I'd been riding around for a while with my chrs1313 inspired home-made ram air, but got tired of re-sealing it all the time when I inevitably ran over a good bump or into a parking stop.

Original ram-air thread is here:

https://ls1tech.com/forums/drag-raci...e-ram-air.html

I decided I wanted to go to a SUX2BU setup, as it has been proven ( in my mind at least ) to work, but I didn't want to have to hack up my radiator support. I don't mind hacking easily replaced parts up, but would rather not do anything that I would have to weld to fix later.

Anyway, here's the pics to prove it can be done:

Here's what a quick trip to the Home Depot and Lowe's gardening and ventilation departments turned up.



Here's the hole I started with, left over from the old setup.



I took part of the old ram-air off to reuse the aluminum ( that stuff has gotten expensive! ), and built a box to slide into what's left of the airbox.





It looks like the ducts touch, but they don't *quite* do it, there's maybe 1/4" room left. I'm going to get some high-density foam tape and stick it to the back side of the ducts to keep them from possibly rubbing on the radiator.





View from underneath:



All put together. The ducting ends to the bumper are just duct-taped on to the scoops ( which are screwed in ) right now, as the clamps I had weren't big enough. We'll see how it stands up to a 10 mile, 70 mph interstate run tomorrow on my way to work.





We'll see if it seems to help any at the race track on Sunday.

Thoughts, opinions?

 

Looks good. But its seems it would really constrict air at the lid versus Chris' Ram Air being wide open at the lid. I'd try this at the track then try just running Free Ram Air after you get your results on the SUX2BU set up. Ive always had good results just running the FRA. Good Luck

 

I don't see why that would not work out nicely..

 

I love it!! It's AWESOME!!
Reminds me of my first ram air project, which included gutter parts,lol

Yours is nice and lightweight also-Great Job!!

 

very cool...I like it that you didn't hack up the radiator support...I would be willing to send you one of my non ac ram airs in my sig if you wanted to test the results at the track vs the sux2bu setup...just by looking at it has about half the volume of air that mine supports but it does recieved the air from in front of the car which might be a better pressure spot...I don't know and never tested it...

what you can do is test with the sux2bu and then block it off completely and let it run from the stock slit in the front by pulling the seal...I have done this in my old thread and gained 2.7mph...trapping at 120mph...so you being stock internal it might be about 2.5mph gain...so if that ram air matches that all my extra air is just icing on the cake...not really needed...but could be if you go heads and cam...

I will try and do some testing with my new setup sometime this spring...

also I know your pain on hitting the curbs and parking stops...that is why the bottom 4" or so of the new design is removable and easily put back on for the track with 4 bolts and wing nuts...don't have to worry anymore...

again keep us updated...sweet build

 

I know that it may take in a *little* less air, but that's a sacrifice I'm willing to make. I don't know if I'll do any back-to-back testing ( too much work to prove something that's already been proven IMHO ) , but I know what the car *should* run stock internal ( as if the old setup was still on ), and I'll be able to see a difference in traps if there is one.

I plan to make a few motor runs tomorrow, but I'm mostly gonna be playing on the bottle, trying to get a new personal best ( on street tires, I might add ). Motor passes will be corrected for DA and compared to previous passes in my library of 350+ passes.

Best motor results and DA will be posted in this thread.

 

I like the way it looks. hopefully it performs. which i would imagine it will

 

NIce lookin setup man. I've been thinking about taking the foam stuff out from behind my bumper to get a little more flowage. Do you have to drop the bumper for that?

Hey, are there any LS car clubs around us in the prattville/deatsville/millbrook area?

 

Yes, you have to drop the bumper. I don't recommend it for a street driven car. You know, "do as I say, not as I do".

Not really anymore ( if there ever was ). We're mostly just car guys now, of all makes and models. I'll PM you the next time we have a get together though....

Best motor result was 12.267 @ 112.96 in a 583 ft DA. That's actually a good trap for my car, and about in line with what the previous ram-air did ( when it was actually sealed ). The car was actually heavier than a lot of the previous ram-air's passes. If I had skinnies, it would have gained me 1.5-2 mph ( possibly more if the car hooked better ), so all that info leads me to believe that perhaps I haven't gained anything but ground clearance, but I didn't lose any performance.

 

Nice work man, grea setup and cool with the no cutting. Another pro of this stle for a real daily driver. Is alot less chance of water getting to the filter. I drive mine on the hwy a few times 80 behind cars, wipers cranked, full hwy spray. Useing the flex tubing dosn't bouce water, and really blocks it "down" before getting up the ducts at all. Over the flat sqare box style that get water slids up the sides. I checked and never` seen any mositer getting up the ducts at all, were the others it dose. And its car wash safe too, taking my car a few times thu the auto ones. (Not anymore with the hood ) No direct shot to the filter, had a friends car get water on the maff with his other black box style.
Cool you fit the ducts in there, make sure you have them off the rad. for some air to get to the full rad, I have a 1/2 and its been fine. If there touching it, it makes the ^ shape and blocks a ton of the rad top and sides. And the car will run hotter, seen that happen a few times.

 

I actually went back and thought about it recently ( getting my ducks in a row for racing again ), and I realized that I had a tire that was about an inch taller on the car when I ran that pass and that trap...

I wonder how much that skewed the ET and trap. I'm willing to bet that this ram air is just as good, if not a bit better than the old style I had...

 

The only way to know for sure is to run the EXACT same setup it back to back (changing only the air intake of course)...be it back to back runs or back to back days/weeks and correct it to sea levels numbers. Everything else is just speculation, IMO.

 

I very much agree.

 

Very nice man, I would like to make something like this in the future!

 

Not to bring back an old thread but how did it work out?