The new Ames A350C air filter
 

Since the air filter for the chrome factory air filter housing has been unavailable for a couple of years, and since Ames has reintroduced it, I decided to buy one. It may be the only reasonably correct option available, Ames went to the effort to have it produced. Should it cost $39 when we could get it for $10 to $15 from the local parts store a few years ago? Probably not.

The A350C filter I've had in my GTO is 10 years old. I just blew it out not too long ago, it doesn't "really" need to be replaced, so the Ames filter is going on the shelf for now.

Here are some pictures comparing the two. The dimensions are the same. The Ames filter seems to have more pleats than the old one, and it has four molding indents that aren't on the old one (that may be correct, it won't affect fit or function, maybe that's just from the way it's produced, I don't know). It seems like a good quality item, I wouldn't hesitate to buy one if you need it.

Thanks for posting a review/pics - glad someone stepped up and made these. $39 seems like a lot for what it is, but still better than bidding against corvette guys on ebay for NOS.

Good to hear...
 

Have you placed it in the Breather?

I ask only because the aftermarket filters from 2023 offered elsewhere looked promising, but turned out to fit like sh!t.

I hope, in true AMES fashion, they conducted fittings to ensure a good fit.

I'm still fortunate to have some of the "Mexican" Delcos, and at some point, I will grab some of these to have on hand.

I did place it in the housing, it fits as the old one did, no gap between the base and the lid. I ran one like you show many years ago, with a gap because that's all that I could find. I've been running the current filter since 2014 but I've only put around 6,000 miles on the car since I changed it, so it has some life left.

I bought it somewhat to have it "on hand" and out of concern that it would be discontinued again. I might have picked up more than one if they weren't $39 each. If Ames is the only company sourcing them, we'll never see them at Rock Auto or in the parts stores.

Although I have no actual knowledge of the deal that Ames made to get these reproduced, I'm sure that in order to get the unit cost down, they probably had to commit to the manufacturer to have several thousand made. That would be the wise move as this filter is used by Corvette also. Of course, no one wants to pay up front for 1000s of filters, or store 1000's of filters, so in reality they probably worked with a wholesaler and manufacturer and in turn got an exclusive for a certain period of time before it will be available to all retailers with a suggested retail price. I looked into it, but the time it would have taken to break even did not motivate me to be the air filter guy. Will it be less expensive at Rock auto? Probably, especially if they commit to buying groups of 100. I don't think Ames would be moving that many at a time. Maybe 10-20 with continual resupply.

We should be grateful that Ames had these made, along with so many other Pontiac parts that don't seem to be available anywhere else; that's the most important thing. I was happy to see that it is a reasonable quality item and an exact fit.

The details of the deal would be interesting; unit commitment, unit cost, projected sales, etc. but that's part of doing business. Hopefully they'll be available for the long term.

Finally Ordered one.
 

Being offered at $39, about the same as the RPC filter I tried in 2023.
Right out of the box, it's clear this is a better design insofar as size compared to an NOS A350C.

While this filter is much closer to OE, with fitment on the factory base,
it has a slightly smaller ID and requires some massaging to set the lid back into place.
Nowhere near as bad as the ill-fitting RPC.

This could be easily rectified with carefully trimming the bottom inner edge of the rubber on an a very small angle/bevel so it would sit down without issue.

Overall, I'm very pleased with this filter and delighted that a trusted source like AMES has stepped up to the task.

Cheers!