Make your intake look bamf for cheap!
08-12-2010, 02:14 PM
#1
Rotormaniac
Thread Starter
Make your intake look bamf for cheap!
I'm a broke college kid that sinks every nickel and dime into his car (pride and joy). After reading numerous forums on here about intakes I decided to mix a bunch of people ideas together and make something for cheap that still looks good, and helps the performance...
so here's what you will need.
- I used the fake K&N cone filter by APC (25$) Its adjustable fit 3,3.5, or 4"
-you'll need a sheet of plexiglass 13x6"
- 6 flat head screws
- drill and drillbits
- saber saw
- vacuum cleaner
-screwdriver
- 1/8" foam
forreal scale 1-10 difficulty level... I'd give it a 2.. a toddler could do this.
1. get the air box out of there.. no need to completely remove it, but simply push back with extreme force and pull up... undo the latches.
2. remove that old piece of crap filter... and burn it. you'll never need it again.
3. remove the top part tof the bell... just the part that curves out. It was a challenge for me, cause i just want to rip it off... I hate those kinds of clips.
4. Remove those awful resonating walls that concentrate airflow.. wont need it with a cone filter
5. for cutting safety, remove the tube that the bell was on. NOTICE- LEAVE THE LITTLE SCREEN IN THE BOTTOM THERE! ELSE DUST FROM CUTTING WILL GET INTO YOUR INTAKE.... (R.I.P. RX8)
6. now take your drill and drill a hole near the corner of where your gonna begin to cut..
7... begin to cut :D
8. dont fear if it doesnt just fall out when youve cut all the way around... the heat from the blade will cause places to slightly melt back together.. simply take a hammer and gently tap it out.
9. now file all the rough edges down until you think it looks good.
10. Put your piece of plexiglass over the hole and position it even around... it is supposed to overlap the hole.
11. then drill a pilot hole in each corner and one in the middle of the front and back.
12. lay the foam.. 1/4" wide all the way around.
13. take a toothpick and poke through the foam where the holes are.
14. put your screws in.. DO NOT TIGHTEN TOO TIGHT... IT WILL CRACK!!!! pretend you have the massive strength of a 2 year old when tightening..
15. Now you have a pretty little window.. you will then vacuum like your mother always wanted you to. Get every single piece out!
16. put the tube back on.. since there are two screens and the first one is held by the bell... i took a piece of electrical tape and taped it up to the end of the tube so it wouldnt fall when i put the filter on...
17. the filter will slide right over the tube... you will then tighten the fastener with a flat head until tight
18. It will be a very tight fit closing the box. you will have to work with it a little but it will go.
19. push the airbox back and down until its back in position.
20. Idk if is necessary to reset the ecu or not but i did it anyway... turn the key to the on position and tap the brake 20 times rapidly. the oil gauge will make a fantastic and very satisfying gesture.
Lastly adore your beautiful cheap intake... I think it looks awesome.. and i can hear it vaguely..
so here's what you will need.
- I used the fake K&N cone filter by APC (25$) Its adjustable fit 3,3.5, or 4"
-you'll need a sheet of plexiglass 13x6"
- 6 flat head screws
- drill and drillbits
- saber saw
- vacuum cleaner
-screwdriver
- 1/8" foam
forreal scale 1-10 difficulty level... I'd give it a 2.. a toddler could do this.
1. get the air box out of there.. no need to completely remove it, but simply push back with extreme force and pull up... undo the latches.
2. remove that old piece of crap filter... and burn it. you'll never need it again.
3. remove the top part tof the bell... just the part that curves out. It was a challenge for me, cause i just want to rip it off... I hate those kinds of clips.
4. Remove those awful resonating walls that concentrate airflow.. wont need it with a cone filter
5. for cutting safety, remove the tube that the bell was on. NOTICE- LEAVE THE LITTLE SCREEN IN THE BOTTOM THERE! ELSE DUST FROM CUTTING WILL GET INTO YOUR INTAKE.... (R.I.P. RX8)
6. now take your drill and drill a hole near the corner of where your gonna begin to cut..
