nitroheadz28

iTrader: (3)

Forgive me, I haven't been able to find much about this (surprisingly). I have a line on a new Suncoast ram air box for $120 with the filter, are these any good?

I know the OEM boxes are very hard to find and expensive, along with the SLP ones- but I've never come across/ heard of this type of box. I want to get rid of the K&N CAI the PO put on because its a pita to remove and clean (have to remove wheel/ fender liner) and it has sucked up water on 2 occasions driving through standing water in storms.



I have this hood, will it fit properly? Thanks!

devildog214

you shouldn't have a problem I was worried about getting a suncoast box mainly because its price and the fact its a repro. But I managed to pay 220 for a ram air box in my area, for 120 I'd do it. The only thing I see it missing is the plastic screen (most people remove these from OEM airboxes anyway) the pontiac and ram air logos, and the little piece of weatherstripping that helps the box seal to the hood, of course you can do that yourself.

nitroheadz28

iTrader: (3)

Good to hear cause I bought it lol, it popped up on ebay today. I figured even if its a bust, I saw them up for sale in some threads for $150-200+ used and this was brand new with the filter.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Aftermarket-ram-air-assembly-93-97-firebird-/190933963784?_trksid=p2047675.l2557&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEWAX%3AIT&nma=true&si=GyLo0PO3Af6g3ECSjf%252FijgpkGn0%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc
Apparently NIB with everything there, I guess I'll see how it works out when it gets here! Now I just need the plastic radiator cover off a T/A to make it look decent.

Not to mention I have to cut out the non functional vents on the ram air hood, which I don't understand since it appears to be a stock hood with the OEM sticker on the underside. Not sure how I'm gonna cut them out either since you can't really get any powertool/ dremel blade inside there

devildog214

non functional? Id take a closer look the hood has baffles to keep the water out. I said the same thing looking at mine when i got it home.

Chopstix

iTrader: (1)

I used a suncoast box on mine for the last 10+ years...as said before check the hood closely there should be a "s" shaped pathway for air to pass through the slits in the hood and then out the back closer to the top of the hood if looking from the back.

I don't see any difference between that box and mine...the suncoast box does not have the same grill work over the filter as the OE style

nitroheadz28

iTrader: (3)

Thanks for your input! I checked and it appeared to me that it was sealed shut, I will remove the grilles and check again. Gotta have air going in there for the intake to work haha.

Excited to finally have a proper setup and not the crappy K&N CAI that sucks water!

BSmiff

Update?

nitroheadz28

iTrader: (3)

I received it a couple days ago, everything looks great! I probably wont have time to install it for a week or 2, but I'll give an update then.

Phoenix'97

Would the Suncoast Air Box be able to use paper element air filters or is it strictly designed for K&N? I have an APM automotive hood with air box on my '97 Trans Am and I am not happy with my K&N filter. Plus the air box I received was warped and not even a decent fit on my car and for the K&N filter it was designed for. I had to sand the inside down to fit the filter and shave off the nipple on the air box so that I could fit it against my MAF. Frankly my car ran beautifully with a paper air filter just as GM designed her but she runs a little rough now with the K&N and my fuel mileage took a hit and I know it has to be the ingestion of contaminants. I am trying to find out ways to get a paper air filter back into my car and this air box may do it if the dimensions will work with the APM hood... What can you suggest for me?

93M6Formula

I use a standard paper filter on my Suncoat Box, works justs fine.

I'm guessing the problem with your K&N is that it's over oiled and it is contaminating the MAF which will make it run crappy and get bad gas mileage. Clean the MAF and I bet it runs better.
K&Ns are over hyped junk IMO.

devildog214

Im also running a paper filter, whatever the part# is for a 97 WS6, Better off just replacing the thing instead of cleaning and oiling.

guppymech

iTrader: (7)

Do you guys also have the Suncoast ram air hood? I've been checking Craigslist for a OEM hood but they never come up.

