Thoughts On A Cold Air Set-Up

[SCOTI]

I'm moving back to completing the V8 swap in my 68 & was thinking about the air intake for the engine.

I prefer to make this thing as efficient & powerful as possible within the limits of the package. Since it's a relatively mild combo (virgin 350; fresh 882's w/a spring upgrade; mild XE-comp hyd cam 206/212, .432/.444 @ 110; Perf air-gap intake; 650 spread-bore Holley; MSD HEI; 3/4 length 1.5" primary/2.5" dual exhaust) I figured it would work fine w/a standard 14x3 open air element type filter.

But.... I also think it might work better w/some cooler air & have thought about using one of those sealed 'air-boxes' (www.ramairbox.com). I just don't know if I'll like the 2 big hoses hanging there in the engine compartment.

I just can't decide whether this type of set-up will look right in my engine compartment. What do you guys think about them? Like them or not? Think they're worth the investment over the standard round element that's exposed to the under-hood heat?

[Longhorn Man]

I don't think it'll be worth the cost of a pre fabbed one. If you made one yourself, it might be worth it.

[GREASEMONKEY72]

i think with the cooler air coming in from outside youll have more power and better mpg, i say go for it, hoses or not, even though i personally like them

[BigTruckDriver]

They do work but the one you have shown IMO is stupid expensive!!!! I ran my truck and the track with and with out a cold air intake and it made a good difference in my E.T.

I have always made my own dual inlet systems ,but if I were to buy one jegs and summit sell a kit for about 250 that looks sharp.

[Chevelle454]

I would have to see them but from what you describe it may look a little out of place...

[corn]

I like them but I dont like them with the silver drier vent tubes. The black tubes look gooder to me! Fresh air has to be better. Have you run the spreadbore carb yet? Let us know how you like it will ya? Oh ya, I could use some new pics of that badboy too...

[BigTruckDriver]

http://www.jegs.com/webapp/wcs/store...0002_836229_-1

[67 cst swb]

a better investment would be better heads. The 882's have poor flow, prone to overheating, and unless you put a bunch of money into them they will have small valves. Hopefully fresh meant, stock redone.... psst, sell them to another guy, and invest in world product SR's or something close... If oyu have alot of money in them, well I guess run them.

[SCOTI]

Originally Posted by 67 cst swb

a better investment would be better heads. The 882's have poor flow, prone to overheating, and unless you put a bunch of money into them they will have small valves. Hopefully fresh meant, stock redone.... psst, sell them to another guy, and invest in world product SR's or something close... If oyu have alot of money in them, well I guess run them.

I was going to do Vortecs if the heads needed a bunch of $ invested. Once the machinist looked them over, he said he they were in great shape & only required stem seals to be good to go (I figured guide seals were trash but they turned out to be good). So for < $400 total, I had seals replaced, a valve job, & a slight mill to get them flat (& for a 'lil bump in compression) & some new Comp springs/retainers to match the cam. The springs were actually ok too but were right on the edge. I figured one over-rev might hurt something so I went ahead & upgraded.

[cooters]

i have had good luck with 882 heads but vortec heads a worth the money. As far as cold air goes, for every 5 degrees of cooler air is worth 1 percent of horsepower, for looks you need to build your own cold air kit.

[SCOTI]

I have a set of AFR 190's sitting on the shelf I could have used but felt they were too much head for this motor. I really thought the original heads were going to be junk. Once I got the call that they weren't, I figured what the heck..... use 'em. Didn't seem to make much sense getting the Vortecs & then having to upgrade the springs, get a new intake, valve covers, rockers since the 882's weren't trashed.

[70c10]

Hey Scoti, my buddy is looking for a set of AFR's for his 68' Camaro if you wanna sell those. PM me if you are not going to use them. Thanks

[Longhorn Man]

882's came (on some engines) with 2.02 intakes, they were the second best flowing heads in the smogger years, and they never caused overheating, but were commonly cracked from overheating.
They still suck in comparison to vortechs, but they are the best of the common heads.

[cooters]

i agree totaly

[SCOTI]

I guess I'll check out Summit/Jegs & see what they offer that's similar. I know I could make something from a factory set-up, but in the end I feel that's what it would look like (a hacked-up single inlet air cleaner).

The Ram-Air set-up seemed the best 'appearing' way to go. I want it to look good while getting the job done because I believe in function as well as form.

[WinDancer]

I bought the setup from Summit, with the air box, the big filter and the black tubes. I ran the tubes down and through the core support and the pickups are right behind the grille.
I would NEVER spend that money again.
What I would do, instead, is grab two of the huge Caddy/Olds/Buick snorkle cleaners and make one with two tubes, and buy the black hose at Home Depot/Lowes.
I think the cold air is easily worth the investment, but not the big price from a suppliers.
I ran it for a week ans then popped it open to see what was going on after running it, and found a half-dozen dead bees
Guess the pickups are working OK.
I will try to get some pics posted under the heading 'Cold Air' later this week.

[SCOTI]

Well I dug around the net to see what's what.

The jegs kit "VaraRam-Street Ram" was waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay pricy @$410 for a complete kit (housing, ducts, hoses, silicone connectors & hardware). The cost is too much plus I don't care for the 'look' of the kit.

