Cheap carburetor or TBI cold air intake?

[TripleJ]

BLUF(bottom line up front)



So to begin, the reason I went looking for this part was because I installed an Edelbrock 1411 replacement carb.  Anybody who had done this knows that you may not be able to use the factory air cleaner due to clearance issues with the new carb.  I was forced to run an open element air cleaner, which I do not like for a few reasons.  The biggest reason is the ridiculously loud sucking sound from the carb that seems to be louder than any other noise the engine makes.

So Ive been looking for a carb bonnet, or carb hat that would allow me to run the intake somewhere else to alleviate the noise.  Im pretty sure the cheapest I found was about $160 thru summit for the part alone, all the way up to like $500 for a banks intake.... I don't think so....

The kit I bought is available either thru amazon or ebay.  It is listed as an "88 TBI air intake".  If you search those keywords you will find the kit, listing for between $45 and $60 depending on the color.  Yes I picked pink because it was the cheapest. $45 with free shipping on ebay.

The trick was that I didn't know if the kit would fit my carb. It says it fits one bolt GM TBI engines with a 5 and 1/8" throttle body opening.  Well it fits.

The kit comes with the carb hat, a piece of tubing and an air filter, plus a couple clamps and a bracket.  Truly most of the parts are poor quality.  The welds are terrible looking, the clamps are weak and the filter is so cheap I broke it trying to install it to the piece of tubing they provide.



But the bottom line is, the only part I really wanted was the carb hat.  The pink thing that goes on the top of the carb.  That's the part that I really cant get without a ton of fabricating.

I don't have it completely installed, just mocked up so far.  But I am VERY excited about how this is going to work.  not only will this work to move the intake opening away from the interior of the camper, but the amount of space it frees up under the doghouse is awesome too.  Carb tuning, choke settings, etc. with the full intake IN PLACE are now a breeze.

**one note** beware of the clearance above the carb required to clear the carb hat.  My new carb, the adapter/spacer it required and the carb hat JUST fits and JUST allows me to lock the doghouse cover down.







This tube from Menards fits perfectly over the 3.5" O.D. carb hat and tube they provide in the kit




Ill continue this as I make progress

[M & J]

 

[fasteddie313]

That is a great upgrade, lower intake temps not only increase power but also result in a healthier engine in general while further resisting detonation.This is not as important in naturally aspirated applications as it is in forced induction applications but I could really see this helping one of these engines especially in a stop go traffic environment where there may be concern of overheating and low load low RPM detonation/knocking.

My self education (whatever that is worth) is heavily invested in turbocharging systems and performance and one thing I thought I should mention is that though the benefit of your CAI system there likely greatly outweighs the negative aspect of your heavily corrugated plumbing I'd throw in my 2 cents..

Heavily corrugated hoses like that are known to create an intake restriction unproportionate to there actual diameter because of the turbulence that is caused by the very uneven surface.

That said in your application it may not matter that much because it isn't exactly an extremely high flowing situation (yet eh?) but I think you may be better served with a smoother walled tubing solution.

It should be easy, it looks like a very uncomplicated bend compared to what I'm used to plumbing custom turbo stuff.. From here it looks like you could get away with 2 cut sections of PVC with a flexible or angled coupler for your slight bend there. PVC should be fine on the cheap but metal would be best as always.

If I was you I'd also stick that cone filter out further ahead of your radiator so you don't pick up as much hot air off of your radiator in slow traffic situations.
You may also want to consider putting a 90 bend after the radiator to tuck that filter off to the side of the grill opening where from the pic it looks like there is a little cubby in front of your horns to keep your filter from getting wet while driving in the rain, that could possibly cause you a problem. Then again I don't know what water will hit and what not in your rig so it may be perfectly fine up there..

What you have done there is probably much better than what it was in the first place but I thought I'd comment a bit on how I think you could maximize your gains..

In my rig, if it comes to be, I will very likely be installing a wideband o2 Air Fuel Ratio gauge so I can maybe experiment with cruising ARFs to maximize efficiency. I like that sort of thing, I have one, I can, and what am I going to do? Just leave the equipment behind?

I like motors..

[TripleJ]

i like motors..

I think youre right, i would be better served with a smooth walled pipe. I was thinking of pvc RATHER than metal actually because it wont conduct as much heat.  And i will probably put the effort into heat/bending the pvc for the angle. Google says its pretty easy Hm? 

This didnt really start out in search of power. Im actually happy witht this engine. All it really needs to do is run right!

