Custom Air Intake

[TomoHawk]

, this thread is so old!

I want to get this thing cleared up. The RIGHT way to do it is to use aluminum tube, and FIND a "muffler place" that has a good mandrel bender. Not just any "muffler place" like so many have said before.

Thew only question not discussed is the shape of the tube. An elbow is right for the end that ggoes through the radiator support, but should it go straight along the top of the rad suport, or bend down to get the fresh air coming through the grille?

thx

[sblake01]

Well, I thought I'd revive this old thread because I finally found some aluminum tubing to my liking. It's a 2 1/2" id, 16 ga. 4" radius 90 degree elbow. I cut the excess tubing from the end that goes into the afm duct, had that end swedged to 70mm, had the straight piece swedged on both ends, one the fit over the other end of the elbow and the other for the filter. Cost was $31.20 + ship for a place called Global Technology & Engineering. I found them on the internet.

[280~Master]

My PO did this with the intake. Seems to work just fine for me plus its flexable. You can buy all this at HOME DEPOT except the filter. It looks like crap but it works. I have a piece of 3" exhaust from a ford F250 that has a bend in it that I need to get bent about an inch tighter. It was free and in the back of the muffler shop. To heck with buying something that they just throw in the trash.

[sblake01]

Exhaust tubing is heavy. That's why I wanted aluminum. I will admit though, I never thought of using ventilation ducting and I work at a hardware store!

[TomoHawk]

I finished making my intake!

It uses an aluminum tube, and a cone filter I got off eBay . I used the oem rubber connector tube off the AFM(Pic #2&3), and I made an aluminum bracket (Pic #4) that bolts to the top of the radiator support where the airbox bolted ( to use up the bolt-holes) and a 'strap' made of chromed steel (from a square chair leg!)to hang the tube from the bracket(Pic #1). I wrapped the strap once around the tube for even pressure, and put three screws through the strap & tube.

[sblake01]

I'm still working on the bracket. I wanted the tube to extend farther across the radiator support than yours appears to.

[TomoHawk]

What would be the advantage of having that big tube go across the radiator support?

I put some thought into an (attractive) looking support. I see too many cheap, rusty straps with a sharp, squared end bolted to the rad support, holding up a polished tube, and it just spoils everything.

[sblake01]

I finally have a bracket I like. It's 3/8" wide 1/8" thick aluminum flat stock with the mount end nicely rounded and smoothed. I don't like the sharp edges either. It polishes up just like the tube. I lke having the filter in the center where there is more room. I don't know how efficient any of our designs are. It's just for looks and any extra performance is a plus as far as I'm concerned.

[TomoHawk]

Probably anything is better than the stock airbox, which ha that little throat and is probably sucking hot air from the underside of the hood. Another 5 Lbs off the front wheels too.

If you wanted looks, I would go for an intake system like you see on newer corvettes, with two cone filters.

[TomoHawk]

OK,

I got the car out of the storage and I got the intake on the car. I started the engine with the hood up and checked the airflow. Putting my hand over the open end of the tube, I could feel all the air going by, and blocking the open end stalled the engine (obviously). So I put the cheapie cone filter on & I couldn't tell any difference in sound (cheap filter doesn't flow better than stock?). I put the hood down some, and revved the engine by hand. You actually could hear the deep racy sound! So I closed it all up and went for a drive. Maybe it does let the air through a little better, or maybe my AFM is messed up because of the improved air flow?

One strange thing I noticed was that a bunch of water (I think) spit out of the tailppipe.

Anyway, it's on, and it looks a better than the old oem airbox. Actually, about the only thing you can see is the bracket on the rad support and a little of the support strap.