Re: Air box mods (long)

[Gerard <gerard@poboxes.com>]

Having a turbo next to the airbox also doesn't help when the drilled
side of the box is facing the hot turbo.

> A friend who has recently fitted a K+N 57i induction kit to his nova
> GTE (a cone filter replacement to the oe airbox and dicting) reckons
> that the engine is more affected by heat than it was, the honeymoon
> period being after the car has warmed up but not been thrashed. After
> high speed driving his car is noticeably affected, more so than before
> he fitted the 57i. This kit comes with a poxy bit of aluminium ducting
> and a couple of cable ties that are supposed to locate the ducting
> from behind the radiator to infront of the cone filter, I am sure a
> better arrangement could be fashioned by most people capeable of
> fitting the filter in the first place, by the use of larger diameter
> ducting to begin with.

I was thinking of doing a cone conversion by plugging in a cone
filter to the intake port of the airbox. This cone would be mounted on
a small piece of aluminium tubing to position the intake further
forward, but looking at it again tells me that space between the
manifold, airbox, headlamp and washer bottle is a bit cramped.
Also, putting on a cone filter and removing the normal box filter from
the airbox will probably result in a lot more hot air getting
sucked in. I am really not clued up as to how the cone filters are
affected by heated air. I've seen some work in magazines where a cone
filter is fitted to some airbox, more or less in the same fashion I am
thinking (which is similar to the TAP box, but not using a newly
moulded airbox), and then there is a separate bit of metal tubing that
runs over from some intake on the motor (possibly the  lower grill or
fender) and this directs air from the front of the vehicle over to the
area where the cone sits. This offers more cool air to the cone and
seems like a similar mod to do as when ducting the entire intake duct
to the front fender/grill. (Hang on, this is what the induction kit
does anyway, right? it comes with ducting to redirect air from elsewhere
to the cone region).

The same effect can be  had by fitting a replacement K&N sport filter
that replaces the stock air filter and redirecting the duct of the
airbox to a intake somewhere on the front of the car. That way the
airbox doesn't suck air from the engine bay as the cone filter I
mention above. But which of these work best: The cone filter plugged
into the box? The cone filter plugged into the box with air tubing
directing some cool air to the cone? A aftermarket filter in the box
with the airbox ducting extended to the front of the car?

It is clear to me that drilling the box is not a good option.

> As a side note, the ducting from the airbox on my 80q has two hoses
> coming from it as compared to a single one on my 80 sport, is this
> normal??? I am not complaining only curious as to whether or not this
> is as normal. The input to the airbox looks to be of the same diameter
> though and if it is the same box as the sport then the internal
> arrangment for the air flow is a little strange and far from optimal
> in my opinion.

If I remember correctly there should be a small housing between the
2 intake ducts and the the  single duct going into the airbox. Right?
As far as I know that housing is a valve that allows warm air to be
sucked in from the engine bay, mainly  for warmup/cold-start purposes.
I saw this in the Haynes manual I have, I don't have it with me right
now, but that is what I remember. Once warm then the valve opens the
other intake to direct normal air from the front of the car. This I
think was a US thing. Best to confirm with the more knowledgable
listers as I can't remember if  the valve ducted air from the front of
the car through both inlet tubes and when it switches over it has
another tube or separate opening that sucks engine bay air.

Perhaps this would be a good idea for me to fit 2 ducts from the front
of the car and merge them into one duct going into the airbox. How to
handle water that might get scooped up?

[snip - bit about distributor units]

Way over my head. :)

Thanks.

G.
-- 
"a thousand miles from here, there is another person smiling"
1990 Turbo (200T)
name   : gerard van vught
tel    : +27-57-912 2658 (w) / 082 923 9609 (cell)
url    : http://www.acenet.co.za/homepages/gerard/
e-mail : gerard@poboxes.com  / han.solo@galaxycorp.com
         gerard@acenet.co.za / van_vught@frg.issi.co.za