MG T-ABC

Hi Y'all, Recently I picked up a Original Air cleaner. Without tearing it up how do you get inside? What's inside?

Assuming it's a oil based filter how is it oiled?

It does not come apart, all crimped together! At the top where the louvers are located there is a 'steel wool' element that will trap rocks and large insects. You can clean it by dipping this top section in a pan of solvent and swilling it about, than reoiling with clean engine oil. There are a couple of articles in the technical section about taking the thing apart and fitting various modern elements inside the canister. I have done such and installed a disposable paper element that was originally fitted to Porsche 912 and a couple of other cars in mine.

Go To http://www.tcmotoringguild.org and search for "MODIFYING A STOCK TC AIR CLEANER" by Joe Douglass. You will need to make one simple sheet metal bracket. Instructions are straight forward. You can then use throw away paper elements made by Purolator, Clark and others.

Motoring guild.org article will get you started, assuming it is an actual original air cleaner you have. There have been reproduction ones for 50+ years. Another link to look at is for converting a reproduction air cleaner here
http://www.mg-tabc.org/library/T-airfilter-2-K&N.htm

Also discussed here a few years back. You need to drill out some spot welds. Randomness of welds can be seen here in pic #2 and #4. Pics here show a genuine original air filter.
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=437&p=1882&hilit=air+cleaner#p1882

One element I have not ever seen discussed is how/if a conversion effects the airflow out of the valve cover vent to air filter.

Thanks Fellows, That's what I needed.

If the air cleaner is indeed an original, the brown book has a diagram of what is inside and I strongly recommend you leave it well alone and put it on a shelf (where indeed mine is.) Then if you want a period look buy a repro (much simpler inside) and do the conversion to that. By the way, I have modern K&N fitted for normal driving, the rolling road people had a fit when they saw how the original strangled the air flow on my tweaked engine.

Best regards