It seems like there is not really all that much to a free flowing intake. After seeing a recent article in Truckin' where they install an AEM Brute Force, couldn't all the parts of a good quality intake be purchased from a place like JC Whitney? I imagine even a bunch of PVC pipes and a couple elbows would work pretty well. Silicon elbows and filters are probably pretty easy to purchase as well. Anyone else thinking about this???

 

I don't know about that! With all the problems the professionals have with getting air flow kits out....

 

the silicone stuff is expensive if you haven't priced it out. PVC reportedly will start to breakdown under the heat it would be subjected to and then it outgases some stuff that will clog up the intake. Some guys over on the ranger board talked of making them but by the time I located the silicone stuff and tried to find elbows and stuff for the PVC when I was considering it it was only about another $50 to buy a ready made set up with air filter and all the mounts etc. Plus it was a bolt in and I didn't have to fabricate anything. This is on a 94 4.0 ranger BTW not a 150.

 

I was thinking about using a MAC cold air kit off of a 96 mustang gt you can get them for about 45.00 american on ebay. Here in Canada a Airaid is going to run me about 590.00 which I think is a big rip-off. I posted a question about this a couple of weeks ago and didn't get any replies. Lets see if anyone has any answers this time.

 

I'm also considering modding my air intake. Take off the part stuck into the fender well and replace it with a 3" that fits over the remaining piece. Use an elbow and route it to the front of the truck into the large square opening next to the radiator (where the hood latch cable is routed). I'd cut the baffles off and seal the holes with the baffle plastic cut to fit. Next take the whole thing out and spray with a very thin coat of plastic primer. Let it dry and then coat with 5 or more coats of high heat resistant engine paint. To get the right plastic pipe extension maybe go to a scrap yard and find an old one that would work. PVC may not be the way to go. I'm going to try it someday and if anyone else comes up with a good method let us know. Here's a couple of links and maybe someone can do more web searches on these types of ideas: http://users2.ev1.net/~subaru/air_box_modification.htm http://www.automotivehelper.com/topic140037.htm http://www.heatshieldproducts.com/reflect-a-shield.htm

 

Thanks Torredor! This is EXACTLY what I am talking about! There are sources of pretty cheap SILICONE HOSE on Ebay. I think the seller's name is hightempsilicone. I'll keep you guys updated as to what I decide to do!

 

I've decided I will do this mod. Right now I'm pressed for time, but will take pictures of it when I do step by step. I would venture to guess the silicone hose would be far better heat resistant than the PVC and far less costly than aluminum tubing. When I do it, I'll report back as well. I really think this would be a good mod and add a Wix air filter to get even better air flow. You can keep the stock box and use Wix replacement filters.

 

I just did a search on Ebay and there are even aluminum pipe with the bend already in it for $29. I am going to search around swap meets, parts stores, and scrap yards to find the right tube. This mod can probably be done for less than $75 (including paint) if you shop around.

 

Toreador, have you had a chance to look at www.trueflow.com ? Their intake system retains the stock air filter box and is just a series of a few tubes! I can't believe how much they are asking for it!!! I have never heard of Wix filters but I will do a websearch on them.

 

Yep, those prices are insane. Here's a comparison test of different air filters. If you scroll down the page you'll see the Wix gives almost as much air flow as the K&N yet has better filtering of particles. That's a great trade off for someone lazy like me that doesn't want to mess with cleaning and oiling air filters. I just want to pop it out and pop in a replacement. http://home.usadatanet.net/~jbplock/ISO5011/SPICER.htm I feel that if you plug the baffles on the stock air intake, widen the opening, and use the freer flowing Wix you can get nearly the same effect as the ultra expensive cold air intakes out on the market. And if you do it correctly you can make it look good as well. I fully intend to do this mod, the only problem is severe lack of time currently. But I'm completely convinced I will do it.

 

Here are some ideas I have...

First, using whatever tool you want, precicely enlarge the opening to a 3" diameter.

Next make a 3" adapter out of PVC or some sort of metal such as aluminium or steel. IF it had a flange that would probably be the best. Clean well and secure into the opening using some type of thermally stable epoxy or adhesive.

Find a 3" silicone adapter and connect with appropriate clamps to the adapter.

Next find a 3" tube with a 45 degree bend and cut to size allowing it to exit into the wheel well compartment by about an inch or two. I think this would be much easier than trying to seal the baffles in the existing tube. If you could find a 3" diameter reinforced silicone tube with a 45 degree bend, you could probably also use this but it would probably be more expensive.

Now comes enlarging the hole going to the wheel well. I guess you could cut it, grind it, or use a rounded hand file to make a precise 3" hole for the pipe to exit. The pipe can be secure at that hole with some rubber and/or some silicone sealant. It might be a good idea to paint the edges of where you filed with a rust inhibiting paint just in case.

After the hole is done and everything fits well into place, the pipe could be painted with high temp ceramic spray paint and some self etching primer from duplicolor. Hell, you could even use a high temp wrap. If you wanted to, you could use metalcast since it is high temp resistant.

Reassemble and tighten everything down all the clamps. I bet if you took your time it would look very professional. If it was painted in flat black engine enamel, it would almost look stock. I wonder how much louder the intake would be.......

 

I meant enlarge the opening of the air box to 3". This allows you to use standard air filters that would normally fit perfectly into your air box.

 

One idea to see how loud the intake would be is to first take off the small piece going into the fender well. Next get some rubber plugs, reach into the intake and temporarily seal off the baffles. Your idea looks good because it is into the fender well with only a smooth bend to it. But there are two levels of metal you'd have to cut to get it into the same space the stock is going into. My idea would be closer to 90* going into the front of the truck and that may cause slower air flow. It'll be a creative project, that's for sure.