k&N filter open element

[dlg423]

I've been reading some of the posts on cold air and HP benefits that the cold air provides. I just installed the K&N open filter set-up. What is the most practical way to get cold air into my edelbrock carb?

 

[Remo]

Davyd,

I noticed that your 81 Vette has 330 HP. What modifications have you done to it to get the L81 from 190 to 330 horse.

Thanks,
Remo

 

[dlg423]

I installed the GM crate engine with vortec heads, bypassed the computer and installed edlebrock performance carb and hei dist. Thanks for your question.

 

[Dep]

I've been reading some of the posts on cold air and HP benefits that the cold air provides. I just installed the K&N open filter set-up. What is the most practical way to get cold air into my edelbrock carb?

Choices are ducting air from the grille (don't block the radiator inlet though!) or ducting air from UNDER the belly pan. That will hurt ground clearance though. Could also duct it from the wheel well as the factory does. Not sure if you could do cowl induction. Depends on hood you are using.

Dep

 

[67HEAVEN]

Oh, oh.

Dep done showed up. Hang onto yer hats boys.

 

[dlg423]

ducting

I have the ducting left over from the stock set-up. a plastic piece fits over the radiator and provides two ducting outlets. the ducting itself sits about 3-4 inches away from the open element air breather with the k&N filter. My idea is to get couple of longer alumium ducts made to fit right up to the air breather. As it is now the breather is probably pulling more hot air from the engine compartment than from the two ducts, but any air circulation helps to keep the vortec cool and hopefully I get some carb benefit from the ducts. What do you think of the idea of the alumium ducts to direct the cool air to the breather?

thanks!

 

[69MyWay]

Go with the L88 cowl induction hood. You can stuff the air cleaner right in there. With a gasket on the hood, or bottom pan of the air cleaner, you can seal the air and suck it off the base of the windshield.

I have the open element on my 69 and the L88 style hood. It sounds like a vacuum cleaner when you close the hood. Kinda cool really.

We are setting up Lucky7's1981 with the L88 hood right now, on his psuedo modified....406 cube monster. That is exactly how we will run his.

 

[Dep]

67HEAVEN: I will be on my best behavior over here. You do know that I was banned from that other place, right? I miss you bums, but what I did over there I did to myself
I don't blame anyone for what happened except me. I apologized to the mod that banned me and that is as FAR as I go with that stuff. I WON'T beg to come back

dlg423: sounds like you could use a setup similar to what NASCAR uses on their cars, ie...an aluminum shroud around the air cleaner that seals off the carb from the rest of the engine compartment. Only difference is they get their air directly from the cowl and you would get yours from hoses. An L88 hood WOULD be nice, but $500 PLUS the innner seals is a bit out of my price range.

Dep

 

[Macgyver]

DLG thats exactly what Im looking into right now. Replace those 23 year old hoses w/ some fancy looking aluminum ones and attach them to the air filter w/ wire. Or figure out some way to attach them w/o harming the air filter.

By doing this you get not only all the cold air thats available but you also get the air your missing w/ a stock air box. What I wonder is why do they have these "cold air induction kits" for fords but nothing for chevys. Probably cuz theyre not worth 2bills.

Which model number did you get so I can look it up? Im planning on doing it this weekend. Im wondering what height you can get and what the base needs to be.

 

[dlg423]

I tried the aluminum ducting and it didn't work out as well as I wanted, I would have to seal of the k&N filter except for the area where I attached the duct and that would not give the carb enough air, so will go with the L-88 hood after I get a trans-leak fixed and new t-tops. this will take a few months. In the mean time I'll stick with the open-air K&N set-up geting some cool air from the front but not directed to the carb.

Good Luck
and keep me informed..

 

[Macgyver]

Why didnt it work too well? Do you HAVE to seal it off. Cant you just attach the ends to the filter?

The open air element gets all the surrounding hot air. W/those alum.ducts then it gets some cold(comopressed) air as well. Wouldnt that just increase the volume of air that it recvs.

You might wan to look into this http://www.ramairbox.com/

We talked about it here>>http://corvetteactioncenter.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=37215
in case you missed it. Seems cool but, hmmmmm....

 

[dlg423]

After showing my make-shift aluminum duct set-up to my friend who works as a mechanic for a local gm dealer, he advised me that, the 330 degree pull of hot air from under the hood would not be cooled much if any by the 30 degrees of outside air ducted to the K&N filter. The only way to cool the air intake to the carb much would be to seal of the 330 degrees of the K&N with tape. Then the benefit of the K&N free flow feature would be lost and the carb couldn't breath enough air. I hope I worded this right for you to understand what Mr. Goodwrench was saying.

 

[Macgyver]

Right, but that 30 degrees of colder air has more volume cause its colder. Im just wondering how much of a benefit that would be if any at all. It seems that it would be more like 400 degrees if you know what Im getting at.

How much HP is gained or lossed by switching to the open element and sucking in hot engine air, did your mechanic say? Thats what Im interested in.

My stock intake vinyl ducts look like **** anyways so they probably arent even alllowing air to flow into the air box. Hopefully Ill really feel it by opening it up.

 

[dlg423]

my mechanic thinks the K&N open element is the better choice. I left the vinyl ducts in place to feed air into the engine compartment and hopefully feed the carb some too.

 

[dlg423]

velcro inducted

what the...yep that's right..to get some extreme cool air into the engine compartment, i cut a small block of wood, cut a groove in it to fit the area I wanted to stick it on, put velcro on it, stuck it on, under the hood near the windshield, once it was in place I checked the open area for air to flow when the hood in down and I had about 2 inches of space for the cool air the comes from the front of the car to pass thru the K&N filter and out the space I created. I can see over the hood just fine with it raised 2 inches. I took it for a test drive and I could definatley feel the extra hp. Just thought you would want to know about my experiment. Of course this is only a temporary set-up until I get the L-88 Hood.

 

[Macgyver]

Dude youre crazy! You should treat your Vette better! just kidding. I wonder how much there is to gain by doing this....hmmmm? Geez why dont you just remove the whole thing. LOL

Hey w/ that open element did you need a spacer or something to sit between the carb and the base? Mine doesnt want to fit well w/ the electric crap at the top of it. I have a Quadra jet by the way on a Sweet Ass '81.

Ps. Isnt funny when you drop a brand new shiny chrome piece into an engine bay thats about 23years old. I think of all those escorts out there w/ those rims that cost 2X as much as the car. HA!