Z28Camaro30Ann

iTrader: (15)

Please remember that there may be things I missed. If you find any errors or if anything is unclear or missing, just let me know and I will fix it!

Write-Up on MY LS1 Lid Install.

This is what I did to make my LS1 Lid work with my 1997 Camaro SS LT1 with the STOCK fiberglass SS Hood from SLP, and make it look good! Please read in its ENTIRITY before installing. THIS IS NOT APPLICATION SPECIFIC, it is ONLY a walkthrough of how I did MY install and what I needed. Your application may be different so verify everything first. I am not responsible for damage or problems should you perform this installation on your own vehicle.

Preparation Process:

Supplies and Parts Needed:

Stock LS1 Air Lid Base (non High Rise) $50.00
LS1 K&N Air Filter (or LS1 filter of your choosing) $64.99
LS1 Lid of your choosing (I used an SLP lid as you see) $30.00
3”x3” Rubber Furnace Coupler (purchased mine from Lowes, used for baffle) $6.99
Stock LT1 MAF
10’ of Rubber Weather stripping (purchased from Lowes, used to seal filter) $7.99
1ft of 1”x1” Angle Iron (purchased from Lowes, used for mounting plates for base) $6.99
Four small M6 nuts and ¾” to 1” M6 body bolts (purchased from Auto Zone, used to secure base) $10.99
1 OLD Radiator Shroud Bolt (to hold nuts while welding)
1 sheet of 24”x24” 26 gauge Sheet Metal (purchased from Lowes, used for filter housing) $12.00

Tools Needed:

Heat Gun (for stretching Furnace Coupler over Throttle Body and MAF)
Rivet Gun (for Sheet Metal and Base)
Twelve 1/8” Rivets
Eye Protection
Cutoff Wheel with a couple of blades (for cutting radiator support and Angle Iron)
Dremel Tool with a drill bit and sanding bit (drill bit works best for cutting and trimming plastic)
Drill
1/8” and 3/8” Drill Bits (1/8 for rivets, 3/8 for holes in Angle Iron for Brackets)
Welder
Sheet Metal Break or good Vice
10mm Socket (for removing old Radiator Shroud)
8mm Socket (for installing new Radiator Shroud)
Tin Snips (for cutting sheet metal)
Flathead Screwdriver (for removing old intake and installing new clamps)
Needle Nose Pliars (to hold bolt and nut while welding)
Tape Measure
800 Grit Sandpaper
Masking Tape
Can of appropriately colored paint, primer, or rust-oleum (to coat bare metal to prevent rust)
Marking Compund (I used grease. Put this on your lid when cutting hood to see where it is touching)

Fabrication Process:

STEP ONE, Preparing Engine Bay: (Supplies Needed: 10mm Socket, Flathead Screwdriver)

- Remove old air intake and elbow with flathead screwdriver
- Remove radiator shroud with 10mm Socket
- If you DO NOT have an A/C Condenser, skip the next step.
- If you DO have an A/C Condenser, remove it from the tabs in the radiator and slide it as far to the front of the car as you can, and as far down as you can. (The bottom will actually rest on a screw in the bottom as shown in pics below.
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- Remove your electric fans by unplugging the harness from them, and lifting them up and out of the tabs then sliding them out of the bottom.
- Remove the rubber padding that is under your radiator on the corners so it can sit lower.
- There may be modification needed to a plastic piece that extends down from the bottom of your radiator on the passenger side. I just cut mine off as low as I could.
- Bring the bottom of your radiator towards the front of the car as far as you can get it to go and lean the top as far toward the engine as possible.
- IF YOU HAVE AN ELECTRIC WATER PUMP, you need to cut the shroud around the passenger side fan to accommodate the Water Pump and allow the fans to lean forward far enough.
http://img805.imageshack.us/i/sany0022.jpg/

STEP TWO, Cutting Radiator Support: (Supplies Needed: LS1 Air Filter, Cutoff Wheel, Eye Protection)

