located??? Are they a vendor or a dealership??? I'm always willing to add another catalog to my three foot high stack.
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

Never mind, I just Googled it and found them. Think I have seen them before now that I think about it, but since I'm truck orientated I gave them a pass.
That is the same repro filter that all the other vendors sell, good price though, about $3+ cheaper that the rest, that is if you can buy from them with out being a member.
They are typically listed as “almost identical to original” by the vendors but the originals had the AC logo cast into the metal body.
Chevs of the 40’s has one that they listed as “Genuine AC” and being a stickler for little detail that was the one that I bought for $29. I’m not sure what they meant by that because it did not have the logo cast into it either so I don’t see how you can tell that it is “Genuine AC”!
Kinda felt like I done got ripped on that one.
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

For a vehicle previous to 1956 the AC logo dosen't matter. The filters were first sold in 1956 so would't be correct for the older years. But then I have never had points deducted for thr flter on my older models.

Hey Gene, I would be the last one to doubt your word and I'm not questioning it now. But where did you find a date for the first year of manufacture for the AC fuel filters?? I'd like to add that information to my reference file.
I’m assuming that you were referring to the paper element portion of the filter? These basic glass bowl filters were available much earlier but with screens first and then sintered metallic elements.
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

Did Chevrolet offer / sell DUREX fuel filters in 1947 or 1948?

gene,regarding your 1956 date as start of AC fuel filter usage on chevys: NCRS judging manual states the 1953 blue flame 235 installed in 1953 corvettes originally had dome-shaped AC fuel filters.mike

Boy Tim "the toolman", I'm kind of new to the restoration of old Chevy’s so I just full of annoying questions for any of you experts. I was a parts man for Chevy back in the 50' & 60's right after I got out of high school till I went in the USAF in ’64. But I've forgotten almost everything I knew back then, I sure wish I would’ve saved some of that literature that we used to pitch out every month like the parts revisions and service bulletins. Restoration of my vehicles wasn't in my vocabulary in those days, it was more like what ever it took to keep it running.
So where does one find this type of detailed information?? I'm hoping that Gene can get back with some documentation on the AC filters. All that I remember selling back in those days were the "stones" or sintered metallic filters and of course we did have the glass bowl options on the shelf also.
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

FUEL FILTER HISTORY
The first parts book I have that lists a fuel filter is the 1947 I don't have a 1946 book and nothing is in the 1944 or earlier books. The filter listed was accessory number 986128 and is the Durex filter made by the Moraine Products Div. of GM. The Durex filter has a glass bowl and the bowl is retained to the metal body with a stud with a winged not on the bottom. This was sold through 1949 and discontinued 4-50.
The new filter for 1950 was Also a Durex,accessory number 986399. It was a slightly different sixe and the bowl was not as tall , 1" VS 1 1/2". This filter continued with that number through 1952. There was a problem in 1952. The Power Glides had an automatic choke and a special fitting was required to clear the choke housing. The 1952 PG and all 1953-54 engines used the 986640 kit which included the fitting.
There was no filter sold in 1955
In 1956 accessory number 987500 filter was available. At one point is was described as being for 4 barrel and Rochester carburetor only. Later its shown for all 8 cyl. engines. It was the AC GF-48 and had the special fittings to adapt the filter to the odd fittings used on 4 Bbl. cars.
In 1957 the filter was changed to accy number 987629 (with fittings) or 854345 - bare filter only. This is still the GF-48.
In 1957 the 6 Cyl. carb. had a built in filter, it was behind the gas line fitting. This was also used on common carburetors from 1959 and up 8 cyl cars.
The older books show no filter for 6 Cyl Corvettes, but the GF-48 is listed for those years - in the 1957 and up books. From what I can find the 6 Cyl Vettes did not have a factory installed filter.

Hello chevgene:

In my July 1, 1929-1946 Parts Book, the largest number in the 98xxxx range is: 986050. Therefore 1947 must be the first year for the Durex fuel filter. There is also no listing on any other part number for a fuel filter in the '46 parts book.


dtm

Great information guys, thanks for looking that up and posting it for all of us Gene. I wish I had the reference material that ya'll have.
A lot of this type stuff will be disappearing as we loose the older set, I'm one of that group myself but I'm planning on stickin' around till I'm bout 100. I want to see if Social Security really does go bust in 2040.
We just lost another of our most generous historians this summer in Jim Payne and I’m afraid that a lot more or us are going to be joining him in the not to distant future. I wish there was some way that some of this historical material could be centralized in a library by the VCCA and other groups. The Old Car Manual Project it doing a bang up job in preserving this information and seeing that we all can benefit from it. If I have any old manuals or brochures I’m going to leave it to Keith in my will.
Anyway, tks for your effort, I’ll add it to my reference file.
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL