Bought a vararam from a forum member, before final purchase he informs me that its misssing the fog light surrounds, no big deal of I've got some extras. He sends the vararam with one damaged fog light surround as a template, great day.

Yesterday spend part of the afternoon installing said vararam. Everything down below looks great I'm patting myself on the back because of I've looked at some of these systems installed and nothing in the bottom end lines up. Here the fog lights are in the proper placement and I've got a perfect alignment with the ducts. Everything installed except upper plumbing (ie MAF, air intake duct, silicon coupler and hose clamps) notice the top of the unit is stained no biggie I throw a couple of coats of gloss black on it, and I'm golden. I also notice I don't have the red coupler, no big deal, stop at the local hardware store and pick up a black coupler for a couple of bucks and were off to the races.

Tonight I get home and start putting all the plumbing together and I'm like and 1" to 1 1/2 inches to high or to long, WTF is this. My neighbor(MOPAR GUY) stops by to help and suggests I cut the silicon coupler, great idea we'll be in like flynn, except now the coupler is now to short and I'm still like and inch to high . I've also, cut the sh*t out of my finger and left and nice trail of blood throughout the garage and lower level of the house . Good thing the wife won't be home for a couple of hours . Now the wheels are spinning like 100 mph, I'm looking at all this sh*t, and the only way I can gain the inch I need, is to get the MAF inside the top of the vararam. The MAF is like about 1/4 to big to fit inside the top of the vararam, anybody got a suggestion? I'm killing myself with great ideas that are going nowhere. Why, why, why, didn't I buy an new vararam?

 

i feel your pain man, my vararam was $#%&* to install also. it sounds like the easiest thing is to go back to the hardware store and buy two or three couplers in case u mess up the cut again. measure twice cut once and be done with it. good luck

Jim

 

Check Cajundudes install instructions to make sure you've got all the parts I've heard of several people having problems with height issues you may need to loosen everything a little make adjustments and retighten.

 

I followed cajundudes instructions, everything looks great fits, tubes came together perfectly, not certain where I can get any adustment.

 

I'm glad I bought mine new, but it was still very hard to install and those plastic white "door screws" never made it back on the radiator shroud. I just couldn't get them in again.

 

That's what I don't understand mine went in without a lot of hassle and every screw is where it belongs. The shroud obviously requires a little patientce to push back in but, really not that bad. Has anyone ever mounted there MAF sensor in the vararam tube. I believe I could split it with sharp knife and then use a coupling over the top to prevent any loss of integrity to the plastic. Any ideas?

 

Trust me. A new vararam is just as big of a piece of sheeet.

Great idea. Poor implementation.

I sent mine back. Filter siliconed in and everything.

 

I'd be afraid once you split it the split would want to keep working its way down.

 

I don't know maybe if I cut it with a saw or dremel, I'm thinking it may be less likley to continue splitting?

 

Did you use the spacers when you installed the lower two tubes to the rear of the fog light openings?

Peace
Chip

 

heat the end of the vararam and the maf will slip into it. I ended up doing that on my '07 LS2. Don't know why it would be any different on a C5. I started out using a heat gun, and ended up dipping the vararam end into really hot water. I ran a clamp for a few weeks and then took the clamp off. Still a nice fit. I also had to remove the maf to get the necessary leverage to get it into the vararam tube. You want a tight fit there.

 

Chip

Did not install spacers because I didn't get them either.

 

Jim, this sounds like it might work for me, how hot was the water, or how did you heat it.

Thanks

 

Spacers on the top will tip the tubes down, spacers on the bottom will tip the tubes up...

You can make your own

Peace
Chip

 

On an earlier model year car, Pre 2000 I believe, the silicone coupler is not used. The MAF fits dirrectly into the lid of the vararam and the stock duct fits onto the top of the MAF

Take a look at the instruction on the vararam website, it has some pictures. Adding the coupler because the MAF is larger on later cars addes about an inch of height and it just wont sit right.

 

Chip

Thanks I'll play with it and I'll be calling you for a new silcone coupler tomarrow.

Dave

 

Just do what I did! Get a z06 hellcat, (Donnie), he allowed me to watch and hand him tools and extra parts from his z06 until it fit perfect!

 

[QUOTE=Silverbullet00;1566508443]

It's obvious from your photo that the REAL maker of increased HP is the HOOD SEAL. Nicely done!

 

burn

 

thanks everyone for your input, it looks like a multiple approach to my dielma