I purchased the Alta Box Top but I find the instructions incomplete and confusing. Who has installed the Box Top? How is the fit? Thanks

 

Installed it today.

Fairly straightforward, once you figure that the box top mounting bracket may extend futher back from the adjustable filter clamp to work properly. The drawing actuallly shows it that way, but I didn't notice it at first.

And you have to jiggle it just a bit side to side to get the hole to line up.

I also applied the aluminum insulation on all sides (including inside) and on the top.

As we say down here in GA, I'm purty pleased with it.

 

As I posted in the Alta Q&A thread:

I think a picture is worth a thousand words.

Bracket attached to the filter.

Then you place the top on. Then apply the rubber peice to the rear of the box. And make suttle adjustments as needed.
You may have to remove the very right most screw holding the airbox to the car. Alta has told me suttle changes in the cars over the years has made this necessary on some and not on others.

 

What exactly is the real-world advantage of the Box top?
If there are some I may be interested in this also.
I've seen the ads on ALTA website - but not that convinced until I hear from actual users.

Some of you that have installed this, do you see or feel and advantage?

 

Hear or feel a difference? NO

The idea is the top makes a better seal then the rubber on the underside of the bonnet.

 

What do you do with the rubber seal that is currently on the open box? What do you do with the enclosed long rubber strip?

 

Put it in the parts bin.

 

Just put it aside.

It goes around the top edge of the intercooler box. Mine was a bit too long, so I cut a couple of inches off.

 

Hey guys,

I'm glad these are being delivered now...

Does the top reduce the SC whyne?

Any noticable difference in throttle response?

Best,

-- Don

 

Does anyone know if this fits with an M7 strut bar?

 

Disregard...just found other thread that shows the top fitted with m7 stb.

 

Mine has just arrived and its raining outside, so I'm not going to put it on for a bit. The instructions say to remove the top of the ecu box. Is this really necessary?

 

Yes, it won't fit without the removal of the ecu cover.

 

The seals on the ecu cables should be fine without the cover, yes?

 

Mine has been fine for several months. Although I cannot be held liable for any problems. Alta has posted it needs to be removed and then they say it fits over top.

 

alright, we'll see how it goes. thanks mdsbrain.

 

Well, I got my box top at the SCMM breakfast this morning from Scott at Central Coast Coopers. It seemed to make sense to me as far as installation, I really think that the complaints about the instructions were a bit overdone, it was pretty obvious what to do, so I'm not sure what all the fuss was about there.

I came home, took off my filter and cleaned and re-oiled it. Took a few hours in the sun before it was dry and I could apply the oil, but when I got right down to it, it only took about 20 minutes to put on.

The one problem I did have is that it seemed that the screw threads on the bracket were welded too far back to allow the front lip of the top to tightly meet the front edge of the box. There was at least an 1/8" gap between the top and the edge of the box, even with the rubber strip in place. The way that the bracket hooks under the hose clamp on the filter prevents it from moving any farther forward. A few minutes with a vice and ball-peen hammer fixed that:



I flattened out the existing lip where the end of the bracket turned up and re-bent it further back. Makes for a taller lip, but allows the bracket to slide forward more before it hits the inside of the box.

The only thing I'd recommend is, when you are trying to get the screw to hit the threads, don't worry about getting the box top seated until you get the threads started. I put the screw and washer through the top and held them tight and lowered it through the plastic spacer which was sitting over the hole in the bracket. Looking from the side it's pretty easy to hit the hole without losing the spacer. Once you get a few threads started, you can get everything in place and tighten it down.

Maybe not how I would have designed it, but looks good once it's in. I'm sure that if the dealer ever has to open it, though, they're gonna lose the plastic spacer, however.

 

I don't even use the bracket. My top sits on snuggly without it. :-)

I think it just depends on the car.

 

MAde my own top, insulated the box and the top. I have protection from water entering the cowls (something I've had scary experiance with) and with insulation surrounding the filter I have a 50 degreee delta in Temperature between the engine and the filter after having stopping and idling from extended driving.

Here is a thread with more details so the hijacking is kept to a minimum.

 

Can you believe I'm actually quoting myself?! Anyway, on the first install attempt the m7 bar wasn't even close to fitting over the box top. There's two bolts on the STB that sit directly above the cai. Due to the design of the STB one of these bolts sticks out the bottom a little bit. I already took a chunk of paint out of the box top.

So last week, while I was installing a DT BPV , I refit my cai to try to gain a bit more clearance....still didn't fit! So, I loosened the bolts that hold the STB onto the shock towers and adjusted the mounting plates the little bit that I could. Still no go! Finally I decided not to use the bolt that holds the box top down and I flattened out the crease in the top a little bit. This fits, but it has nowhere near the clearance that I've seen in pictures. In fact, the bolts on the STB still touch the box top a little bit.

Anybody else run into this problem?

 

Anyone?

 

I just have to ask.

Is the boxtop sitting with a lip hanging over the end of the box? Or is the end behind the front of the box? It seems to matter a tiny bit. Also did you have the fitting issue like me and have to remove the screw holding the right side of the boxtop to the body?

 

The front lip of the top is behind the front edge of the box. Is that correct? In contrast the sides of the top hang over the sides of the box.


I'm not familar with this. The right side of the box does fit awefully tight though. If I'm correct it's pushing against the master cylinder.

 

Yes, thats correct.




Some of the boxes required removing the screw on the right side in order to fit nicely with the top. The word is that this varied car to car.

The part I didn't like was the removal of the ECU cover (which fine, it probably doesn't matter, but I didn't like it). My box top is still for sale if anyone wants it. Its still in the FS area.

 

Yes you have the top on correctly. I wonder why yours is so much closer.

Any chance your CAI heatshield isn't screwed down tightly? OR that its not sitting correctly on the rubber grommets under the box?

I'm grasping at straws to help.