Adjustable air cleaner fastening assembly
RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application is a Continuation of my copending application Ser. No. 164,128 filed Mar. 4, 1988, now abandoned, for Adjustable Air Cleaner Fastening Assembly. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The subject invention relates to an adjustable fastening assembly for use on an engine and, more particularly, to an adjustable air cleaner stud for use between an air cleaner cover and a carburetor on an engine. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Air cleaners are used on engines to filter contaminants from the air before passing through the carburetor to the internal cylinders of the engine. Typically, the air cleaners comprised a filter encased in an air cleaner cover and mounted upon the carburetor. The air cleaner cover has a center hole parallel and concentric to the center hole of the carburetor. This allowed a straight fastener or stud to be used to secure the air cleaner cover to the carburetor along a common axis. 
     Presently, the automotive industry is producing air cleaner covers having a center hole eccentric or offset from the center hole of the carburetor. This has resulted in a wide variety of different carburetor to air cleaner cover center to center hole spacing. 
     The problem is that a different fastening assembly has to be used for each different center to center hole spacing. This requires a costly inventory of fastening assemblies to be maintained. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Accordingly, the subject invention is an adjustable air cleaner fastening assembly adapted for interconnecting predetermined centers of an air cleaner cover and carburetor on an engine, the centers being eccentric. A base fastening means engages the predetermined center of the carburetor on the engine. A cover fastening means engages the base fastening means and predetermined center of the air cleaner cover for adjustably maintaining a predetermined distance between the predetermined center of the air cleaner cover and the predetermined center of the carburetor. 
     The subject invention allows for different center to center hole spacings between the various air cleaner covers and carburetors. This results in using one standard fastening assembly, eliminating the need for a large inventory of different fastening assemblies. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     Other advantages of the present invention will become apparent after viewing the accompanying drawings wherein: 
     FIG. 1 is an elevational view of the subject invention used on an engine; 
     FIG. 2 is an elevational view of the subject invention; 
     FIG. 3 is an exploded elevational view of the subject invention; and 
     FIG. 4 is an elevational view of the subject invention on an engine having a different carburetor center to center spacing than FIG. 1. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     An adjustable air cleaner fastening assembly is generally shown at 10 in FIG. 1. The assembly 10 is adapted for interconnecting a carburetor 12 of an engine (not shown) and an air cleaner housing or cover 14. The carburetor 12 has a predetermined center 16 and the air cleaner housing or cover 14 has a predetermined center 18. The fastening assembly 10 secures the air cleaner cover 14 and the carburetor 12 together. 
     As shown in FIG. 1, a pair of laterally spaced carburetors 12 are connected to the intake manifold 20 of the engine. Each carburetor 12 has a predetermined center 16. A center hole or aperture is formed at the predetermined center 16. The air cleaner cover 14 has a pair of laterally spaced predetermined centers 18 separated by a distance A. A center hole or aperture is formed at the predetermined center 18. One predetermined center 18 of the air cleaner cover 14 is concentric with the predetermined center 16 of one of the carburetors 12. The other predetermined center 18 of the air cleaner cover 14 is eccentric or offset from the predetermined center 16 of the other carburetor 12. 
     As illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, the fastening assembly 10 comprises a base fastening means 22 for threadably engaging the predetermined center 16 of the carburetor 12 and a cover fastening means 24 engaging the base fastening means 22 for threadably engaging the predetermined center 18 of the air cleaner cover 14 and for adjustably maintaining a predetermined distance D between the predetermined center 18 of the air cleaner cover 14 and the predetermined center 16 of the carburetor 12. 
     The base fastening means 22 comprises a base fastener or stud 23 having a threaded portion 26 at one end and an enlarged head portion 28 at the other end. The enlarged head portion 28 has a diameter greater than the diameter of the threaded portion 26. The enlarged head portion 28 includes an aperture 30 being threaded and communicating diametrically therethrough. The threaded portion 26 threadably engages the aperture at the predetermined center 16 of the carburetor 12. 
     The cover fastening means 24 comprises a cover fastener or stud 25 being L-shaped and having a first threaded portion 32 at one end and a second threaded portion 34 at the other end thereof. The first threaded portion 32 threadably engages the aperture at the predetermined center 18 of the air cleaner cover or housing 14 and the second threaded portion 34 threadably engages the aperture 30 of the base fastening means 22. 
     The assembly 10 also includes retaining means 36 for preventing relative movement between the cover fastening means 24 and the base fastening means 22. The retaining means 36 comprises a lock nut 36 having an aperture 38 being threaded and communicating therethrough. The lock nut 36 is threadably engagable with the cover fastening means 24. The lock nut 36 is disposed about the second threaded portion 34 between the enlarged head portion 28 of the base fastening means 22 and the bend 35 of the cover stud 25 to prevent the lock nut 36 from dropping down into the carburetor 12 and inflicting damage to the engine. 
     In operation, as illustrated in FIG. 1, the air cleaner cover or housing 14 has a predetermined center to center spacing A of 11 inches for example. The predetermined center to center spacing C of the carburetors 12 is 7 inches. Therefore, if one predetermined center 18 of the air cleaner cover 14 is concentric with one predetermined center 16 of the carburetors 12, a 4 inch predetermined distance or eccentric spacing D will remain between the other predetermined center 18 of the air cleaner cover 14 and the predetermined center 16 of the other carburetor 12. 
     The assembly 10 solves this problem. The stud 23 of base fastening means 22 is threaded into the aperture at the predetermined center 16 of the carburetor 12. The lock nut 36 is placed about the second threaded portion 34 between the base fastening means 22 and the bend 35 of the cover stud 25. The second threaded portion 34 of the cover stud 25 is threaded or screwed in or out of the aperture 30 of the base fastening means 22 until the first threaded portion 32 is at the predetermined center 18 to achieve the proper center to center spacing D and disposed in the aperture of the air cleaner cover 14. When the desired center to center spacing D is achieved, the lock nut 36 is tightened down against the head portion 28 of the base fastening means 22 to hold the cover stud 25 in an up-right position. The air cleaner cover 14 is secured to the cover stud 25 by a suitable fastener such as a nut (not shown), which is coupled to the upper-end of the first threaded portion 32 of cover stud 25 after the stud has been inserted through the openings 18 in the air cleaner cover 14 so as to urge the air cleaner 14 into engagement with the carburetor 12. Thus, the center to center spacing C between the carburetors 12 is extended by the fastening assembly 10 to 11 inches to allow the air cleaner cover 14 to be secured to the carburetors 12. 
     As illustrated in FIG. 4, the center to center spacing E of the carburetors is 6 inches. Thus, the cover stud 25 is adjusted by turning or screwing it out of the head portion 28 of the base fastening means 22 until the first threaded portion 32 is at a predetermined distance F of 5 inches from the predetermined center 16 of the carburetor 12. Thus, the center to center spacing E between the carburetors 12 is extended by the fastening assembly 10 to 11 inches to allow the air cleaner cover 14 to be secured to the carburetors 12. 
     The present invention has been described in an illustrative manner and it is to be understood that the terminology which has been used is intended to be in the nature of words of description rather than of limitation. 
     Obviously, many modifications of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings. It is, therefore, to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims, the present invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.