- Ensure you have rags in your throttle body, or some other way to prevent debris from entering the engine
- Using your LS1 Air Filter, lay it on your radiator support and mark your lines for your cuts going JUST OUTSIDE the PAPER portion of the filter. DO NOT go outside the RUBBER portion this way the frame can be used as added support for the air box.
- Once your cuts have been marked, put on your eye protection and using your cutoff wheel carefully make your cuts along your lines as shown below.
- Once cuts are made, lay filter inside to ensure a good fit. DO NOT be alarmed if your filter does not touch the radiator! The air box will provide the support and seal for the back.
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STEP THREE, Modding LS1 Base: (Supplies Needed: LS1 Base, Dremel Tool with Drill Bit, Eye Protection)

- BE PATENT! Do not rush this because you want it to look good and its easy for the dremel to slip and doesn’t take much for it to cut an area you don’t want to. This will take A LOT of trial and error, and going back and forth from the dremel to the car to ensure a proper fit.
- You need to cut away at the bottom side where the radiator support will be, as well as trim the edges to lower the overall height of the base. Also you will need to trim the back of the base so that the lid can sit flush and seat properly. See pictures cause this is hard to explain in writing.
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STEP FOUR, Mounting Brackets: (Angle Iron, 4 M6 Nuts, OLD Radiator Shroud Bolt, Welder)

- Out of your 1’ Angle Iron, cut out TWO pieces. One for the pass side and one for the driver side.
- Once cut, use sandpaper, or a dremel with a sanding bit to remove the paint from the welding surfaces of the radiator support to ensure a good weld.
- Keeping the flat surface of the Angle Iron as level as possible, weld the Angle Iron to the radiator support.
- Once in place and cool, position your LS1 Base and mark your drill points on the angle iron using the bolt holes for the LS1 Base.
- Once marked, use your 3/8” bit to drill out your holes for the nuts.
- To ensure you do not lose a nut, thread one onto your OLD radiator shroud bolt and use that to ensure the nut slides clean into the hole you drilled. It should be as close to the sides as possible if not touching, but also needs to be flush and level with the top of the angle iron.
- Once holes are drilled, use your OLD radiator bolt with the threaded nut. Use Needle Nose Pliers to hold the top of the bolt and keeping the nut as level as possible, tack weld it into place.
- Once tack welded, thread bolt in to ensure debris is clear, and remove bolt.
- Repeat this process for all 4 nuts.
- Install lid to ensure proper fit and bolt it down to ensure it secures the radiator.
- If it does not secure properly, you can bend the angle iron slightly to adjust how the base is angled when bolted down.
- Once ALL cuts are made, ALL welds are in place, and ALL adjustments are made, tape off EVERYTHING that paint could hit, lightly sand areas to be painted, and use your can of paint, primer, or rust-oleum to cover all bare metal to prevent rusting.
http://img5.imageshack.us/i/sany0013bj.jpg/
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Z28Camaro30Ann

iTrader: (15)

STEP FIVE, Building Air Box: (Supplies Needed: Sheet Metal, Tin Snips, Rivet Gun/Rivets, Sheet Metal Break, Drill, 1/8” Drill Bit, LS1 Base, LS1 Air Filter)

