I posted this awhile back, but the issue has become urgent. My IAT is way above what it should be because I'm sucking hot air into the engine which is probably a contributing factor to my knock sensor kicking in. Has anyone found a way to run fresh air to their TPI setups on Stingrays? Right now my filter is just stuck onto the front of the throttle body. I have an 82' and I'm thinking about cutting away part of the brace above the radiator and building a box there. Sound like a good idea? The tube for the fresh air has to be about 4 in. in diameter for sufficient flow, which presents quite a few problems in routing it to the fender or below the car like I had originally planned.

Any good ideas?

 

Crap, I meant TPI in the topic.... :_dupe:

 

Ventilating the hood seems like an obvious choice but presents it's own problems. Water injestion and a big freaking hole in your hood being the two major ones.

Do you have any pictures of the setup? Doesn't have to be your car just show the position of the filter and what's around it. I might get some more ideas if I had some specifics to work with.

Oh, also how are you for room off to the sides? Could you go straight over to a fender or are accessories in the way?

 

Thats what i did cut the radiator and notched it out ran a c5 air duct through into a 4 inch tube down in front of the grille with a vortex air filter on the end of it.70 ls-1 also did the same thing with great results.check my sig pic or my website.


[Modified by patsnitrovette, 7:19 AM 4/30/2003]

 

My '72 TPI vette was done the first time on the original rebuilt L48 engine some 7 years ago up in Maryland, and it ran fine, just K/N on the t-body, never any problems, winter/summer/city/highway...had the original Muncie 4 spd in it too.....
6 years ago or so I moved to Florida here, and it also ran fine, did heat up on the freeways a bit though....removed the front tag and brackets....that increased airflow about 30% right there, and cured the o/heating....but engine allways ran fine....now it's allways been closed loop with the knock sensor hooked up and a MAP type #1227730 computer....with hotrod chip....
about 5 years ago I replaced the engine with a factory type roller block and a ZZ9 TPIS hotrod cam...installed headers with heated O2 sensor and it again runs fine....but then I added the present hood for grins....cut hole in it, had it painted up down here, and the 'cowl induction' comes from the rear of the scoop, note the box around the air cleaner and rubber to hold against the hood...it all works fine.....I have never had any overheating problems since the front tag and now the overdrive 700r4 tranny was installed....

I suggest from my experiences you need cure the temperature problems first, and worry less about cold air intake, as I don't really think that's much if any additional power or better operation.....what's it supposed to be 5 hp or every ten degrees of air temp??? so 110f input air is now heated to about 160f with the underhood pickup??? making 20-25 hp differance AT MOST??

I may be way off on those figgers....

GENE

 

Right now I have my K&N filter mounted on front of the throttle body hot rodder style (no box). Looks great, but sucks because I'm picking up so much engine heat. Compared the IAT to numbers for a late 80's Trans Am with the same setup (Accel's SuperRam system) that GM High Performance Magazine recently built, and their IAT sensor is running about 30-50 degrees cooler than mine. One of my buddies told me that's about 30 or more extra horses I could be getting and probably a contributing factor to a persitant knock I'm getting at WOT. Tommorow I'm taking the car to get it dynoed and hopefully the guys there will be able to optimize the spark and fuel maps so to get me running perfectly. Wish I could've gotten my cold air system finished by then, but had exams to worry about.

A guy who frequently installs superchargers and builds racecars is coming over in a few to look at my car. I think I have a pretty good idea for a box that I'll have him build that will keep me from having to cut away the brace above the radiator. It looks like such an important part of the car's structure that I'd hate to compromise it by hacking it up. Someone asked if there was a way to get to the fender for cool air and the answer is no. I still have my AC attached and because I'm 23 and still dating it will have to stay that way. It's not easy running a 4" pipe anywhere except straight, and I'm definitely not adding a scoop or anyhitng. Already had to cut the old cold air system for the Crossfire System out of the hood for clearance on the SuperRam system, and I really hated doing that.

