I liked the concept of the VIP CAI intake but was put off by the price so I decided to build my own. The project started with a mandrel bent Walker 41442 exhaust elbow that I picked up off eBay for $25. The elbow is 2.75" OD at one end and 2.75" ID at the other end. The elbow must be cut to size and one end sleeved to increase the OD to 2.85"; the other end is sleeved internally to decrease the ID to 2.56". The locking lugs were made with scraps of 3/16" sheet metal and attached with JB Weld and reinforced with pop rivets. The hanger is a 1/8" strap curved to fit the bottom of the pipe and attached with pop rivets. The key to success is just to measure everything carefully and duplicate the configuration of the oem intake silencer. In use it's unobtrusive but it does make a throaty sound above 5500rpm. The only thing I had to buy was the exhaust elbow; everything else came from my scrap drawer. Tools used: hacksaw, Dremel tool, pop rivet gun, electric drill, and asst files.

 

I've thought about doing this also. Never thought of eBay though, I was going to have an exhaust place bend me a pipe.

Good work.

 

I considered that as well but I don't believe the average exhaust shop can do a mandrel bend. If they try to do a 90 degree bend on a 5" radius the inner arc of the pipe is going to wrinkle like an accordion. Take a look at the pre-manufactured exhaust elbows at Autozone, etc. and you'll see what I mean. Good luck with your project.

 

Monro muffler/brake can do a pretty good job, but I gave up modding the engine in my MC, it's not worth it. I'll wait to blow my money on my next car.

 

This was an interesting experiment but after driving with the air tube for a few months I decided it was a little too loud for my tastes. I didn't notice any change in performance just a sportier engine sound so I reverted to stock.

 

Any interest in passing on your intake for someone else to give it a try

 

Oh, I'll probably just keep it as a memento. I actually think it's better than the VIP tube because it just snaps into the oem intake snorkel. The VIP tube requires a separate piece of silicone hose to attach it to the snorkel.