DIY: Cold Air Box Stage 2

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dstocks
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DIY: Cold Air Box Stage 2

Post by dstocks »

Finished the airbox. Here are piccies:

INSULATING BASE - Using a carpet underlay. If that doesent cut out the heat, i figure nothing will.

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INSIDE COVER FOR BASE - Added another aluminium piece on top of the underlay and screwed it down.

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INSULATING THE SIDE - This is the side with underlay cut to size.

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COMPLETED SIDE - The next 2 pics are of the side consisting of 2 sheets of aluminium with underlay between. It has been pop riveted together.

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INSTALLED - The next 2 pics are of the unit installed.

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FINISHED PRODUCT - The final 3 pics are of the finished unit with a strip of aluminium running along the top (U shape) to tidy things up.

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    FTO338
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    Post by FTO338 »

    Very sexy & tidy, I think is time to move it to DIY. :wink:
    DISCLAIMER: The above text is the personal opinion of the author and does not represent the indisputable truth. The author is not responsible for any deaths, injuries or mental illness caused by the above statments.
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    dstocks
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    Temps

    Post by dstocks »

    Got some temps just now.

    Getting 31.3 degrees inside the box and 37.5 degrees outside. Expect the CAI when I get around to it will improve that even more
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      Re: Temps

      Post by mxysxy »

      dstocks wrote:Got some temps just now.

      Getting 31.3 degrees inside the box and 37.5 degrees outside. Expect the CAI when I get around to it will improve that even more
      whats the outside temp comparison, as in outside weather?
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      dstocks
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      25

      Post by dstocks »

      About 25 when tested.

      BTW I have just about enough materials to do another of these, so if any one else is interested in expending the time......

      Just a little short on underlay I think.

      The aluminium I used is very thin - can be cut with a decent pair of scissors (although the scissors dont remain decent for long). With one sheet, is quite flimsy, but with the underlay and a sheet either side sheets, is quite firm.
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        BuCkEt
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        Post by BuCkEt »

        Nicely done Dwayne, I see you went with the UAS piping and not the ARC induction chamber.

        You still got the stock box lying around??
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        dstocks
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        Yep

        Post by dstocks »

        Yeah, you and Boris convinced me it wasnt worth the extra for the ARC chamber.

        And yes, I still have the stock box.
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          khunjeng
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          Post by khunjeng »

          looks totally awsome...nice work man!!
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          Post by mrx »

          Me-thinks you could make some $$$ making them for others (like me) who couldn't be bothered :lol:
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          Post by mxysxy »

          where does ARC sucks the air from?
          is it has its own snorkel? or the stock pipe is still in use?
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          dstocks
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          Battery

          Post by dstocks »

          No, comes from the back (between battery and ARC box (a big filter). Thats my next challenge - getting cold air to it. I think ill be passing the air underneath it from the front.
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            Post by mxysxy »

            check out the link
            http://www.ftoaustralia.com/modules.php ... ensor+temp

            unfortunately photo links not working, I will fix this on the weekend.
            Your setup looks good, however, it has few fundamental problems,
            I would like to critisize it friendly because I think I am an expert when it comes to CAI and temp in it.
            I have 4 temp sensors under the bonnet(in CAI, firewall, radiator, before TB, ) as well as outside weather temp.
            I am actually obsessed with temp under bonnet.

            Issues I see below;

            Issue 1) ARC is sealed. I never liked the idea of a sealed box. This is because if something goes in to the box it cant get out, may cause blockage or even worst can damage your engine big time. For eg water. If you add CAI down pipe to your setup you will be in high risk area if it rains or if suddenly you go pass a large patch of water. When going fast you are unlikly to see the patch of water on the ground, imagine that water is rushing through the down pipe 100 kms/hour, if it cant get out of mid sized gap before the filter, it will go through the filter.
            Another eg is bugs, especially in the summer months. Once I was driving on highway, there were few lotus around. When I pulled over to get some petrol, I checked the CAI box, it was full, seriuously full of lotus to the height of the outlet gap. Obviosly because of the small outlet gap in my CAI, most of the bugs were escaping from there due to pressurised air. This was also stopping the filter getting blocked.
            All you need is a small gap(5-6 cm2) at the bottom part of the CAI, so stuff can get out.

            Issue2) You have 10 C differerence already in the CAI compared to outside. This is bit too much in my opinion for CAI. Because the air will also heat up more in the very warm intake pipe after the CAI, by the time it comes to TB, it wont call CAI setup anymore.
            You need to drop the temp difference between outside and CAI to max of 2-5 C.

            Issue 3) As mentioned before, your intake pipe to TB gets very hot. You need to insulate it. Otherwise it will heat up so quick. Roughly add another 8-10 C for this, if not insulated enough.

            Issue 4) You might think about closing the outside box fully. Bonnet will not stop the hot air going through around the CAI box. If your CAI have a outlet gap, it might fix this issue, because access cold air from CAI will form a shield around the outside, between two boxes.

