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Picture this: Two gorgeous big-block Chevelles side by side, both identical firepower. Ones got the standard SS hood, the others equipped with a cowl induction setup. Whats the big difference you ask? Five, 10, maybe 15 more horses? Nope. Actually the cowl induction system adds zero horsepower to your Chevelle. Whats the then? How about a super-cool flap that opens up under full throttle acceleration announcing to the world that this cars not to be messed with! Well if you think thats cool, youll love how easy it is to install one of these systems on your 70 through 72 Chevelle or El Camino. Whether your car was originally cowl induction equipped or not, in this well show you how to install the complete system. So follow along with us. In a few hours, youll be flashing warning signs to all the other muscle on the street. What youll need: hood, cowl induction door assembly, hood screen, air cleaner spacer, cowl induction air cleaner assembly, AC intake relay, AC wingnut, vacuum actuator, vacuum actuator support, cowl induction wiring harness, firewall grommet, valve frame kit, air control switch and bracket, flow control valve, hood (if desired). These are included in Ecklers Chevelles 1970-1972 Cowl Induction System, 606556. Tip: Whether youre using your existing cowl hood or a brand new one, you should remove the hood from the car and it upside down on a firm level surface, at least a foot off the ground. You can install the system with the hood still attached, but its much easier when removed. For a technical diagram of how the cowl induction system fits, visit: http:www.ecklerschevelle.comdiagramviewindexid4 Performance gains: Nothing measurable in terms of acceleration, but youll gain the legendary look and action of a cowl induction system! First, a few words of advice and A cowl induction system can be installed on any 70-72 Chevelle that is equipped with a four-barrel carburetor. This includes the following engines: 350, 396 and 454.Youll want to and your hood before installing the cowl system. Be sure to the cowl door and screen body color.Be very careful working around the underside of the hood. It is stamped sheetmetal, and all the edges are very sharp!When reinstalling the hood, make sure you line it up correctly on its hinges. This is done by lightly tightening the bolts, then gently shutting the hood to check for fit. Once youre satisfied, tighten all 4 bolts with a socket wrench. The cowl induction system on this Chevelle is straight out of 1970. You can see the valve frame setup in the hood opening. In our first step, weve inserted the valve frame cage flap into the valve frame cage using the 3 supplied retaining clips. Weve also inserted the electric solenoid into its retaining bracket. With the cowl induction hood (part 605679) upside down on a firm surface and raised off the ground, insert the assembled valve frame setup into the hood opening. Secure with 6 self-tapping screws using a 516 socket wrench. Next, we insert the firewall grommet into the hole in the hood, and feed the tan colored wire from the wiring harness through the grommet. Then, attach the tan colored wire terminal to the solenoid. You will access the solenoid through the large air cleaner hole in the center of the hood. Now we will assemble the hood door. Attach the 2 door supports (one at each side of the hood door) using the supplied bushings and screws. Dont get confused here! Even with the screws fully tightened, the door supports will feel loose and not really firmly connected to the hood door. This is normal, as the hood door must be allowed to open and close freely. Now that the hood door is assembled, were going to install it into the hood. Lay the hood door into the hole in the hood, and attach it by screwing 4 (2 each side) 38 self-tapping bolts through the hood door supports. NOTE: due to irregularities in metal stampings, you will need to shim the door supports (using washers) in order to align the hood door. Look under the hood (actually, on top of the hood) and make sure that you shim the door so that it sits flush with the hood surface! Before you finally tighten down those door supports, make sure the hood door is able to open and shut freely. There should be at least 116 of clearance between the door and the actual hood. Dont forget to take into consideration the thickness of new Next, insert the vacuum actuator into the vacuum actuator support and fasten to the hood using 4 14 self-tapping bolts. Then, attach the vacuum actuator throw to the cowl hood door using the supplied screw. Now that weve got all the hood hardware in were going to attach the cowl hood screen to the rear of the hood opening using 8 self-tapping screws. This will keep out those leaves and unusually large bugs! At rest, the hood door is supposed to stay open, because theres no vacuum in the system. Dont freak- Because theres no vacuum in the system yet, the door will remain in its open You may be wondering why your 70-72 A-body has three big gaping holes in the cowl grille area (just below the windshield). Well, theyre for air flow, but for some strange reason the factory left them open and unprotected. To keep out leaves and other extraneous junk, you may want to invest in a set of cowl grille inserts They simply snap into The entire hood should be reattached to the car at this Have a friend help, and take your time to make sure both sides of the hood align with the fenders. Now were going to get the whole system activated. If wire routing and switch installation intimidate you, youre in for a treat here. This is a simple set-up. Just follow along. Attach the air cleaner intake valve relay assembly to the firewall using a 10 self-tapping screw. This unit sends a hot signal from the wiring harness to the cowl induction solenoid. Theres a black colored located in the firewall just behind the engines valve cover. Pop it open and insert the and brown colored leads from the wiring harness, as well as the braided section of wire. The and brown leads will feed down and attach to the air control valve solenoid switch which we will install at the gas The braided section of the wiring harness will also feed down and attach to the cars existing wiring harness. At the gas you will need to remove the existing retaining Attach the air control valve solenoid switch to its bracket using the supplied screw. Now fit the bracket to the existing holes where you removed the retaining before. The on the side of the solenoid switch will against the gas linkage upon full throttle acceleration, actuating the vacuum and opening the cowl hood door. Attach the and brown wire leads to the terminals on the solenoid switch (the fitting shape will be obvious), and attach the braided section to the existing wiring harness under your dashboard. This last connection will to the entire cowl induction system. Back in the engine compartment, the 2 remaining short wires into the air cleaner intake valve relay assembly (again, the fitting shape will be obvious). Now route the tan colored wire (that attaches to the electric solenoid we installed at the beginning of this through the wiring sheath on the firewall to it. Youll need to the cowl induction spacer assembly on top of the carburetor. This ring simply sits atop of the carb, and allows the air cleaner to sit up a little higher, into the cowl hood. Attach the cowl induction air cleaner flange and seal kit. The 14 rubber hose attaches to the vacuum actuator. The other end routes to the vacuum located on the intake manifold just behind the carburetor. Now youll have to fit a 14 rubber hose to the vacuum actuator. Then route the hose to fit the other end to the vacuum located on the intake manifold just behind the carburetor. The vacuum is standard on all Chevelles, as it is used for other vacuum operated accessories. Fire it up and grab a few shifts. Watching that cowl door open under full throttle makes it all worthwhile!