7... begin to cut :D
8. dont fear if it doesnt just fall out when youve cut all the way around... the heat from the blade will cause places to slightly melt back together.. simply take a hammer and gently tap it out.
9. now file all the rough edges down until you think it looks good.
10. Put your piece of plexiglass over the hole and position it even around... it is supposed to overlap the hole.
11. then drill a pilot hole in each corner and one in the middle of the front and back.
12. lay the foam.. 1/4" wide all the way around.
13. take a toothpick and poke through the foam where the holes are.
14. put your screws in.. DO NOT TIGHTEN TOO TIGHT... IT WILL CRACK!!!! pretend you have the massive strength of a 2 year old when tightening..
15. Now you have a pretty little window.. you will then vacuum like your mother always wanted you to. Get every single piece out!
16. put the tube back on.. since there are two screens and the first one is held by the bell... i took a piece of electrical tape and taped it up to the end of the tube so it wouldnt fall when i put the filter on...
17. the filter will slide right over the tube... you will then tighten the fastener with a flat head until tight
18. It will be a very tight fit closing the box. you will have to work with it a little but it will go.
19. push the airbox back and down until its back in position.
20. Idk if is necessary to reset the ecu or not but i did it anyway... turn the key to the on position and tap the brake 20 times rapidly. the oil gauge will make a fantastic and very satisfying gesture.
Lastly adore your beautiful cheap intake... I think it looks awesome.. and i can hear it vaguely..
08-12-2010, 02:24 PM
#2
SARX Legend
iTrader: (46)
A for effort but the filtering ability of that filter is ****. Even a real K&N does not filter well compared to a good paper (not really paper) filter. Your engine will not like all that dirt, particles, sand, etc.
But, If that is the desired look you wanted then kudos but IMO you just ruined a well engineered airbox setup.
But, If that is the desired look you wanted then kudos but IMO you just ruined a well engineered airbox setup.
Last edited by 9krpmrx8; 08-12-2010 at 02:38 PM.
08-12-2010, 03:00 PM
#5
I tend to think this is quite a ground-breaking moment here and we should all thank the OP for having shared a completely new idea with the rest of us.
This kind of mod has never been done before.
I am also sure the intake mass will be increased, the intake temps will drop like a rock, and the intake sound will invoke fear in the hearts and minds of anyone who comes across this beast.
I used to think the factory intake was as BAMF as it got but I will be compelled to revisit my opinion on this one.
Well done, Sir.
This kind of mod has never been done before.
I am also sure the intake mass will be increased, the intake temps will drop like a rock, and the intake sound will invoke fear in the hearts and minds of anyone who comes across this beast.
I used to think the factory intake was as BAMF as it got but I will be compelled to revisit my opinion on this one.
Well done, Sir.
Last edited by Charles R. Hill; 08-12-2010 at 03:02 PM.
..... At least this one looks clean. Only way to find out if functional is by a DYNO.
08-12-2010, 04:08 PM
#9
Very true at least its not zip tied straight to the throttle body and jammed up all near the motor ..... yup....had a buddy in highschool that couln't find a good aftermarket system for his Merc. Cougar ... so he bought a crap filter from autozone, and 2 zipties later he had a "custom" intake lol
08-12-2010, 04:20 PM
#10
Rotormaniac
Thread Starter
well maybe my filter is crap... but I've always adored the cone filter... and Im mainly showing off the plexiglass. maybe in the future Ill just go back to a performance filter that is actually built for the car. I just wanted it to look cool, and I'm satisfied that other people think so too. so thanks! :D
P.S. I'm no mechanic or tuner lol.. I'm all about looks... I've replaced every light there is to replace in the car, except for the turn signals... every interior light is red.. trunk is blue to match the blue lighting system on 2 alpine type R 12's. tail lights are smoked. liscence plate is blue white. headlights running 8000k, parking yellow led. fogs are the bluest halogens i could find.. have the audi string lights underneath... eyelids... just little things like that.... and that is what makes me happy.. maybe one of these days I'll be knowledgable enough to attempt performance mods!
