DIY: High Flow Stock Airbox (Swiss Cheese Mod)

Disclaimer: Links on this page pointing to Amazon, eBay and other sites may include affiliate code. If you click them and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission.

OP
OP
ypsetihw

ypsetihw

Full Access Member
Joined
Apr 2, 2010
Posts
77
Reaction score
8
Location
Lakewood, CO
yeah the holes are on the bottom with the filter above, your airbox pulls clean air from the TOP half of the airbox . . . go look at it carefully and you'll see - cut the holes in the BOTTOM/DIRTY half of the box only like so


[ Clean Side ] > Intake/MAF
-----Filter------
[ oo Dirty Side oo ]
 

highrollin113

Undercover
Joined
Feb 17, 2010
Posts
440
Reaction score
3
Location
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
*this is just my opinion not science*.

"as such, putting some sort of forced induction "snorkel" on the intake prolly isn't gonna help you any, because after you vent the airbox, the restriction then lies in the stock, pre-TB baffling. even if a snorkel helped, you'd prolly need an engine tune to take advantage of it, and opening up and smoothing the baffling between the MAF and TB would give you a much greater benefit than putting a ram-air setup in front of the filter."

hey yp i am wondering how to open up and smooth the baffling between my maf and tb, i boought some 3" pvc today but my idea is a no go, do you know anyone who has done so? is there pics?
 
Last edited:
OP
OP
ypsetihw

ypsetihw

Full Access Member
Joined
Apr 2, 2010
Posts
77
Reaction score
8
Location
Lakewood, CO
hey yp i am wondering how to open up and smooth the baffling between my maf and tb, i boought some 3" pvc today but my idea is a no go, do you know anyone who has done so? is there pics?

I've seen short ram setups available on ebay that have a silicon elbow from the TB, to a big long straight piece of aluminum pipe, to the MAF, and then a cone filter with a bracket to hold it in place. these things go for around $90 shipped, but I bet you could build one with PVC - biggest trouble is getting an elbow short enough to clear the fan shroud, or modding that appropriately
 

highrollin113

Undercover
Joined
Feb 17, 2010
Posts
440
Reaction score
3
Location
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
i have a new idea of something i might try, lol, i know i should just get a cai but using my ideas is funner and fills my time, so im thinking of slicing into the starts of the baffle tubes and placing some cardboard for a temporary block then on the baffle side filling it with hardning foam so the air will have a straight direction from maf to tb, think this will work???
 

Anthony

2004 Tahoe LT (MA)
Joined
Jun 7, 2009
Posts
1,242
Reaction score
9
Location
Westen MA
I've seen short ram setups available on ebay that have a silicon elbow from the TB, to a big long straight piece of aluminum pipe, to the MAF, and then a cone filter with a bracket to hold it in place. these things go for around $90 shipped, but I bet you could build one with PVC - biggest trouble is getting an elbow short enough to clear the fan shroud, or modding that appropriately

The filter is going to run you $40-50. Spend the extra $$ and get the complete set-up and it will look OEM :imo:
 

dropmech

Puddle Pirate
Joined
Jun 11, 2009
Posts
908
Reaction score
7
Location
Coral Springs
Just did this tonight at work. I'll have to wait to get it on the road until I'm off duty tomorrow afternoon.
 
OP
OP
ypsetihw

ypsetihw

Full Access Member
Joined
Apr 2, 2010
Posts
77
Reaction score
8
Location
Lakewood, CO
i have a new idea of something i might try, lol, i know i should just get a cai but using my ideas is funner and fills my time, so im thinking of slicing into the starts of the baffle tubes and placing some cardboard for a temporary block then on the baffle side filling it with hardning foam so the air will have a straight direction from maf to tb, think this will work???

dude I dunno highrollin . . . you are pushing it . . . this starts to get into a discussion of why the pre-TB baffling is there . . . the whole reason the intake is designed with all that pre-TB baffling is that the engineers are WELL AWARE that the stock intake box is lacking in airflow, particularly when you're starting out from low RPM, when the engine needs to make a lot of torque and can't bother to be sucking all that air fresh.

to combat this, they many cars have a ridiculously baffled pre-TB component that drastically increases the volumetric storage capacity of the intake plenum, meaning more clean air available pre-TB when you first start out.

the problem with this setup is that under high load high RPM situations, the engine really needs the flow to stabilize so that it can create a smooth "sucking" action through the intake tract. the extra stock baffling SERIOUSLY disrupts airflow at high RPM, but is still useful for a stock engine down low.

the compromise is a large diameter smooth tube, like the one described above, that allows for sufficient "stored" clean air at idle and when getting started, while majorly improving the airflow at high speed.

so . . . to your question - just modding out the stock baffling on the pre-TB plenum is probably only going to restrict it more. you either need open up and straighten out the entire thing, or leave it alone.

---------- Post added at 10:09 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:09 PM ----------

just a little further evidence - I didn't really explain any of this to my GF who drives the t-hoe on a daily basis, and she did mention to me that "it seems to pull better up hills"

free mod AND she likes it :beer: mission accomplished
 

highrollin113

Undercover
Joined
Feb 17, 2010
Posts
440
Reaction score
3
Location
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
thanks :cheers: im just looking to squeeze every bit i can for free and well i like coming up with these crazy ideas just i dont know if they will work, i think i will leave it alone till i can figure away to get a spectre out of the states
 
OP
OP
ypsetihw

ypsetihw

Full Access Member
Joined
Apr 2, 2010
Posts
77
Reaction score
8
Location
Lakewood, CO
know if they will work, i think i will leave it alone till i can figure away to get a spectre out of the states

if you want I can order it for you and then ship it directly . . . you'd obviously have to pay the shipping charges, but I'm down to forward some freight

---------- Post added at 10:29 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:27 PM ----------

here ya go, on ebay, and only $13 to ship to canada "jackpot"

TAHOE 4.8 5.3 6.0 V8 COLD AIR INTAKE 1999 2000 2001 Y
 

Forum statistics

Threads
129,477
Posts
1,816,455
Members
92,684
Latest member
APalmer15

Latest posts

Top