I couldn't really find much through Summit.

I searched E-bay for chevy air cleamers & dual air cleaners to see if I could get lucky. There was a 81-up truck/burb single assembly that was priced decent but then I need 2 of them for a second duct that matches (can't be close.... must match). The other options for used stuff were $50 & up depending on when the auctions end; the new 're-pop' stuff was $175 + shipping. These were Camaro type dual inlet air cleaners so I'm not sure on the 'snorkel' size & they might be too small.

I went back to Air Inlet Systems (RamAir) & priced just the housing since their set-up is 'modular'. The 14x4@110° housing is $150 shipped & I know the 'snorkels' are the correct diameter (4"). The high-temp neoprene hose is $11.50/ft. shipped if I'm reading the 07 price list correctly.

If I have time I'll check out the local wrecking yard early this week for 2 of the truck units. I like the idea of the thermal flaps sealing when the engine is cold & opening once it reaches operating temp. But, I also have air cleaner tops/bottoms that will work so I could get just the housing from RamAir & go from there.

Either way, I will make my own 'inlets' from 4" stainless scrap picked up @ work & mount them through the core support above the turn signal area of my 68 grill. I can also get some stainless wire mesh screens for the end of the inlets that clamp into place to keep those bee's/bugs out (@ least they won't be intact if the make it through). I've got a spare (rusted original) core support that I'm going to use to mock-up the 'inlet' tubing placement. The inlet tubing would stop just about even w/the back side of the radiator & protrude about 1" on the grill side (about 7~8" total length). We'll see how it looks. If it's fugly, I'm only out my time.

WinDancer, do post those pics.

[WinDancer]

My truck is due back home Friday- I will get some pics plus my 'history' with the VaraRam-Street Ram kit from Summit.
Look for the Cold Air post on Saturday.
After you get one in your hands and look over and how it is supposed to work you will be amazed at the prices they get, and how simple it would be to make your own.
You post up some pics of what you end up doing, too

[N2TRUX]

Here's what one looks like mounted up. This is on forum member Swervin Ervin's truck. You might send him a pm and see what he thinks about it.

When I had my F150 Harley truck me and a buddy did some testing on a ram air vs intake tube with K&N filter. Our concern was under hood temps vs exterior air temps since this was a supercharged truck.

Through some rather "un" scientific testing we found out that on a fairly stock (albeit supercharged) motor the difference was very little. On a motor with a larger blower, larger TB, and ported plenum, the gains were more noticeable. This was documented on his laptop so we were actually able to "replay" our test runs.

Our conclusion was if you have a motor that needs massive airflow the ram air would show an increase in hp by reducing the incoming air temps. If you have an average motor the gains were minimal, and certainly not worth the expense.

[SCOTI]

I stopped off @ the local PepBoys on my way home tonight to look for OEM style neoprene hose. They used to stock some that was 4" dia but they discontinued it for the flashy 'Spectre' product line... aka 'import stuff'. I remeber the OE style hose came in a 3ft length & wasn't very much (< $12) so I'm going to call NAPA & see if/what they have. No way I'm paying $11.50ft for some tubing.

As for the housing, I'm undecided. The Ram Air kits 'modular' function appeals because I already have a top/bottom that fit my induction set-up (Edel. Perf.-AirGap, Holley 650, HEI). I could use their 'housing' & be done w/it.

If I don't like how it looks after installation (which is a real possibility w/me), it should be easy to re-sell vs. a homemade or modified part. I'll be watching for those pics this weekend. PM me when you get them up JIC I miss something.

[SCOTI]

Ken, I remember 'Swervins' set-up. I like the way his engine compartment looks since it's 'dressed' as a package, but those alum hoses just won't work for me.

I would definitely have to go w/the more subtle satin blk. hose.

Interesting info on the minimal gains from cooler ambient air temps vs. underhood air (I wasn't really expecting 25hp or anything). But when your only making </= 300hp . . ..... I figured every little bit helps. Good food for thought.

[kbs71]

These are about the least expensive that I've found, that are of good quality and doesn't cost an arm & leg.
http://www.racerpartswholesale.com/duct.htm

[SCOTI]

Originally Posted by kbs71

These are about the least expensive that I've found, that are of good quality and doesn't cost an arm & leg.
http://www.racerpartswholesale.com/duct.htm

Thanks for the link.

[FarmTruk]

Personally, I don't think the minimal gains are worth the ugly. At least not on a classic looking motor.

On the industrial looking modern engines, there's not much more you can do to ugly them up, so they fit better.

At freeway speeds, you'd be surprised how little hot air remains under the hood. These things are ventilated fairly well at 50-60 mph.

[SCOTI]

Originally Posted by FarmTruk

Personally, I don't think the minimal gains are worth the ugly. At least not on a classic looking motor.

On the industrial looking modern engines, there's not much more you can do to ugly them up, so they fit better.

At freeway speeds, you'd be surprised how little hot air remains under the hood. These things are ventilated fairly well at 50-60 mph.

Mine definitely doesn't fit the 'classic' theme.