- Measure and cut out 4 pieces of sheet metal to these dimensions using your tin snips: Front – 15 5/8” x 2 1/2”, Back – 15 5/8” x 3”, Sides – 9” x 2 1/2”
- For reference, label ONE SIDE of EACH piece as the INSIDE. This marks that side as the inside of the air box. Any bends referred to as “outside” will bend to the outside of the box, bends labeled as “inside” will bend toward the inside of the box. The “degrees” refer to how much they need to be bent in that direction. The measurements refer to the distance between bends.
- FRONT MEASUREMENTS: (from top) 1/2” 90 degrees to the outside, (from bottom) 1/2” 90 degrees to the inside.
- BOTH SIDE MEASUREMENTS: (from top) 1/2” 90 degrees to the outside, (from bottom) 1/2” 90 degrees to the inside, (both sides) 1/2” 90 degrees to the inside.
- BACK MEASUREMENTS: (from top) 1/2” 45 degrees upward, 1/2” 90 degrees outside, (from bottom) 1/2” 90 degrees to the inside.
- Ensure proper fitment by assembling air box as shown below and sizing up filter before drilling holes.
- Once satisfied with box, drill 2 holes in the 4 tabs that wrap around the front and back of the box with your 1/8” drill bit. DO NOT drill bigger than 1/8” or else the rivets will not stay.
- Once holes are drilled and aligned properly, place a rivet in each one using your rivet gun and 1/8” rivets. This will make the box 1 solid piece. The fins of the filter should fit inside the bom completely, and the rubber edge should lay across the ledge at the top without going inside the box. This will be used to properly seal the intake.
- Minor adjustments and trimming will need to be made to the edges of the upper lip to fit the box inside the LS1 Base but it will slide in from the top, the 45 degree angle of the back will slide under the back edge of the LS1 Base, and the sides of the box will rest on the ramps you built in the LS1 Base for support. The front of the box will rest on the front edge of the cuts you made in the frame of the radiator support.
- Once the box is in and properly seats up, drill 2 holes in each side with your 1/8” bit, and rivet the box inside the LS1 Base.

**Refer to pictures of LS1 Base for Pictures of Air Box**

STEP SIX, Modifying LS1 Lid: (Supplies Needed: LS1 Lid, Dremel w/ Bit, Weather stripping)

- The sides of the lid where the bolt holes are in the LS1 Base need to be thinned out a slight bit, as well as the side the rest of the length down the front of the lid. This is to ensure it clears the base without a fight and sits cleanly on the filter. DO NOT CUT ALL THE WAY THROUGH THE SIDE. I also recommend only trimming up a 1/2” from the bottom of the lid to minimize the exposed raw surface. This is only for appearance, nothing more.
- Cut the neck of the lid so that it is a straight line from the lid to the Throttle Body, otherwise your baffles will not line up.
- Using your rubber weather stripping, run a line around the underside of the lid to ensure proper pressure is applied to the filter and a good seal is established.
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STEP SEVEN, Preparing Baffle/MAF: (Supplies Needed: LS1 Lid, 3x3 Furnace Coupler, Stock MAF, Heat Gun)

- Using your heat gun, stretch the 3x3 Furnace Coupler over your Throttle Body. Once it is on allow it to cool so it will take on that shape.
- Once cool, use the clamp from your OLD elbow and secure it to the throttle body.
- Once secure, use your Stock MAF and the heat gun to stretch the Furnace Coupler over the MAF. Let it cool as well once it is on.
- My MAF slid snug into the neck of my SLP Air Lid so I merely used a clamp to secure it and left it at that. I also had to cut 1/2” off of the end of the furnace coupler to ensure proper length from lid to Throttle Body.
http://img5.imageshack.us/i/sany0572b.jpg/

STEP EIGHT, Cutting Stock Hood: (Supplies Needed: Cutoff Wheel, Eye Protection, Marking Compound)

NOTE: My hood was the FIBERGLASS SLP 97 SS HOOD! Some hoods may be different!

- Apply Marking compound to top of you lid
- Attempt to close hood
- Open and see where lid is touching
- With your cutoff wheel CAREFULLY and SLOWLY cut the sheet metal or fiberglass supports. BE VERY CAREFUL because if you cut too deep you will cut through your hood completely!
- Once cuts are made, retry closing the hood and repeat the process until hood closes.
- With my setup JUST LIKE THIS, my lid still touches my hood HOWEVER it is not enough to stop my hood from closing. DO NOT FORCE your hood down. It should take minimal pressure to close.
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Here is the end result if done properly with PATIENCE!

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Any Questions?? lol

Bowtie Boy

Nice write up, gonna hit the track now? If what is said about the lid mod you should be in 12's if your able to do a run like your current time.