P.S. I'm no mechanic or tuner lol.. I'm all about looks... I've replaced every light there is to replace in the car, except for the turn signals... every interior light is red.. trunk is blue to match the blue lighting system on 2 alpine type R 12's. tail lights are smoked. liscence plate is blue white. headlights running 8000k, parking yellow led. fogs are the bluest halogens i could find.. have the audi string lights underneath... eyelids... just little things like that.... and that is what makes me happy.. maybe one of these days I'll be knowledgable enough to attempt performance mods!
08-12-2010, 04:22 PM
#11
SARX Legend
iTrader: (46)
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I don't have a problem with the window but I think it would look better with the factory air horn and filter. I don't need a dyno to tell me that shitty APC filter, filters like ****. I have seen those APC filters (downside to being part of the Honda community) come unglued and fall apart.
08-12-2010, 04:25 PM
#12
SARX Legend
iTrader: (46)
well maybe my filter is crap... but I've always adored the cone filter... and Im mainly showing off the plexiglass. maybe in the future Ill just go back to a performance filter that is actually built for the car. I just wanted it to look cool, and I'm satisfied that other people think so too. so thanks! :D
P.S. I'm no mechanic or tuner lol.. I'm all about looks... I've replaced every light there is to replace in the car, except for the turn signals... every interior light is red.. trunk is blue to match the blue lighting system on 2 alpine type R 12's. tail lights are smoked. liscence plate is blue white. headlights running 8000k, parking yellow led. fogs are the bluest halogens i could find.. have the audi string lights underneath... eyelids... just little things like that.... and that is what makes me happy.. maybe one of these days I'll be knowledgable enough to attempt performance mods!
P.S. I'm no mechanic or tuner lol.. I'm all about looks... I've replaced every light there is to replace in the car, except for the turn signals... every interior light is red.. trunk is blue to match the blue lighting system on 2 alpine type R 12's. tail lights are smoked. liscence plate is blue white. headlights running 8000k, parking yellow led. fogs are the bluest halogens i could find.. have the audi string lights underneath... eyelids... just little things like that.... and that is what makes me happy.. maybe one of these days I'll be knowledgable enough to attempt performance mods!
Hey if that's your thing and you are happy then go for it
. But don't do anything that will void your warranty or damage your motor if you cannot afford to fix it.Welcome to the addiction
08-12-2010, 04:36 PM
#13
Rotormaniac
Thread Starter
Haha believe me the addiction happened when i was still in middle school... when they first came out... feels good living my dream! so since theres been so much hate on the filter, what would yall suggest?
08-12-2010, 04:39 PM
#14
SARX Legend
iTrader: (46)
I would say get a high flow panel filter and ditch the cone. If you must keep the cone filter get a K&N. It still will not filter well but it will be way better than the APC crap and it will last forever.
Like this.
https://www.rx8club.com/attachment.p...5&d=1113789551
Last edited by 9krpmrx8; 08-12-2010 at 04:47 PM.
08-12-2010, 04:45 PM
#18
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Proven by Speedsource. K&N filters are not fine enough to filter out tiny particles like sand. They lost 3 engines in Daytona with K&N filters from sand ingestion. They moved back to the stock paper filters, lost only 1HP, and haven't lost an engine to that since.
08-12-2010, 04:48 PM
#19
On top of that, I am putting down 210-213 N/A rwhp with a factory airbox and factory filter.
08-12-2010, 04:53 PM
#22
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I'd rather change filters every month than have to change engines every year outside of warranty because sand got in the engine through a non-OEM filter.
Your mileage may vary
I do change my filter every 6 months though. Might not be needed, but I like it fresh.
Your mileage may vary
I do change my filter every 6 months though. Might not be needed, but I like it fresh.
08-12-2010, 04:55 PM
#23
Wait, that last part reads kinda weird..........
08-12-2010, 04:57 PM
#24
Administrator
iTrader: (7)
I completely understand taking the 'fashion over function' approach with certain aspects of our lives or our cars but with the intake, that's not an area where you should be concerned only with looks.
Keep reading threads around here and I'm sure you'll gain much more insight to this car then you ever thought possible.