Sorry I don't have any pics right now so you guys can get a better visualization, but I'll keep you posted on what happens. If the box turns out as nice as it looks on paper then I'll be happy. Either way, I'll get some pics up ASAP.

 

If you get ride of the stock shroud and go to an elec fan you can draw air from the open space. Might have to change/clean your air filter more often. I am going to try to hook something up to my cowl ind but have to wait to see how much room I will have to work with.


[Modified by Fevre, 1:44 PM 4/30/2003]

 

I've already done that, and according to Playdoh there is 2 1/4" between my hood and the brace (keeping in mind that the induction for the TBI's cold air that used to be in my hood is now gone). There is about 2 inches also between the radiator and the brace. That leaves me with rougly 4"X12" area to draw air from (well, the brace will block about a 1/2" of that width).

 

Well you know, before I had the idea of that grafted on BB scoop to the SB style hood, making a hollow chamber, and then doing that surrounding air box under the air cleaner, I was concepting of making a small set of hood hinges, not something complicated with springs and such...but same swing out and up concept as on an old A body car.....B body...you know, where the cown edge of the hood swund up on a compound action....IF that was done, you up and over radiator there would work well, air cleaner in the basic C4 position, and hood would not interfear with it......frankly, getting a pattern off the existing hinges would not be hard, and the layout necessary for that compount action is not rocket science.....may even be easier than MY choice of replacing the hood, repainting it, and fabbing that silly air box.....
can't claim 'cowl induction' though....

GENE :D :D :D :cool: :cool: :smash: :smash: :hurray: :lolg: :lolg:

 

Point is down towards the ground not up and over rad. Not ideal but since it will probably suck in a huge amount of junk. Might be able to up and under the rad but I have not even begun to look at that yet. Make sure you post your ultimate set up so the rest of can gain from your pain. :)

 

I'm still working on mine. Looks like I may have the muffler guy fab up to 3" exhaust pipes to a oval and run them over the top crushed to close the hood and then split, down to two 3" ricer air filters from Pep boys. Kinda like the C-5 twin vortex filter. I will post as I complete.

I aborted the 89 and older C-4 set up, but 90 - 92 vette looks like it my work.

 

Please do post some pics, I am hoping to get going on the tpi after I get the tranny done but want to make sure I am concentrating on one mod at a time.

 

Budman, I had at one time an '87 vette air cleaner...and thought it could work, with the compount hinges...but like I say, take a bit of fabrication there...
after swapping out ideas there and doing the hood, frankly NOW...I wish I"d done the damn hinges and forgot about it.....

GENE

 

This is the plan and hopefully I'll have it completed by the end of next week. A 2.5" long 4" hose or some kind of flex will be added to the front of the throttle body. That hose will be attached to a fabricated aluminum box with a flange on it in the same shape as my filter opening and throttle body. The same flange will go through the box where the cone-style filter will be mounted. This gets the box away from my upper radiator hose and TPS sensor and also allows the engine to flex. The box will widen from where the filter is to about 14" by the time it reaches the brace atop the radiator. The box will extend both over and under the brace so it's close to the top of the hood and the bottom is nearly resting on the radiator. It will be solidly attached to the brace. Rather than using foam rubber to seal the box against the hood, we opted to enclose the box with a removable aluminum top. Not only is this easier than forming the rest of the box to the hood, but it should also look much better.

So basically, air will be collected from above the radiator on both sides of the brace and flow through the aluminum box with a slight ram effect into the filter and through the 2.5" long 4" rubber hose and finally into the throttle body.

Probably not the best place, but it won't pick up as much spray or debris as it would in the fender, and I think it will be cooler then collecting air from the bottom of the car due to the direction the cooling fans are pointing (they would be basically blowing hot air right on the box). It really should be getting cool air all the time except perhaps when the air conditioner is turned on because of teh heat from the condensor.


[Modified by SuprJames, 1:02 AM 5/1/2003]


[Modified by SuprJames, 1:03 AM 5/1/2003]