It is about time someone made this. I just got one for my car today. gt fiberglass now makes a air box for the tbi and carb. third gens. I am going to put it on this evening and give it a try.

 

From the pic on the site, I can't say I'm impressed. For the little to no benefit you'll see from doing it I wouldn't waste money on that.

Ram Air is just an appearance mod anyways.

 

If it is just an appearance mod why do all these race cars have scoops that direct the cool air to the carb?? they do it just for the looks? For years they have been making ram air cars from the factory. I was under the impression more cool air to the motor = more HP! I am sure all these race car builders can be wrong.

 

Finally!

I know it wont make HUGE increases in HP or anything, but it's still nice to get a Ram Air Hood and not just use it for looks, now you can have a little bit of functionality for it.

 

Well run some track times once with that box and with an open element and let me know what you picked up.

I'm somehow missing all these race cars that have ram air hoods on. Nascar? nope, NHRA? Well they have bug catchers but it's completely different. Take a look once at a 4th gen Ram Air car and show me how Ram Air actually helped?

It's 99.5% appearance. You might see some "ramming" of air at 150 mph. but that would be about it.

 

Do a search, ram air has been discussed and physics wins everytime. I think they even measured the actual speed at which it will start adding power. Of course the placebo effect guarantees 10% more horsepower.

 

I didn't say they all have ram air hoods but they all want the air to get to the filter right? Anyway I did put it on and noticed the difference right off the bat. What I notice at low speed is probably the open element air filter that came with it. But I do notice more pep when I am trying to pass a car on the highway or accelerating at about 35-40 mph. Anyway I like it and I notice a diffrence.

 

reminds me of a friend of mine.. drives an 84 camaro with a 327.. loves to tell how he can feel the 'difference' and more power when he puts a can of octane boost in his tank..

i guess higher octane = more power the engine produces..

 

I have to dis-agree..

True "ram air" may be BS untill you get up at speeds over 100mph, but cold air intake is not BS.

In every single "cold air" test I have seen, done, or read theres a pretty good gain.

The gen rule of thumb is for every 10* change in inlet temp, changes power by 1%

Now lets be mild here and say a 300 HP engine, under hood temps of 180*, outside air temp of 93*. That's an 87* diff in temp. That would = 8.7% gain in power.. That's 26.1 HP, which = about .25 second off your 1/4 mile ET.

Sure an open element makes more power than a crammed up stock air cleaner, but that open element is drawing in under hood air temps. If you can make it draw in the out side un heated by engine air, you WILL GAIN POWER!!!!

You talked about nascar and other race cars... Well you better look again and look closer this time. No a nascar stock car don't have a hood scoop, but they have a sealed air cleaner housing that is ducted to the car's cowl. It's sealed from under hood heat and draws outside air in straight from the base of the windsheild.

I don't know about the air box or what ever from GT, but I do know what I said above and this holds true in any car, any setup.

As long as you seal out underhood air, and draw in only outside air, you will gain.

 

I want to see pics when you get it on. I saw the pic on their website and that gizmo looks huge.

 

Correct me if i am wrong but isn't Cowl Hoods a type of Cold air induction. If so then they haven't accomplish much. Considering with a Cowl hood you can use a open element which allows air to to enter in 360 degrees, the Cowl hood allows cold dense air from near the window to enter in an go through the open element.

Which in a ram air system air is coming it from one way, restricted by the size of the pipe, and housing.

Therefore a Cowl with open element will out flow ram air system.

I think i take the Cowl.

 

kinda, but what they are saying with a ram air setup is that its all enclosed in plasic, meaning that cold air goes straight into the engine. With just a function cowl hood (just an open back) and an open element, there isnt much gain there. The cold air that is coming in gets a chance to mingle and heat up before its pulled in by the carb/tbi setup... you need something like this = for a cowl to reall get all its potential

 

Rabbitt.. Is pretty much right.

hmmurdock_00.. You have the right idea but your leaving out one major part... A sealed system.

Look at what I said before.

A cowl hood/set up will work just as good as any other type of "ram air" or "cold air" system, but the key is to seal it off, so carb only can get air from the scoop (cowl)

GM done this on the cowl setups for the chevelle and camaros, by a rubber seal between air cleaner top and bottom of hood.

On my home made set up, I have a "big block" style hood scoop rivited on my hood. A 14" hole cut in my hood. A 17" or so air pan made onto the bottom of my open element. The top of the air pan is about a 1/4" from the bottom of my hood when closed. Then I added foam pipe wrap to the top sides of my air pan to fill in that 1/4" gap and seal tight with my hood.

This leaves my open element filter still open 360* around, but it seals all under hood heat from entering through the filter. Only air that gets sucked in by the carb is the air that comes from my scoop.

If I didnt have the air pan to seal out the under hood heat, then I might gain alittle from the scoop and open element filter, but no where near the gain I get with the open element in a sealed air pan

 

Well, I just spent the better part of an hour looking for a specific pic on here... It basically had this:

I want to mold some fiberglass to the underside of my hood, so when i shut my hood, it will come down around my cowl.. then i could put some weatherstripping around the base of the air cleaner so when the hood is shut, there will be a sealed compartment all the way to the back of the cowl... just an idea...

 

basically, like this (sorry about the quick, crappy paint* job... just wanted to get my point across)

 

Rabbitt... That idea will work great. Pretty much how I done mine.

Only you'll need to cover the big open space in the hood like you said, where I just had to cut a hole out.

When I get my glass hood (big block or ram air II) I'm gonna get some plastic. Paint it, then two part expoy it to the bottom of the hood, cut a 14" hole in the plastic over my carb, and use my same air pan.

Here's some pics of how mine is now though.....

http://community.webshots.com/photo/...89807040nZhXFa

http://community.webshots.com/photo/...89808283ELlOvC

http://community.webshots.com/photo/...89805818ffRnZJ

http://community.webshots.com/photo/...39003518JgaLaU

http://community.webshots.com/photo/...39003585PLHEBY

 

Yes I know that for a cowl to be best it have to be sealed. When a cowl is sealed with a open element it is a lot less restrictive than a ram air still. A open element is pulling air at 360 degress and in a sealed system it is colder than that of the engine and is only limited by the cowl opening it self. Ram Air is only pulling air from an opening that is as big as the smallest restriction in the system. Even then the open element will see a lot more airflow than the ram air will, until you get up to high enought speeds to where the ram air pushes in more air than the open element (has more air pressure). Also considering the air on the windsheild is more dense and colder than the air that is hitting the front of the car then the cowl will perform better.

But when you get down to it, it is all a matter of opinion on which you think is better.