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Completed custom cold air intake

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3.2K views 32 replies 7 participants last post by  MattHam  
M
#1 ·
To any purist r170 fans, click away now!

This is something I have wanted to do for years now (I think) and after a lot of time - and way too much money - I have finally completed my custom cold air intake build.

Here is a picture of the finished product:
Car Vehicle Hood Automotive lighting Grille

Another fab bodge job by me.

I have replaced everything from the supercharger forwards, including the top half of the supercharger casing.

My parts list is as follows:
•Custom supercharger plate from ebay
•3” tube
•3” 90° bend x 2
•3” T-piece
•2.5” T piece
•2.5” tube
•3mm silicone pipe
•5mm silicone pipe
•10mm silicone pipe
•plastic t-piece 10mm-20mm-10mm
•oil catch can
•self sealing boost gauge needle
•10mm barb
•2.5” to 2” reducer tube
•3” 45° silicone
•3” 90° silicone
•3” silicone connector x 2
•3” to 2” silicone reducer
•2.5” silicone 90°
•2.5” silicone connector x 3
•2.36” silicone U-bend
•huge cone air filter
•JB weld
•many many jubilee clips
•hopes & dreams

(Any tube mentioned is stainless steel)

I write this anxiously as I haven’t even turned the car over yet, so I am praying nothing goes wrong🤣.

I also have an over crank pulley mod on and the only thing I am worried about is running lean - if anyone could comment about fuel pressure regulators and such, I would be grateful!

Otherwise if anyone has any questions, please drop them and I will do my best to answer. I can also add prices I paid for the items if people are interested. Similarly, more pictures can be posted if people want!
 
M
#3 ·
Currently no, the grill does not fit on, but only because of the left hand side of the air filter. My options are:
1) run no grill - not sure if I'd get into any trouble for this
2) trim a small rectangle into the grill so that it fits
3) run a smaller air filter - but I like how obnoxiously big the current one is 🤣 so unless I get any issues with it I will keep this
 
M
#7 ·
This is definitely something I will keep an eye on when we get closer to summer, I feel with grill off it shouldn't cause much of an issue as the air flow is so much larger than with grill on but we will see
 
#5 · (Edited)
Well I definitely see your mythbuster side - Go Big or Go Home - overtaking, but I thinks you need to fire the baby up so you know where you sitting on it!
As pointed - you've obstructed the airflow that works on the radiator. Yet the fan is big enough to suck more air - probably shorter lifespan for the fan, but that will be matter of summer time and hotter air I guess
 
#8 ·
For what its worth, I wouldn't drive without the grill!
Streets are not clean. Birds, chips marking from stones on the windshield/paint, etc. number of evidence on every second vehicle...I just wouldn't.
If - as you have it in parts - possible align the grill and consider alternative "brackets" for the grill.
Condenser is not cheap. A/C repairs...you already said 2 much$$$!
 
M
#9 ·
I have managed to get the grill to fit on, using original brackets, i just had to trim some of the plastic down - which i know will cringe a few people as they said not to mod the grill but… i would rather have the grill on (following your advice) and it be a tiny bit cut up . The bonnet covers 90% of the missing bits anyway
 
M
#10 ·
Here are some more pics of it all (if anyone was interested!)
Motor vehicle Hood Automotive tire Blue Automotive design

Hood Motor vehicle Automotive design Automotive exterior Automotive tire

Hood Blue Vehicle Motor vehicle Car

Automotive tire Automotive lighting Motor vehicle Automotive exhaust Vehicle


The car does run (i haven’t driven it yet as car is currently SORN and i’m not paying a months tax for a couple days 🤣 so driving will have to wait a few more days) and it sounds good, very whiney from supercharger :)

Last piece i would like to replace is the crankcase breather hose
Motor vehicle Finger Automotive tire Bumper Gas

does anyone know what size internal diameter silicone pipe i will need to fit on the hole underneath here? i’ve seen someone replace it with silicone when adding in a catch can but there was no reference to size. but i think everyone can agree it would complete the look of this was made red (don’t get me started on the 1 blue pipe coming from supercharger outlet😭 no one in the world had a red 3” to 2.5” silicone reducer i swear!)
 
#12 ·
This one here:

Spareto

Buy parts and accessories for your vehicle. 100,000+ car parts from 50+ manufacturers can be shipped on next business day
spareto.com spareto.com
has different aftermarket pieces and hopefully the info required.
if you measure the hose and the breather you can have them approximate dimensions.
i recycled my old one and can’t measure it!
 
#17 ·
Hi ! Very interesting and outstanding work !

Why didn't you vented the bypass to atmosphere as it increase intake temperatures ?
 
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M
#19 ·
I thought about this but I thought it was better to recirculate it. I would be keen to hear people’s thoughts on bypass or recirculating.
my thoughts are as below:

vent: lower intake temps, louder

recirculate: quieter, means air filter doesn’t filter air for no reason.

I have the materials so that i could try to vent it and see the difference but i doubt it’ll have much performance impact?
 
#20 ·
When you SORN it after 2-3 months they send you cheque with refund 12 months x ... Minus your 2-3months x...the cheapest way!
Monthly, 1/2 yearly, DD is more than that.

The weakest point is better compared to ... head gasket as example. If possible keep an eye on them pressure gauges...
 
M
#24 ·
MattHam said:
To any purist r170 fans, click away now!

This is something I have wanted to do for years now (I think) and after a lot of time - and way too much money - I have finally completed my custom cold air intake build.

Here is a picture of the finished product:
View attachment 649221
Another fab bodge job by me.

I have replaced everything from the supercharger forwards, including the top half of the supercharger casing.

My parts list is as follows:
•Custom supercharger plate from ebay
Click to expand...
Hello
Do you have pictures on how you fitted a tube which I assume is a 90 degree bend on the ebay custom supercharger plate back of the compressor ?
Because it is very little space under the headers.
 
M
#25 ·
Martin.E said:
MattHam said:
To any purist r170 fans, click away now!

This is something I have wanted to do for years now (I think) and after a lot of time - and way too much money - I have finally completed my custom cold air intake build.

Here is a picture of the finished product:
View attachment 649221
Another fab bodge job by me.

I have replaced everything from the supercharger forwards, including the top half of the supercharger casing.

My parts list is as follows:
•Custom supercharger plate from ebay
Click to expand...
Hello
Do you have pictures on how you fitted a tube which I assume is a 90 degree bend on the ebay custom supercharger plate back of the compressor ?
Because it is very little space under the headers.
Click to expand...
I don’t have a picture to hand that precisely shows how i managed it, the following picture is the best i have. But i used a 45° silicone hose to make the pipe point up (as the supercharger plate faces roughly 45° into the side wall). This then allowed me to use a 90° pipe to come over the top:
Engine Pipe Fuel line Wire Automotive Fuel System
 
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