Xtra

I have 4 different areas to draw the air from that I am considering, you just guessed one of them. The V3 is starting to look modular and could be configured in different ways. All this is just thinking out loud and in the design phase. Nothing is locked in at this time regarding the possibility of a secondary source of air. I do like the idea, but It has to be fit for everyday use in places that have weather like rain and snow. It also has to be super easy to install. I don't want something that requires taking the car to a shop, that is unless that is what the owner wants to.

Did some math and the V3 filter has over twice the surface area than stock. It worked out to 2.1 to 2.3 times the surface area of the stock flat filter. To accommodate this I am considering a second source of air . Though I am sure that the V3 alone will be much better than stock.

Was able to get in a full days work on the intakes today. Just trying to get caught up after the flood. All that is left to do is test fit each one and touch them up before boxing and shipping.

I appreciate your offer, do you know If Ramfab has a mandrel tube bender? It is a specialized piece of equipment, and it needs to make short radius bends, not all of them can do that. The shorter the radius the better. ***I have just sent him an email to find out .

Was outside and just starting to work on the intakes when I came into the house to get some water, and the kitchen was flooded! No big thing as it is now fixed, but it put the intakes back a full day. I am working on them, but not all of them may be done this week. I will do my best to get them out ASAP. Your patience is appreciated. The Carbon Fiber still has not arrived and just as well, because I have still have to get the mold fixed up first.

The mandrel bent elbows arrived today. They are 2.75 OD with 0.065 wall 6061-T6 aluminum with 20, 35, and 45 degree short radius bends. I will have to test fit them to find the best ones to use before fabrication into reducers. They are smooth bends that keep the full 2.75OD throughout, for best air flow. They are ideal... if there is room for them. The only drawback is the co$$t, by the time they are cut, welded and fabricated into reducers they are expensive! The alternative is to cut the stainless steel straight reducers and weld them back together at the proper angle, not as smooth a transition, but much more affordable. Perhaps offer both to have a choice . Remember that this is being developed and expect things to change now and then. Success and failure will all be seen.

Spent yesterday drilling 192 holes in the intakes. 96 pilot holes then 96 holes to size + hand chamfer each one. That is for just 8 intakes.

Silicon hoses are compatible with this system, but I am not doing that as part of this project. They can always be added later .

The 2.75 OD to 3inch OD stainless steel straight reducers arrived and they fit perfectly. They can be cut and welded to make the angle. The 2.75 mandrel bent aluminum elbows I ordered are tight radius, but may take up too much room, and only testing will tell what direction to go. I am awaiting the arrival of the elbows. \

No worries the air box is much bigger in every direction , but it does not interfere with the battery tray. If the battery fits into the stock tray the air box should still fit. I am running a oversize battery as well, I think it is an H6 the 94R is an H7 a bit larger than mine. I will look next time I test fit the air box to see what's up and report back.

After cutting out the V2 intakes . I put some time into the Air box. and made some more progress. I got the latches sorted outs and working and I am pleased with their fit and finish. I still need a gasket though, but that is no problem. One problem with the latches is that the snorkel gets in the way. of opening one of them. So the air box has to be installed as a complete unit . This is no problem, but to check the filter the entire air box has to be removed. Lucky it is not something that has to be done very often. It is easy enough to do, but it is not ideal. A small concession for the expected increase in performance. This time I did not forget to measure the angle of the elbow reducers. Now I can make the adapters / elbow reducers to connect the car to the air box.

Those that are waiting for their ABS V2s . No worries I was able to cut out 8 of them today . They all still need to be drilled, sanded, hand fitted, boxed up and shipped, but I am on it and should be shipping sometime next week. I will PM you when yours ships with tracking info.. Racked and stacked This is just part of the mess I made.

I have had it done at the dealer. The surfaces have to be super clean and dry. Then after the pan is installed the RTV has to cure overnight . If it is rushed it can leak .

Sometimes I wonder , I guess I was so excited that the air box fit that I forgot to measure the angel of the adaptor tubes. That is something that can only be done when the V3 air box is installed. Now I will have to reinstall it to know how much to bend the tubes, then take it out and reinstall the OEM air box just so I can drive the car. Once I have those angles the elbow reducers can be fabricated, and it will be one step closer.

You have done an amazing job your car is super clean and tastefully done.

