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My cheap CAI

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Old 01-24-10, 09:07 PM
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rotors excite me

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My cheap CAI

My stock TID (turbo inlet duct) cracked yet again, and I refuse to keep buying another one every year or so. I didn't want to just slap a cone filter in the engine bay and make my car worse off, but I'm low on resources. No TIG welder (nor experience with TIG) and I'm nearly broke. However, I had picked up a Honda intake piping kit for like $15, I had a dual cone air filter with an adapter that was given to me years ago, and a silicone coupler from ebay (which is still being resolved, he sent me one coupler that was completely wrong, and the blue reducer I used was supposed to be red). I do have a trusty rusty old Lincoln welder, which was helpful but not necessary for this project.

I pulled everything in front of the turbo and began moving wires and crap out of the way so I could cut a hole down where the washer fluid tank is (which has to be removed for this project, I want to relocate it as it is pretty much a necessity in Iowa). My $13 air saw from Harbor Freight performed decent, but I miscalculated where the pipe would need to go down so I cut a much larger hole than necessary. Oh well, cest la vie. Presently, what you may not see is the new TID has part of a rubber plumbing fitting inside the coupler as a spacer (the ebaytard I mentioned was supposed to send me a red 70mm-60mm reducer. instead I got a black 57mm 90* elbow. wtf.). The filter also has a spacer cut from one of the red rubber couplers because it's a bit bigger than the piping. I bolted up some plumber's strap to keep the AFM from rattling too much, keep it off the piping under it, and also keep the filter from banging around too much. I also put a vac hose bump above the filter where it could hit a metal edge (cut a slit in vac line to make a nice little bumper).

I made the same kind of vac line bumper for the headlight motor access in the closure panel. I've never messed with the damn things, but I figured why the hell not make it accessible. I had to make the panel because the filter would otherwise get plastered with everything from the tire. I carefully welded two nuts to the passenger side of the panel so it would bolt up easily on both sides of the tow loop. The material came from a discarded steel door I picked up at work haha. I'm a little disappointed I have no more brake duct, but I doubt it's a big deal. If I get crazy for racing slotted rotors might do more than the duct would anyway, there's no direct piping to the rotors like you see on formula cars. The filter's resting place is a comfortable ~3/4" off the panel and about a 1/4" from the metal edge that sets its max upward travel. I think this is going to work pretty well. You can't see the panel unless you get down to its level. I'd have taken it out for a drive this weekend, but I'm also taking my time installing my Zeitronix wideband stuff and I'm going to upgrade my rTek's firmware as well.

PICS! I did spray paint the whole panel black after scouring it with a wire wheel.
Old 02-21-10, 03:49 PM
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looks great man! i think im going to go the same rout
Old 02-21-10, 04:19 PM
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Clean your engine bay. But nice work
Old 02-21-10, 06:10 PM
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rotors excite me

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Thanks! It seems to be working pretty well.

Originally Posted by solareon
Clean your engine bay. But nice work
I'll get right on that once water won't practically freeze on contact I'm so sick of this weather.
Old 02-21-10, 08:46 PM
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Now With 10th AE Fun!

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It will help a little... but not nearly as much as getting a front mount.
Old 02-21-10, 08:59 PM
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It looks really nice. I might do the same. lol
Old 02-21-10, 09:51 PM
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nice job. as stated prior clean up the engine bay once it warms up there. My TID is similar but i didnt go into front bumper since i figured it would be a pain to squeese a FMIC in there as well
Old 02-21-10, 09:53 PM
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rotors excite me

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Originally Posted by 1SWEET7
It will help a little... but not nearly as much as getting a front mount.
The reason I went away from the stock TID is because it keeps cracking. The reason I routed it down like I did is because I didn't want to stick a cone filter in a hot engine bay. But for the future I'd like to stay away from a front mount. I wouldn't mind either modifying the scoop and TMIC or going Vmount.
Old 02-21-10, 09:53 PM
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Oh and Harbor Frieght is da ****. I love that store
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