I've been seing lots of home made cai here mostly the ones that attach to the top of the rad with a big wide intake on it
My concern is your blocking the air from the fan as its spinning making it hotter in the engine bay

 

That type of intake is putting the intake duct where foam seals would have been. The late 70's C3's have similar intake ducting coming from the factory. There is no problem with reduced air to the fan.

 

 

I had a different approach to cold air intake on my '79. I decided to go with cowl induction. Of course, you have to be willing to cut a hole in your cowl. I was, since I can always fill it if I ever wanted to change it back(I don't think so!). It fits perfectly under the stock hood and works fantastic - all for $165 total! I have solid motor mounts, so engine moving from torque isn't a problem. I have an Edelbrock 800 carb and Performer RPM manifold. I used Spectre parts - all polished aluminum 4 inch system - capable of at least 900 cfm flow. Parts: #9849 4" plenum, #9604 4" velocity stack, #9709 4" x 4" tube, #9749 4" 45 degree elbow, #9776 4" couplers(3), #4208 low profile air cleaner nut. A real increase in acceleration vs. my previous Edelbrock foam carb-top filter. I was shocked, I had no idea it would work as well as it does, especially when the engine gets warm!
My new Cowl Induction System:

Here is what it replaced:

The cowl is the only area to get ambient temp air at all times. The area above the radiator is nearly as hot as the rest of the engine bay while stopped or moving slowly(less than highway speeds). Also, it is well documented that the cowl area at the base of the windshield produces positive pressure when the vehicle is moving, the faster you go the more "boost" you get in air pressure. It is the ideal location for air intake. I notice a quite substantial increase in acceleration vs my old carb top filter. I would conservatively estimate a 10 percent horsepower increase. When you start with 400hp as I did, 40 extra horses is quite a difference! I am Happy!

 

What about air filtration? I'm assuming it fits right over the carb? I can't help but wonder if the size of the air filter under there negates any gains from the cowl induction.

 

great ideal !

 

I looked up the parts and didn't find an air filter for any of them, so I'm on this one.

Definitely neat idea, though. Curious to hear more!

 

I like it too... i want more info on filter.

 

Ear plugs.........................

 

He mentioned in another thread he only has a screen.

I prefer to keep a filter.

 

I use a screen filter between the velocity stack and the straight tube, where the blue silicone connector is. I didn't have it in place during the photos. You can get any grade of screen you want through Amazon. I only drive paved roads and I'm not worried about dust, so the screen is enough for me, but you could put a foam filter somewhere in the system if you wanted. With a 1/8" opening screen there is no appreciable flow restriction, and if you chose to use a thin foam sheet, it's restriction would be minimal. Especially compared to a paper filter. And the positive pressure through the cowl will surely overcome any small restriction caused by a foam filter. I am actually thinking of going to a 3/16" opening screen. I have run many street rods over the years with steel screen filters only, and I have never had a problem because of it. Unless you drive dirt roads frequently, no engine damage occurs from using screens. Sometimes I think people tend to go overboard with the whole "clean air" principle. The cowl is relatively safe, only tending to gather leaves and such from outside parking. Keep them out of the carb and you're OK.Two more pics from different angles, to show a "3-D" view:

 

Bigest problem i see is you can now see the carb and linkage. That is ugly and was always covered up by the chrome air cleaner... Now you have to get endurashine carb and all new chrome linkage!! It is always something!
Real question is where did you order the "I used Spectre parts " from?

 

"Ugly" is a matter of opinion. I love the mechanical look of the components of my engine, and do not want to "hide" them. Using your logic, why not just put a big plastic cover over your entire engine? I want to see my engine. My carb isn't Endurashine, and is rather dirty right now. Perhaps I'll need to clean it now that it shows better. My return spring is chrome, as are my fuel lines, etc. I like your idea of chrome linkage! That will be next. However, the reason I put this CAI system on my 'Vette is for POWER, not all for show. It just happens to look great while adding power. Also, I do not show my car at events. It's my daily driver.
I ordered my Spectre stuff from Amazon and Autozone. Autozone had a 20% off/free shipping sale recently, so I capitalized on that for everything except the plenum(main piece on top of the carb). They didn't have one in stock, so I got it on Amazon for $80w/ free shipping. If you look around the web, you can always find deals on these parts. I listed each part number in a previous posting so people could order all the same stuff if they were interested. I bought the filter screen from Amazon as well. You can find any weave size you want there. I use a SS screen w/ .215" openings and .035" wire. It is 75% open area. Since the 4" duct can flow over 900cfm inherently, the screen still allows almost 700cfm true airflow to the carb. Add the positive pressure from the cowl while in motion, and the cfm rating will increase much more! When you buy a standard filter, they rarely tell you how it affects your cfm to the carb, but most except some thin foam types, limit it much more than the steel screen. It's the builder's choice to use screen or foam. They will both fit.
It's a really fast and easy project. It took me about an hour to install everything, including cutting the 4" hole in the cowl. I used a rotary tool with a roto-zip cutter(sort of a drill bit milling tool thingy) to cut the hole.
I guess deciding whether or not to do this depends on two things. One is the performance increase. The other is how good or bad your carb, linkage, etc looks. If they are in bad shape, and you show your engine off, I can see why you would want to cover them.
This project is definitely worth doing. It's a cheap way to get some "free" power, and dress up your engine to boot. A Win-Win situation.
One disclaimer though. The hood and cowl arrangement changed on Corvettes through the years. This fit my 1979 model. If yours has the same hood/cowl setup, it should fit. You need to do your own measuring to be sure. Engineering is half of the fun!