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WARNING: Before you begin this project, make sure you have plenty of time (I took my time with this, and it took about an hour and a half)
Also, wear some clothes you don't mind getting dirty, and DEFINITELY wear some sort of eye and face protection. As you grind the ribs off the lid, the plastic heats up, and I know from experience that it's no fun to have a hot plastic shaving fly up into your eye. These shavings are gonna fly everywhere, so once again, be sure to do it outside and use eye and face protection.
Here are some directions on how to get rid of those flow-restrictive ribs on the inside of your factory airbox lid. This idea came to me as I was installing my ram-air kit, and after I saw the prices on some of those aftermarket lids hehe
First, remove the oval-shaped clamp that connects the airbox lid to the rubber bellow directly behind it. Undo the retaining clips on the front of the lid and remove it.
You will need sandpaper, a source of water, and some sort of hand grinder for this. I used a 1/4" electric die grinder. I have included a picture of this for those who don't know what a die grinder is. It is used to grind the ribs off so that the inside of the lid is completely smooth and much less restrictive to airflow.
If you'll notice in the picture, the grinder has different-shaped stones to it. The flat-top round one works fine for the ribs in the center of the lid, but it's much easier to use the pointed ones close to the edges of the lid.
Use the grinder to grind the ribs down even with the area between the ribs, so you just have an even, flat surface. Just be careful not to grind it down any further than that. After you've ground the ribs down, use the sandpaper (it took me about 10-12 small sheets) to smooth out any rough edges and to remove any of the plastic shavings that may have stuck to the inside of the lid. This is where the water comes in. After you have sanded the surface completely smooth and removed all the plastic pieces, wash out the inside of the lid to remove the sandpaper grit. Washing the lid may have to be done several times in order to ensure that it's clean, so do this as many times as it takes. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO BE SURE THE INSIDE OF THE LID IS CLEAN BEFORE YOU PUT IT BACK ON!! After all, you don't want any of that crap in your engine, do you?
After rinsing the lid out, use a clean dry towel to dry it out. When it's completely dry, check it for remaining sandpaper grit or small plastic pieces. If there is any left in there, just repeat the rinsing process until it's gone. It helps to use a different towel if you have to do it more than once, otherwise you're just wiping that stuff back on there. I think I rinsed mine 3 or 4 times to be absolutely sure it was clean.
After you are SURE that it's clean and dry, simply put the lid back on, attach the rubber bellow and put the clamp back around it. Then reattach the 2 clips that hold the front of the air lid down, and you're good to go!
NOTE: You perform this mod at your own risk. This information is the opinion of the author and should not be considered professional advice.
3 Pros:
1. Saves you a wad of cash over buying an "aftermarket" lid
2. Better airflow with less restriction
3. And of course, the pride of knowing you did it yourself!
3 Cons:
1. Could be harmful to the car if any remaining debris is not properly cleaned out of the lid.
2. Could be harmful to someone attempting to do this without proper safety equipment (such as eye and face protection) or someone who doesn't know how to run the grinder properly.
3. More time-consuming than buying an "aftermarket" lid
[ March 06, 2004, 08:22 AM: Message edited by: Stefan ]
Also, wear some clothes you don't mind getting dirty, and DEFINITELY wear some sort of eye and face protection. As you grind the ribs off the lid, the plastic heats up, and I know from experience that it's no fun to have a hot plastic shaving fly up into your eye. These shavings are gonna fly everywhere, so once again, be sure to do it outside and use eye and face protection.
Here are some directions on how to get rid of those flow-restrictive ribs on the inside of your factory airbox lid. This idea came to me as I was installing my ram-air kit, and after I saw the prices on some of those aftermarket lids hehe
First, remove the oval-shaped clamp that connects the airbox lid to the rubber bellow directly behind it. Undo the retaining clips on the front of the lid and remove it.
You will need sandpaper, a source of water, and some sort of hand grinder for this. I used a 1/4" electric die grinder. I have included a picture of this for those who don't know what a die grinder is. It is used to grind the ribs off so that the inside of the lid is completely smooth and much less restrictive to airflow.
If you'll notice in the picture, the grinder has different-shaped stones to it. The flat-top round one works fine for the ribs in the center of the lid, but it's much easier to use the pointed ones close to the edges of the lid.
Use the grinder to grind the ribs down even with the area between the ribs, so you just have an even, flat surface. Just be careful not to grind it down any further than that. After you've ground the ribs down, use the sandpaper (it took me about 10-12 small sheets) to smooth out any rough edges and to remove any of the plastic shavings that may have stuck to the inside of the lid. This is where the water comes in. After you have sanded the surface completely smooth and removed all the plastic pieces, wash out the inside of the lid to remove the sandpaper grit. Washing the lid may have to be done several times in order to ensure that it's clean, so do this as many times as it takes. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO BE SURE THE INSIDE OF THE LID IS CLEAN BEFORE YOU PUT IT BACK ON!! After all, you don't want any of that crap in your engine, do you?
After rinsing the lid out, use a clean dry towel to dry it out. When it's completely dry, check it for remaining sandpaper grit or small plastic pieces. If there is any left in there, just repeat the rinsing process until it's gone. It helps to use a different towel if you have to do it more than once, otherwise you're just wiping that stuff back on there. I think I rinsed mine 3 or 4 times to be absolutely sure it was clean.
After you are SURE that it's clean and dry, simply put the lid back on, attach the rubber bellow and put the clamp back around it. Then reattach the 2 clips that hold the front of the air lid down, and you're good to go!
NOTE: You perform this mod at your own risk. This information is the opinion of the author and should not be considered professional advice.
3 Pros:
1. Saves you a wad of cash over buying an "aftermarket" lid
2. Better airflow with less restriction
3. And of course, the pride of knowing you did it yourself!
3 Cons:
1. Could be harmful to the car if any remaining debris is not properly cleaned out of the lid.
2. Could be harmful to someone attempting to do this without proper safety equipment (such as eye and face protection) or someone who doesn't know how to run the grinder properly.
3. More time-consuming than buying an "aftermarket" lid
[ March 06, 2004, 08:22 AM: Message edited by: Stefan ]