93M6Formula

I used to, the box came with my hood. I traded the hood and $500 for a GM Ram Air hood. It fits and looks wayyyy better. My suncoast fit like absolute ****. The suncoast box does fit my factory ram air hood.

95mysticta

iTrader: (4)

The suncoast box is shallower and the neck has more of an obstruction than the factory ws6 or firehawk airbox. Had both look at side by side.

guppymech

iTrader: (7)

Thanks for the info, the search goes on......

devildog214

Yeah I have no idea where my hood came from, was on a black 6cyl car that was being parted out. It looks and fits damn good, acutally nice on the underside and no raw fiberglass fibers like on some cheaper hoods. No markings or stickers on it anywhere though. You just gotta be ready to jump on stuff like the hood and the airbox. And yeah aftermarket stuff is dicey, I took a risk not looking at the hood on the car.

Phoenix'97

The funny thing is, the MAF is a brand new and refurbished unit. My other MAF which was a Granatelli sensor with ported rear that I bolted together with a factory screened aluminum front. That set up fixed the fuel lean error problem that my car was having prior to my Frankenstein creation! It ran sweet for 5 years but then one day my MAF went bad and it happened just when I had the APM automotive hood (looks like an LS1 hood) and K&N designed air box installed. At first I thought it was the air box which uses the LS1 filter specs but when the misfiring was too severe I looked at the MAF and yep, that did the trick.

Unfortunately Granatelli does not make the 3 piece MAF that they used to so I can't use my same Frankenstein method. Maybe a good engine tune might replicate the performance I once had and it could explain my marginally better fuel economy if the Granatelli was leaning my fuel ratio out a bit under low power driving.

I do have to ask you, what are the dimensions of the suncoast air box? The problem with the LT1 factory air box is that it is too high and my APM automotive hood wasn't cut out to clear the factory box. The air box I have is shorter in height and sits on an angle. The filter just sits in the box and the hood applies the top pressure to seal it, which I am not too fond of as it distorts the hood to not fit well with the front bumper cover... The suncoast air box looks like it still uses the larger LT1 spec filter and it appears lower in height as well. I am hoping that it will fit within the dimensions of the APM automotive hood and granted the cut out in the hood is smaller than the LT1 spec filter, I should not need to worry about it's alignment.

95mysticta

iTrader: (4)

I have a US Exotics Warbird hood (LS WS6 style) and my lt1 airbox wouldnt fit under it neither would a LID setup so my only option was to either run the stock fender cai or use the LS K&N filter setup which has been working out great no issues.

FASTFATBOY

iTrader: (23)

I ran 10.58@126 mph with the Suncoast box all motor sealed to the hood with no baffles.

Phoenix'97

Yeah I was looking at that set up too but I would like to try to avoid the K&N filter and all cotton gauze filters. You may say that it's just me but I am not happy with my LS1 spec K&N filter with air box on my LT1 Trans Am. Yeah the car is a bit louder but I can feel how the engine runs and it was much more smooth with a WIX paper air filter in the stock air box with stock LT1 ram air hood. I don't race this car and I drive her in the winter and believe me, it worries me when I feel the engine not running as smoothly as it could be and knowing that the K&N filter is allowing more contaminants into the engine. My dilemma is finding a low clearance air box that can use paper air filters that will fit under my APM hood.

I will have to test it but if I can fit my old Wix air filter and the bottom ONLY, portion of my old LT1 air box with the APM hood closed, then the sun coast air box should work! At this point I feel like I should never have touched my car. However the LS1 hood looks so damn good on her...except the APM hood could have been cut better. I imagine the US Exotics version is better cut like a stock hood unlike the APM with increased gaps around the headlights and rest of the front of the car. Oh well, that is the price for customizing. Maybe in the next 15 years I will have her overhauled and done the correct way, taking out a loan equivalent for a brand new, high end, corvette offered in that year.