If you're like me, you got enthusiastic once and broke your intake accordion elbow connectors.

And if you're a lot like me, you tried swapping them out for $3 hardware store plastic barbs, then $6 hardware store metal barbs, only to find nothing fits like stock and likes to pop back out, leading to vacuum leaks.

So you think about paying $10+ for new OEM parts (FEMJ-13-758), but can't bring yourself to do it, because you KNOW those will get brittle and break, too.

So, I did a thing. I grabbed a free-to-use Creative Commons design from Thingiverse (thank you Borodatoy) and instead of printing it in plastic, I had it printed in metal by In3DTec.

The result is very nice. These cost twice as much as OEM, shipping included, but being glass beaded aluminum, are an improvement on OEM design that will never again need replacement.

Just putting this idea out there for anyone else looking for unconventional options. There is also another, more traditional-looking design file by ACK711 right now on Cults3D.com.


3D printed aluminum intake elbows.

 

Now THAT'S a great idea!!! I hadn't considered outsourcing 3D printed parts in aluminum! I was totally expecting PLA or ABS or something. There are a ton of shitty little brittle parts that should have been aluminum in all sorts of cars!