Summation: Cut a rectangular hole in the lower radiator cover, install a screen and then the scoop shown below. Both the screen and the scoop will be under the car and not too far from the radiator. The scoop's plastic material will keep rradiated heat away from the filter at low speeds.

Details:
After spending quite a bit of time looking at radiator shroud cutout schemes for allowing cold air to reach my intake filter, I have come to a couple of conclusions:

1. K&N's FIPK design takes the conservative approach. They require that you create a flap that opens up to the opposite end of the airflow, protecting the air filter from water intrusion, but not encouraging a strong airflow pattern either.

2. Granatelli's approach is much more aggressive - their system includes a scoop that directs cold air through the cutout and at the filter (which is enclosed).

3. Opening up the fog light panels would bring in cold air indirectly, allowing it to mix with warm air before getting pulled through the filter. This is certainly better than not doing anything, but I consider this method to be a good secondary source, not the primary one.

Since I like the Granatelli method most, I feel that a screen is necessary, as a scoop with no screen may create a hurricane blast that could cause drivability issues.

Therefore, I came up with the following scoop design:


and purchased some 316 stainless steel mesh (.06-inch spacing and .023 thick):


I purposely kept any fancywork with the scoop to a minimum, since I will probably machine it myself and I'm not well versed yet with programming a CNC machine. I would like to make the scoop out of FR4 (fiberglass), but to save some money, I may make it out of a thermoplastic, such as Acetal.

Anyway, that's the plan. What do you guys think?



[Modified by Dave68, 8:55 PM 5/13/2004]

 

Given the look of the scoop, I'd suggest the easiest way to fab it would be bending one out of sheet aluminum.

All the best. :yesnod:

 

Why the scoop at all? Seems like you are doing the BPP rammer type of thing here. Or am I confused again? :confused: :confused:

 

Looks like what i did with mine but if you can look past what I used it is very effective. I just went to the local office supply store and found the biggest acrilyic wall paper file holder and used it. Kinda like this one
Only $8.95 at officemax


[Modified by Tlkschep, 11:35 PM 5/13/2004]

 

Dave, I have to applaud you for the lengths you have gone, finding a way to maximize an aftermarket intake! This information is of great benefit to any of us that wish to combine cool air with a large filter element!!

My thanks,

Steve

 

Aluminum would work if I had the ability/equipment to create the proper bends, including the tapered entry. Vacuum-forming would be ideal for thermoplastics and injection-molding would get the cost down, but cost me many thousands of dollars for tooling.

 

Will it be ready for dyno day on the 22nd? :cool: idea :yesnod: .

 

The scoop serves two purposes:

1) Directs air into the shroud cutout and
2) Shields radiant heat from getting to the filter

 

I sure will try, but I don't want to rush into making any mistakes. Mmmmm, maybe I could take a day off next week!

 

Perfect shape, but questionable robustness at 150 MPH! However, this shape can be used to make a mold.

 

All the following is IMHO:

The screen's a good idea for protecting the filter from damage, but I don't think you need it for preventing too much "hurricane" force spikes in measured air flow.

Your air intake doesn't work exactly like this, but it'll help illustrate the sitch: imagine a shop vac in operation, and then you point a fan at it. The shop vac isn't sucking in any more air because of the fan. That's why you generally need a blower to get measurable power gains.

A normally aspirated air intake isn't selective about the air it pulls in, it just sucks up whatever's available. Unless you're capping the top of your filter, isolating it from the rest of the engine compartment, it'll still suck in warm air under the hood. That's why the BPP Vortex is enclosed. Opening up the radiator shroud is good for getting cold air, but unless you prevent the warm air from getting to your filter, it won't help much.

The Vararam pulls in the coldest air available and has the flimsiest filter. It allows the most and coldest air to come in, that's why it delivers measurable improvement. Not a LOT of improvement, but at the drag strip, that little IS a lot.

It's probably a good idea to stay away from an aluminum shroud, since it'll conduct heat more readily than a plastic piece.

Good luck with the project, keep us appraised of your progress. :thumbs:

 

Good points, Batman! The screen serves two purposes, it prevents large objects from embedding themselves in the filter and it slows down the inrushing air. I'd rather not have 100+ MPH air blasting into the engine bay; it could also create a mean cantilever force on my Warhead filter that is not fastened down - maybe not a concern for Blackwing owners, but it does stay in the back of my mind.

Having a cover over the filter is a good idea, but I wanted to take one step at a time. I guess it's more of a learning process than it is a mandate to increase RWHP by 10%. BTW, K&N's FIPK system does not include a filter cover and yet they have dyno-proven their setup as boosting RWHP by 16.9. That's impressive!

As far as material goes, I have connections with Plastics vendors and can "obtain" a nice chunck of FR4 (fiberglass/epoxy plate) for free. this stuff is STIFF!


[Modified by Dave68, 12:19 PM 5/14/2004]

 

Steve,

The good news is that spent only 15 minutes designing the scoop and another 10 minutes detailing the 2D drawing. Although I have access to two very capable CAD programs (Solidworks and IronCAD), when I want to whip something up (conceptualize) in a hurry, I use IronCAD (favorite program).

 

A few years ago MTI (and they may still sell it) have a bottom feeder with a scoop that rides between the space on top of the rubber front air damn--it worked great in dry weather however in FL a torrential sudden downpour flooded major roads at night I was trapped bumper to bumper barely moving and a sudden dip in the road and there went a brand new H/C motor--rods through the block one of them knocked the strarter off the motor, broke the cam bent a couple of valves etc---beware of hydo-lock when putting the intake lower than it is---my donaldson has a cover over it and a hole though the radiator shroud that makes for some fresher air but still high enough off the ground so that you would have to hit about 2 feet of water to hydro the motor--

 

IM sent

 

i have hit 170mph with it and had no problems and had it at the track several times

 

Sounds like a winner! $8.95 and it holds up at 170. You can't ask for much more, I'm sold.

 

Holy cow! I would've never known by looking at it. And here I was going to use FR4 material (tougher than a ballistic missle). Our machine shop supervisor recommended that I NOT cut that stuff in his shop (glass fibers tend to wear machine ways all too easily), so I deceided to try PVC. You can spill acid all over it and it won't fail.

By the way, I determined that the opening of the scoop would sit right at about the same height as the fog light panels. That's fairly safe, I would think.

Tlkschep, have you ever driven in pouring rain?

 

[QUOTETlkschep, have you ever driven in pouring rain?[/QUOTE]

I have driven in the rain but try to avoid it. If you stop and think about it, not that much rain should go up the scoop. You have a good 18"-24" from the front of the car to the air damn and the rain is going to hit the car first, unless your air damn is an 1" or less i don't see much rain going in. Now on the other hand if you try to drive through 1" plus deep water it would probably direct it straight to the filter if your moving very fast. But just rain hiting the ground shouldn't be to bad. I don't have mine reaching all the way down to the bottom. I am also a cnc machinist and was trying to figure out an easy fab for the scoop when I went to get new gloves and had to move the wall file out of the way and realized that that was basicly what i was trying to make.

 

Been waiting to hear any results on this scoop mod...
With talk of rain, since the Warhead sits almost flush to the shroud, why couldn't the cutout be blocked off with a sheet of thin plastic (Home Depot?) on rain days. Wouldn't change the effect, be as if never cutting the shroud. I would like a carbon fiber cover over my filter also. :cheers: