Really good job on the fabrication of the new airbox!

Based on the design/setup you have, so long as the rubber seal going around the edge makes good contact with the bonnet underside, you should be OK without the top.

 

A stock air box is closed all the way and sealed with a flat filter in it. The Airbox I have intakes cold air from the from inlet tube and also from the inserts on the rear of the bonnet because the back of my airbox is open only allowing cold air to come in from the rear and front. The hot air from the engine definitely makes a difference. Ordered a scangauge, I will do some test when it gets here. Either way, I see what you are trying to get at. Probably doesn't affect it THAT much but I'm sure it could help. And a piece of sheet metal from Home Depot cost like 8 bucks and it's pretty easy to work with.


Thanks! I think the box turned out exactly how I want it. It meets the underside of the bonnet perfectly. I want just wondering if it would hurt to put a plexiglass top on it. (Think it would look good, especially with LED's under it!!)

 

yaya good job fabbing it for sure, it does look nice and I'm sure it has function - I'm just too lazy

plexiglass with LEDs under it? r i c e r . . . it might look cool but plexi on top is overkill and for the cost of the LEDs and the time its gonna take to wire it properly, you could do some other weekend mod like build a catch can or a grounding kit, or buy and install a boost gauge, etc.

 

I honestly think my favorite thing to do is wire LED's! And I get them for like $3.00 a pod! Check out my bike lol,



When I wire it, (hopefully soon) I will probably have a three switch set up, one for interior, one for exterior, and one for the engine bay.
And the only reason I am going to use plexiglass (if I do it) is because I have left over from my Subwoofer Install

Grounding kit? I already did the catch can and boost gauge! lol

 

yeah you can add additional ground cables to the chassis electrical system to help smooth out the engine. think of it like a stereo, did you ever notice that when you have big amps and speakers, you have to have a HUGE ground cable or you get a lot of excess static in the system? same thing can happen to your engine.

you can combat it by wiring extra ground wires from the frame to the negative battery cable, transmission box, engine block, etc. I noticed that I got an extra full inch of vac at idle after my ground kit install. you prolly won't notice any performance increase, but you could potentially prevent future failures

 

just bought the same kit, will make my own box as well, maybe with a top.

thanks for the idea!

- drew

 

No need for a box top as the Alta housing seals against the hood when closed.

If you were having problems with the foam filters I can guarantee you that it was not being cleaned and oiled properly. I have been using foam filters on all of my off road vehicles for years with no problems. In fact I have a 10 yr old Uni filter on my Honda right now.

 

installed mine yesterday. I noticed maybe slightly better throttle response and maybe a couple of hp. Definitely a cool sound that has made playing with the gas pedal addicting. Some intake suction noise, but not as much as i was expecting. Supercharger is a bit louder. Not "too" loud at all in my opinion and it's only really noticeable above 3k so it's only loud when you want it to be. Your opinion/results may very, etc.

i have my intake tube flipped from how you have yours installed....so the nipple thing comes out the left side and i cut my blue hose for the shorter distance. works fine.

only thing i don't like is the blue coupler for the tube and throttle body....not the best quality but it does work. sort of makes me nervous it will tear but it's probably okay. maybe i'll find a generic silicon one.

I have not made a box yet but I will make one soon. Should be fun! I suppose it will quiet it down some but in my stupid suburban hell stoplight driving it should help keep temps down.

EDIT: it does whistle at certain levels of throttle...goes away with light or heavy throttle. was cool at first but could get annoying. more noticeable with windows down and my passenger does not hear it at all.

- andrew

 

I think I might put mine up for sale. I've gotten used to the whistling noise....msot of the time it's pretty cool. Occasionally I'd rather it quiet. I still don't understand how my passenger's don't hear it. The supercharger scream is pretty awesome.

The heat soak has been rough in the heatwave we had going on the east coast, definitely feel a difference coming from a light. I could build a box, but I have too much going on these days. Fiberglass would be great and easy to do. I still don't like the metal intake tube which gets scorching hot. Maybe that doesn't matter.

The power is definitely there once the car is moving though....definitely nice.

I might try fitting a K&N cone filter in the stock box with some work and open up the back to the cowl (still sealed). Or just do some panel filter.

- Andrew

 

Actually, there is a slight gap(not to mention the air that coud be sucked in from behind the heat shield on the hood). Even Alta knows this, That is why they sold air box tops.

 

Hi Andrew,
What intake are you running? Also I am guessing you are running with the AC on in this mad heat..I think that is what you are feeling. I don't think you would feel "heatsoak" from an intake, especially after the air goes thru the IC.

 

I have some extra red LEDS, and some plexi. I'm with you, who cares what someone says.

 

Actually not. Test it yourself, the box seals up tight to the underhood insulation just fine. Not sure what area you would be getting hot air from, but the air coming in from the front intake and from the rear cowl area is more than enough to keep whatever hot air might be available out of the intake especially while at speed.

And Alta only offered the box top because other vendors had tops available, not because they worked better.

 

I'm running this ebay intake without a box.