[ClydesdaleKevin]

I used a Spectre plenum with an external washable Spectre cone air filter up under the grill out of the rain...true cold air intake now.  I got the intake hose from Spectre as well, and used 2 Spectre adapters, bolted one on either side of the original intake location.  Rated at 900cfm, so its more than enough.  As I recall, the whole setup cost me less than 200 bucks.



Hope that helps.

Kev

[TripleJ]

Spectre does make it easy.  I might end up having to get the same spectre air filter if I cant get this cheapo serviceable

[TripleJ]

After a 200 mile trip this weekend, I gotta say I cant believe the difference this intake has made.  All I was trying to do is reduce the carb noise a bit.  Ive actually had to turn the idle speed screw down and re set the idle mixture screws, which was a BREEZE by the way, with all the extra space to work in.

The only thing I changed was to replace the supplied piece of tubing with a 24" piece of PVC with the same outside diameter.  This pushed the filter a little farther foreword under the hood.

I always hesitate to guess how much actual hp is gained after this or that modification, but I can tell you for certain that the engine pulls harder and cruises easier with less throttle input than before.  There is also less of a dead spot mid throttle than before, maybe because I was able to better tune the idle mixture with the air cleaner in place, I dunno.  Definitely $55 dollars well spent

[TripleJ]

The only new pic right I have now, but you can see how the filter is now well clear of the battery, and tucked pretty well behind the hood when its closed

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Nice!!!  Although the only real improvement I noticed aside from reduced intake noise, is that heat is no longer trapped on top of the manifold under the air cleaner, which stopped the problems I was having on hot days with gas percolating in the carburetor.  I didn't really notice any improvement to fuel economy or horsepower.

Kev

[TripleJ]

Final version of my intake:



The filter is pretty well protected, easier to see here:



I love this stuff. Total cost for actual the parts I used;
cold air kit from ebay        $45
PVC pipe                          $7
Plumbing elbow                $10

That's it, clamps were all included on the parts.
Heck if I painted the pipe black it would look like a kit!

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Nice!!!  Now become a full member already, Mr. Thrifty Pants! 

Kev

[beaverman]

Final version of my intake:



The filter is pretty well protected, easier to see here:



I love this stuff. Total cost for actual the parts I used;
cold air kit from ebay        $45
PVC pipe                          $7
Plumbing elbow                $10

That's it, clamps were all included on the parts.
Heck if I painted the pipe black it would look like a kit!

TJ, have there been any problems with the pvc & abs fittings vibrating apart with only the calmps holding them together? thanks, Beav

[gadgetman]

Nice Job !!! They love cold air.


Here is mine


http://www.classicwinnebagos.com/forum/index.php/topic,10903.0.html

[TripleJ]

Beav, Im trying to figure out what you might be referring to... Im thinking you are talking about the black fitting connecting to the white pvc?

The black piece is actually made out of very flexible rubber.  The clamps hold it pretty tight.  As tight as any factory piece.

I dunno if you are familiar with these pieces, but they are common in the cheap-o plumbing section at home depot, made for repairs of waste/sewer systems.  Like if you had a break in the sewer drain under a bathroom in the house, you could cut the broken piece out flush and clamp in the rubber repair section... until you could get a real plumber there to fix it correctly 

I hope this is what you are referring to

Gadgetman, if I would have had a snorkel housing that fit correctly over the edelbrock carb I might have done it the same way

[legomybago]

I dunno if you are familiar with these pieces, but they are common in the cheap-o plumbing section at home depot, made for repairs of waste/sewer systems.  Like if you had a break in the sewer drain under a bathroom in the house, you could cut the broken piece out flush and clamp in the rubber repair section... until you could get a real plumber there to fix it correctly 

These fittings are called "Furnco's". They are really durable.

[beaverman]

Beav, Im trying to figure out what you might be referring to... Im thinking you are talking about the black fitting connecting to the white pvc?

The black piece is actually made out of very flexible rubber.  The clamps hold it pretty tight.  As tight as any factory piece.

I dunno if you are familiar with these pieces, but they are common in the cheap-o plumbing section at home depot, made for repairs of waste/sewer systems.  Like if you had a break in the sewer drain under a bathroom in the house, you could cut the broken piece out flush and clamp in the rubber repair section... until you could get a real plumber there to fix it correctly 

I hope this is what you are referring to

Gadgetman, if I would have had a snorkel housing that fit correctly over the edelbrock carb I might have done it the same way

Thanks, I thought the black was an ABS drain fitting, being a retired contractor I'm familiar with Furnco fittings, just thought it was ABS, thanks for clearing this up, going on my to do list when I do the engine swap this winter!