Z28Camaro30Ann

iTrader: (15)

Already have...

Last time at the track, here is what it did...

13.15 at 110.66mph with a 2.2 60' with 3.42 rear end gears. Weight was 3,510lbs and D/A was 9200ft at Bandimere Speedway in Denver.

I am working on my new 8.8 build as we speak to get that 60' down and NOT blow up my rear haha.

Puck

iTrader: (17)

I have seen this mod done many times, but NEVER as well documented as this.

I'm sure a ton of people appreciate the effort.

**edit** You should make a few of those air boxes

Z28Camaro30Ann

iTrader: (15)

Thanks Puck! I am considering it, and I could do the bases for people as well...I just need them to send me the base they have and I can trim it and then build the box and put it all together for them and send it back for a small fee.

If anyone is interested just let me know.

kinglt-1

iTrader: (26)

nice write up bro!!

vanilla89

iTrader: (8)

I cant belive some of you guys cut your core support for a AIR FILTER. It just doesn't make since to me, sorry. The only thing I modified for my lid conversion was the ls1 radator support (and it's plastic)

97REaper

iTrader: (11)

How much is a small fee?

chaman

iTrader: (5)

Interesting. Is this setup better than the available aftermarket CAI for the LT1 equiped cars?

96lt1m6

iTrader: (31)

I swapped them at the track
Moroso cai w to the SLP lid w/fram filter3 passes each lid was 2 tenths and 1.8 mph better
moroso cai 170.00
SLP lid and fram filter 70.00

jayz28

iTrader: (3)

This setup is alot better than the aftermarket CAI's. The stock routing or the CAI setup has too many bends and doesn't suck in enough air from under the car. The bends are the biggest problem. Anytime you can straighten out your airflow, you will improve hp.

I saw this with my own eyes. I have a K&N CAI, and while at the dyno we made a pull with and without. I gained Approximately 10hp/6trq!!!!

jayz28

iTrader: (3)

My question is where can I get all the stuff to do the conversion? Do I need to look for a wrecked LS type car? That's kinda hard to find where I live. They don't last long. Or does someone sell a complete kit?

chaman

iTrader: (5)

Thats great!! Everyday you learn something new.

Z28Camaro30Ann

iTrader: (15)

New Dyno Numbers with LS1 Air Lid w/ VID!

Before I installed my LS1 Air Lid setup I had the Stock 97 LT1 Ram Air SS Intake...I dyno'd with that setup and the results were:

401 RWHP/373 RWTQ

I installed my LS1 Air Lid about 4 months ago and since then noticed a significant gain in torque, but wasnt sure how much...I dyno'd my car today and here are the new numbers:

411 RWHP/390 RWTQ

the ONLY difference in the 2 runs was the LS1 Air Lid. No engine/drivetrain changes. This was with an SLP Air Lid and K&N Filter.

I gained 10 RWHP and 17 RWTQ.

Same Dyno, Same Operator, and temp was 5 degrees cooler than previous dyno, all done on a Dynojet Dyno.

Track numbers will have to wait until next season though Sorry guys.

VIDEO:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z28wqQa3rb4

GREGG 97Z

iTrader: (4)

Very nice job! I switched to a lid earlier this year, used jolius' writeup. I noticed a big difference in throttle response, havnt dyno'd it since though. I'm not surprised by the #s you got.

LT/LS Guy

Wow I didnt realize my ram air intake was that choked off when I had my car. That car ran very good, the biggest complaint being the heat soak after runs from the intake manifold. I got in the mid 12's with bolt ons and tires. Wish I would have tried the LS1 lid conv.

Z28Camaro30Ann

iTrader: (15)

it DEFINATELY made a big difference. I noticed a huge jump in torque even before I dynoed it. I cant wait to get track times. I still have my SS Ram Air intake and I am going to take it with me to the track AND to my next dyno session and swap them on the spot to get a better comparison.

Thanks for the compliments!