I'm actually doing my best not to run with the AC when I can....i basically do AC when i'm on the highway cruising and windows/sunroof open around town. My car is miserable with the AC on, powerwise and the engine mount bushings i just put in make it annoying stopped at a light so I do windows.

I do feel a solid difference pulling away from a light in the heat. It's much worse than stock. Once some airflow is coming in through the front scoop it gets much better and the car feels a bit faster than stock. If i'm only stopped at a light for a quick second it's also not that bad, but if i've been sitting there cooking for a minute or two it sucks.

Basically now I'm thinking about either your Alta panel filter with the stock box or a K&N cone filter stuffed in the stock box with some creativity. I really don't feel like making my own box, though I think putting together some fiberglass panels wouldn't be too bad. I just don't want to.

- Andrew

 

Okay, I've had my filter and box setup for about 3 months now. The box makes a HUGE difference in the cold/hot air coming in. As far as a top, the rubber seals do meet up to the top of the hood, a top would be nice but really not necessary. I still plan to do the plexiglass top, just haven't gotten around to it. At a stop light, I as well use to not be able to use the a/c but after the seafoam treatment I can blast my a/c without my idle falling. It actually kicks the idle up to about 900-1000 if it's really hot, works the way it should! The filter SCREAMS and GASP for air when you step on it, almost sounds like a blow off valve because you can hear it sucking air! It's awesome! I've taken air intake temps and will be more than happy to take then with and without the box again so see what difference it makes. As far as the black metal pipe, yea it gets hot and silicone would be better but why would you be touching it anyway? Lol! I like it, looks nice and shinny! Other than that, I think it's a great filter if you have the time and patience to make a box. You can get sheet metal from home depot for super cheap and jut bend it or cut it and bolt it together. Otherwise just spend the money and buy one. Just my two cents!

 

About the metal pipe, you have to remember that it is not only hot on the outside where you can touch it, the pipe is actually radiating heat into the air stream as it flows in. If it is an aluminum pipe, you have to remember that aluminum is one of the best metals in the world at dissipating heat. That means it transfers heat quite freely in between the inside and outside of the pipe. If you could find some heat resistant tape, that'd be ideal. But, if you don't have problems with heat soak in traffic or anything It does look good like that.

And as MINI3333333333333333(all in good fun) suggested, I did check it myself. And the Alta seal does touch my Heat shield, Sorry for spreading the untruth.

 

The sound and power are really pretty nice. The whistle is either not as loud anymore or I'm used it, and frankly I play with the gas pedal a lot more now just to hear the sound. I'm glad I did the mod if nothing else because it was a fun way to spend time with my cousin putting it in and it does make the car more fun.

So at first, I was really impressed (especially for the price), then i got less impressed with the heat wave, then i liked it a little more again. But I've got a new idea though.

So mine is for sale if anyone is interested. Cheap!

- Andrew

 

Update for me:

I used a PVC coupler to allow the stock intake box to work with a K&N cone filter. RU-1480 i believe was the part number for the K&N kit. It just barely fits in the stock box...they have a shorter version, i think the 1460. I think the 1480 is fine. Total cost was like 30 bucks and it's probably just as good or better than most kits out there. The stock intake box is great.

The ebay kit sounded great, and was actually noticeably quicker most of the time. It was not great from a stoplight after heatsoaking though.

My new homemade one is as quiet as stock and seems about the same power-wise as the ebay one. Definitely does not have a heatsoak problem. I do really really miss the sound of the ebay one now. It grew on me a lot and/or quited down a tiny bit and sounded great.

It's actually very similar to the Dave.f intake from over in england. It looks like he uses the 1460. He adds a tube to go through a hole you would drill in the cowl so it can pull in some cold air from there. I may do that eventually but that's some work and it's cold out so no thanks. The other thing would be to add the samco intake hose, might be a small gain.

Here's a pic of the dave.f intake which is similar to mine, except the tube to get air from the cowl.



- Andrew

 

andyroo, that's a good original idea mod.

 

do that it helps ( sound )

i myself used a slightly bigger ( and longer ) filter ( dont remember what number it had... ) and cut out the whole back side of the box
mainly because the filter was just that long

big filter:


Big hole:


some foam to seal it from the engine bay:



end result being: nice sound + no heatsoke from the engine bay

 

excellent. yes, i do miss the sound.

hopefully i'll add the rear tube thing this spring.

- andrew

 

[QUOTE=GumbyLara;3032249]Well, the previous owner of my car had an Alta CAI with the stock intake tube, the heat shield, and the foam filter. I have NEVER had luck with foam filters for some reason, they always seem to shred apart and get sucked into my throttle body! I ended up buying a pod filter off ebay that came with a 2.5" inlet polished black tube. And it was only like 25 bucks! I cut the heat shield so I can fit my new filter in there and it looks, sounds and performs GREAT! Check it out!

EDIT: NEW PICTURES DOWN AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE WITH THE FIXED AIRBOX!!





It appears many of the fine intercooler fins are bent at 90 degrees to the airflow. I suggest you straighten them with tweezers or something so air passes through the intercooler

 

my ebay intake is for sale cheap if anyone is interested.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co.../product/19549

open to any realistic offer.