I won't know for sure if it will fit the ST but i am hopeful . My first design I was sure that it would fit the ST and all the 2.7EB Edges, but this new design is cleaner and we won't know until we try . I will have to find someone with a ST to try it out when I get the air box into production. I am fairly sure that someone will want to test fit it for me...Anyone out there with an ST in the Los Angeles area? Oh, and now that I have had this breakthrough with the air box I can get back to trimming and shipping the V2 intakes..

I have made substantial progress, though in the photos it looks way more complete than it is . I still need to add the sensor and gaskets and latches and adaptors and much, much more than you see in the photos. What you do see is a mockup and fitting of a 10 pound filter in a giant air box stuffed into in a 5 pound bag. And it fits I have been working on this all week there is a long way to go but today was a major breakthrough and it is going to look like a factory setup when complete. You may notice that I am still using the snorkel. I am doing this because it feeds air into the large cavity at the bottom of the air box allowing for the air to distribute evenly and it acts like a plenum or manifold. Though some have bypassed the snorkel all the air still has to get through that little slot in the bulkhead that the snorkel attaches too and that is the great equalizer, no matter what direction the air comes in. And that is what the V2 intake helps with, feeding the snorkel. The V2 Intake and V3 Air Box work hand in hand to make a complete system. That is one big filter. It can flow over twice the air as OEM Sneak peek of the V3 Air Box in place. Here I am checking the alignment of the filter to the car. It is looking like It is going to be mandrel bent 6061 aluminum tube with a home made reducer welded on. It is expensive to do it that way but right now it is looking like that is the only choice. You can see that the snorkel is in place and it is not modified to allow putting the car back to stock when on the street or at smog checks. This system is not street legal and is for off road use only.

I have a lot on my plate and I have neglected to trim the ABS V2 intakes yet. I am still trying to get them shipped by next week. The Carbon Fiber is still waiting to be manufactured and shipped to me and I need to refresh the mold before molding it. I have been putting my energy into the V3 Air Box the last few days and I have made substantial progress. Checkout the V3 thread in "Accessories and Modifications" to see what up.

Yup bet, I will always have the ABS intakes available. It is the carbon fiber intakes that are on the endangered list. I get the carbon material by piggybacking on a large company’s order. As such I have to wait for that big company to place an order to receive my 4 or 5 sheets. They cost so much that I cannot afford to buy a bunch to stock up on it. I guess as long as no one is in a rush then it is all good. I just have to keep the mold in tiptop shape.that means refreshing it after every 2 or 3 runs. Because is made of fiberglass it can be touched up fairly easy. And it gives me a chance to fine tune the design. That is why feedback is so important.

2.75 to 3 inch SS adaptor that will be used in the mach up adapting the filter to the car. They may or may not be used in the final form, I am still figuring things out. . I may end up using mandrel bent aluminum tube to align the filter to the car if I can’t get these straight reducers to line up. These cost three times less than the mandrel bent tube and there is no welding. needed. keeping the cost down is important

Mufasa, Looking good! I love those before and after photos. Thanks for the props! You are correct, it was a much bigger task than I expected, but it was worth the effort.

The mold is having some unexpected problems. Apparently because I did not de-gas the resin before using it . The trapped air is what is causing small cracks everywhere. When the mold is under vacuum these small air bubbles try to escape causing the cracks. There is no cure for this and I will just have to keep refreshing the mold . I needed a vacuum chamber to put the mixed resin into to de-gas it before use to prevent this. The answer is to use the fiberglass mold to create a cast aluminum one. An aluminum mold would be permanent and won’t be affected by heat buildup when doing a run of intakes. Problem is the cost may not be inline with the demand. Between the casting and machining it would cost several K .

Fixed the car and picked up the ABS intakes. Putting the air box project on hold this week while I trim and ship the intakes . I will be molding 5 Carbon intakes when the material arrives , and only 2 or 3 are available as the rest are spoken for. These may be the last carbon intakes made as the mold needs to be reconditioned. After the mold is fixed up production of the ABS units will continue.

Here is the dry filter that will be used. It is huge! It will also be available as a washable reusable oiled filter.

The plastic shop just called and the 8 ABS V2 intakes are ready to be picked up. Only problem is that I have been messing with the air box project lately and I have been taking my OEM box in and out of the car a lot. Last night my car started running strange and It put up a check engine light. I believe it is the sensor wires as they are small and delicate. So I cannot pick up the intakes until I fix the car.