Damn I can't find my camera right now but I'm like 95% done with my cold air setup. Bought one of those TBI intakes off of ebay. Then bought some high temp ducting from this place by the airport. Then I got some PVC pipe bends to attach to the filter. The only thing I'm wondering now is...should I make the filter sit OUTSIDE of the engine bay by cutting a hole where the charcoal canister used to be and putting the filter below that section. Or shoudl I just leave the filter where the charcoal canister used to be and make a wall around that section. To try and block the air from the engine bay from getting to the filter.

 

I've never been a fan of hacking up factory sheet metal. It would slightly compromise the cars structural integrity, especially in the event of a front/drivers corner impact. Besides that, I don't think that the air at the under the charcoal canister (where the vacuum cansiter is) would be any colder either. the charcoal canister is in not in the path of the air blown by the cooling fans. Another thing, is that if you put the filter below where the charcoal thing is, the filter is gonna get dirtier, faster... even if you keep that plastic little panel under it.
If you're still worried that the uderhood temps are going to be hot enough to make a difference in power, you could fab up a little ducting to route air to the filter via the large hole where the horns go.
2 cents.

 

Yea I don't really want to hack up that section that much. But I want there to be a lot of cold air to the intake. But yea I think I'll probably just end up keeping it in the engine bay. But blocking off the back of it. Also I was going to take out the drivers side high beam light. To get a little more air in there...also because my highbeam is broken and I dont even use it anyways haha

 

that'd be pretty sweet. you could even fabricate the vacuum opreated cruise control valve, to open and close a lil cover for where the headlight goes... that way, the cover could be closed when the engine isn't running, then once the motor is pulling vacuum, it'd open up and reveal the filter. you could even put like a vacuum switch thing to close the cover if it rains. I dunno, that's just me rambling on i think..

 

Maybe route the tubing under the front clip where the driving lights usually are and then mount the filters down there?? Exposed to a large ammount of airflow, but still recessed enough not to get rained on? hmmm I dunno ...

 

Wow, that vacuum idea sounds pretty nuts.

BTW, has anyone ever managed to make the Z28 scoops functional? I did a search, but couldnt find anything. would be kinda nuts to have some sorta vac thing hooked up to em.

 

Due to the high underhood temps the 5.7 generates, I've often thought about making louvered openings in the rear of the 91-92 hood blisters, so the hot air could vent, but never got my dead a-s-s out of neutral on the project.

For carb guys, the high-pressure area of the hood is on the back lip, so I think a cowl hood offers the best location for cold-air intake.

 

You can find a small assortment of vacuum actuators (don't know the actual name) at a yard from older emissions systems. I found a couple in my truck that weren't even hooked up to anything. I should test them to see if they work.

That'd be smooth to have on camaro hoods, or on trans am fender louvers. Might look odd with "side flaps" though!

Scott

 

searching lead to no results? there's two threads about it on the front page of the fabrication board.

https://www.thirdgen.org/techbb2/sho...hreadid=253082

https://www.thirdgen.org/techbb2/sho...hreadid=256664

check it out... cool stuff

 

I was thinking about doing a cold air box when I convert over to carb with my cowl hood.

 

Yeah, a cowl takes advantage of the air colectign at the base of the windshield, it has a high pressure and it's air that's not heated by the engine, unless you're sitting at traffic for awhile, and then I'm sure you could seal off an airbox there to keep that from happening. However, I think cowls are slightly poser, (Just my honest opinion, feel free to disagree) and a car that has one had better be able to run some fast times at the track or I lose respect for it. I'll avoid placing one on my car, even if I have to cut framework off of it to clear the Super-ram intake on the 383 I want to do.

 

I don't really like the looks of cowled hoods...mostly because it's to skinny. I like that one cowled hood from I think Hawks where it was like half the size of the whole hood O_o haha. But yea for me to fit the CAI I had to raise the hood. I guess it's kinda a cowl now since I raised it like 2"

 

Hey Chris, how much of a difference can you feel with the CAI?

 

Not sure I didn't finsiht he CAI yet. Well all I need to do now is bolt in the wall that blocks off the engine bay. Also just put some rubber weatherstripping to help get a even better seal.

 

post some pics up when ya can, sounds like a pretty sweet set-up there.

 

any news on how the intake went? I'd like ta see it as well...

 

Just for giggles I ran around town with the AC on and let the '87 5.7 idle for about half-hour -- with an oven thermometer under the hood on the driver side, near the shock tower.

Hottest temp I could generate was 175-degrees. My cooling system has dual fans, 160-degree thermostat and the coolent generally never goes over 180.

Now I'm unsure if there's much value to to venting underhood air.

But it would be interesting to know the temperatures of non-CAI and CAI air at the carb/FI intake on cars during normal street driving [not track conditions with bags of ice and intercoolers].

Anyone know the temps?

 

do i have a problem if my temp constantly goes around 220?

 

i don't think it'll create problems for you, altough cooler temps could help prevent detonation with high compression. The factory ecm turned the fans on at like 219 deg er sumthin like that. If the all mighty GM engineers designed the motor to run in the 220 range, I don't see how it can be too bad. I think the high temps were to ensure complete combustion so as to improve emissions. I personally prefer to run my motor between 180-190. sometimes it gets to 200, but I don't worry about it.

 

Yes, if your car averages above 200 degrees, it will likely go much higher and blow when stressed, such as WOT up Tantalus with the AC on. ThirdGens with stock radiators and fans don't have much capacity to discharge excessive heat. GM, under the environmental guns, raised the operating temp of the engines to burn off pollutants. Now, 20 or more years since these cars were new, less efficient aging components are combining with airflow design and EPA concessions to produce overheating problems.

The first easy fix is to install a 180 thermostate and 180 fan switch sensor. These will not affect the ECM open loop/closed loop operation. Next step could be ECM chip and 160-degree thermostat. Next level is upgrade the fans to SPAL and highflow aluminum water pump and radiators. The end result is you'll be able to run the AC full-blast and charge up Pikes Peak all day WOT with less than 200 degrees cooling temp. At this time I still need the SPAL fans and BIG aluminum radiator, but have to wait until after the iron brake calipers are ditched...

 

Forgive my ignorance, but is it hard to install a lower thermostat n get a fan switch?

 

Most people who work on cars would agree both jobs are easy and simple. However, my wife would disagree, likely botch the job, and then throw tools at me for making her break a nail.

Not sure where you'd fit within that range -- recommend reviewing the Haynes 82-92 repair manual, read the sections pertaining to those tasks, kinda like homework, then post a one-paragraph summary of your appraisel.

Oh, another research tool is the "search" function on this website, a great tool that I use all the time...