            My god I can write when it comes to temp and CAI.
            :lol: 8O
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            dstocks
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            Ok

            Post by dstocks »

            OK, all valid points. Lets see how I go at this:

            1. ARC box is sealed, but the back side is a square filter (about 20 cm x 20 cm). The cai would not be linked directly to this, so water would not be able to get in (or bugs). Wasnt going to add a downpipe from bonnet, going to add a pipe from the front grill which pushed air under the ARC box (and thereby sucked in through the filter). Any water or bugs would never make it to the filter, let alone through it.

            2. Yes there is a temperature differential at the moment. Some of this is air coming over the top of the side, but most is coming from the hole in the front where the CAI will enter the box (not built yet). Additionally, I have the sensor at the top of the box so I can read it (not down next to where the filter is sucking air in - not in pictures), and as hot air rises, it is probably reading higher than is actually being sucked into the engine. I am toying with the idea of getting another sensor so I have more read points, but havent gone this far yet.

            3. Have thought a bit about shilding the intake pipe, but have not explored this option just yet.

            4. It would be a shame to fully enclose as the ARC box adds a nice touch to the engine bay. I have been trying to avoid that. I was hoping to get enough air into the box such that it would push air out rather than sucking it in.

            Have got myself a tapered PVC pipe that will allow me to collect air from the complete lower grill (not just a 10cm hole). Im hoping that if I construct it right, it will force quite a bit of air into the box. Getting heat from the transmission into the box at the moment (due to the gaping hole where the CAI will enter it), but hoping this setup will stop that. Another test today had a 22 degree variation (32 degrees outside, 37.5 in the box and 59.7 outside the box). I only ran the car for 5 minutes yesterday. This was a much longer run.

            How'd I go. Does that make any sense or am I full of S#@T? On second thought, maybe best not to answer that :wink:
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              Post by mxysxy »

              temps you quoted is about right,
              on cold days under bonnet temps are around 50 C, in the city traffic 55 C
              Hot days, it will go over 60 C and even further

              The best and the most beautiful part is in the morning before turning the car on, I switch on all the temp switches, and walla, I see the air in the CAI is already colder then outside and engine.

              Yeah, I spent about $200 on temp sensors

              Also, I get the cold air from the front of the bumper as well, from the gap behind the number plate, it has a grill in front. And somehow those bugs finds their way up easily.
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              Post by Boris »

              hehe.

              Just a bit of info, do you guys know what temperatures the engine bay gets when you are pushing your car hard out on the track?

              At the end of a 15 minute session, in which I pushed my car every lap my engine bay temperature went up to 110C. So this alone means that you need really a sealed chamber or a partially sealed chamber.

              I like your design mate, it's nice.
              I still don't really like the design of the arc box, i donno just is a bit strange, but certainly usable if u set up a CAI into the filter.
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              SG
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              Post by SG »

              i prefer the air filter sitting right in the path of the wind in the bumper personally... you get small bugs lodged in the grooves but thats about it. I think there is a "pre-filter" cover made by k&n to sit over the (k&n shaped) filter and still lets air through, and you can take it off to shake the bugs off... I think I might get me one of these.

              sorry mxysxy i gotta answer/probe your cai stuff above... (im a software tester by nature ;) and by job descrption :( )

              1) "Issue 1) ARC is sealed. I never liked the idea of a sealed box. This is because if something goes in to the box it cant get out"

              then quoted in question 4: "Issue 4) You might think about closing the outside box fully."

              I dont know if the box is actually closed or not because i havent seen one but if the air is colder on the inside of the box, and it can escape out, it probly would because the air is colder + slightly denser. and thats kind of how compressed bottles of things work. im guessing how much would depend on the temp difference between the outside + inside of the box.

              2) I think this is much simpler... because it sounds a bit like leaving the refridgerator open... if the air is 10 degrees cooler inside the box than it is where its going, and on the way to where its going...then the cold air would help cool + bring down the tempurature of air inside it (the TB and pipe to it). of course loosing its overall temp in the progress.

              Though may be why RPW made the manifold insulator gaskets and graphs and stuff... I've got em fitted and you can touch the throttle body with your hand like its a bit above room temp no matter how hard you drive it :roll: which has to be good for intake temps
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              Re: 25

              Post by Lenny »

              dstocks wrote: but with the underlay .
              Just wondering where you sourced the underlay from...i am trying to get a roll to do the car tray and boot tray
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              dstocks
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              Underlay

              Post by dstocks »

              To be honest I cant remember. It has actually been sitting around in my garage for the past 15 years and until recently I had forgotten about it. On close inspection it appears to have a layer of bitumen inbetween the carpet like material.
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                Post by mxysxy »

                sorry mxysxy i gotta answer/probe your cai stuff above... (im a software tester by nature ;) and by job descrption :( )
                well, I am a software developer, recently become Project Manager,
                hey, we are a perfect couple....

                :lol: :lol:

                I stand for all my claims above as I have been testing them in multiple setups (sealed, with whole, no top, no bottom, .....) with multiple sensors, in multiple weather conditions
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                dstocks
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                Software

                Post by dstocks »

                well, I am a software developer, recently become Project Manager
                And im a software architect/developer and part time business analyst

                Oh and a full time FTO evangelist :wink:
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