Since the shop that rebuilt my motor cracked my FTP lid neck, and even before that it was a hack job anyway, I'm considering replacing everything in front of my intake manifold on the new 418 LS3. This is what I currently have:

Fram paper filter > FTP 85mm lid > rubber tube > TSP 100mm MAF (with Saxon honeycomb in front of LS3 card MAF) > rubber tube > NW 92mm TB > Rick Crawford LS3 AirRam intake manifold > Stock unported 823 heads (65.5cc)

* I don't want to use a fluid-based air filter.
* The current MAF and TB were recommendations from Steve Williams when he was e-mail tuning the then-new LS3 (377ci) build back in 2010. I want to stay with a MAF solution, but I'm not sure that the honeycomb hole size I currently have is ideal (I don't recall the hole size).
* The intake manifold was a recommendation from Patrick Guerra back in 2013.

This is a daily driver that may see autocross again but building as a track day car (road course track days, not drag strip) and there are no plans to formally visit any drag strips. So I'll generally be happy if peak power is near 6000RPM and doesn't nose dive afterwards. If the curve says there's a benefit to revving it higher I may do so, but I don't expect that with the cam I went with. I was short on time and my desired shelf cam was not available, so I'll see how much I compromised when I eventually dyno the setup. However, with the induction parts I want to find a balance between ease of tuning and maximizing performance. For HPDE I can't be blocking any heat exchangers, and for daily driving I need to keep the A/C, OEM bumper support, windshield wiper fluid reservoir, etc. So no Chris1313 Ram Air, FTRA, or the like.

(Max RPM X displacement (ci) )/3456 X Engine VE = CFM
(7000 * 418)/3456 * .85(?) = 720 (or 850 at 100% VE, or 950CFM at 115% VE)

I have no idea what to estimate for the engine VE, but math says 900CFM seems to be a reasonable estimation. AccuFab says I don't need more than a 75mm TB to support 900CFM.

https://accufabracing.com/cfm-air-flow

I think the easiest fix is to buy the FTP 104mm lid that fits the existing 100mm MAF and a new MAF>TB coupler, but I'm open to other justifiable changes. Given the above, what's the recommended combination of parts in front of my intake manifold?

Thanks!

 

I would say that by the sizes given, and that's all I'm going on, the lid might be the main obstruction here. I would say put that 104mm lid on and see where it goes. Your MAF and tubes seem OK, and by your calcs the TB looks big enough. I've heard either way on the honeycomb, but if it's not a restriction I can't see any harm from it. It likely does help the MAF flow.

 

Get a AEM dry flow air filter

 

I received the FT104 lid and AEM filter, and I'm going to try a Spectre 9775 between the MAF & TB because I had difficulty finding another specific coupler recommendation. The lid directions say to use the provided hose clamp around the exterior of the lid neck to slightly compress the neck to seal against the TSP 100mm MAF. For the Lingenfelter MAF, they say to add 2-3mm of electrical tape around the MAF housing plus the hose clamp.

I don't like the possibility of another gorilla accidentally cracking the lid again. I consider the electrical tape a tacky solution... is there something else I could wrap around that end of the MAF housing for a secure slip fit without using a clamp?

 

That Spectre 9775 which is advertised by a popular non-sponsor as a coupler between a 100mm MAF and 4" TB on a 98-02 F-body didn't work out well for me. Out of the box, it's 3", and I needed something that was ~3 7/8" long on top and 4.5" long at the bottom of the coupler. The accordion tubing was stiff and wouldn't expand that far. I've improvised again for now, but if anyone know of a specific part number for a proper solution it would be appreciated. I might try the Spectre 9770, but it's $50, I sent an email to intakehoses.com for their recommendation.

For the lid > MAF, I wrapped the MAF end once with electrical tape and also gently used the hose clamp.

 

Here is intakehoses.com e-mail reply about a custom coupler. I ordered their 22L40 instead, that seems to be popular here.

---snip---
As per company policy we cannot open any email attachments, so I am unable to view your pictures.
A custom made rubber hose can be very expensive. The cost for a rubber mold can be in excess of $15,000.
Also the factory has to shut that production line down to produce only a few hoses. So that is an expensive proposition.
We can have hoses made in silicone to most specs.
We will need an engineer’s drawing with dimensions of the hose you need to submit to the factory.
There is a 20 piece minimum purchase , and approx 12 weeks lead time on custom order hoses. There could be a tooling fee involved we will not know until we submit the drawing to the factory.
When everything is approved by you, we will also need a down payment equal to half the value of the order.
Also there are no returns on custom made parts.
Let us know if you would like to proceed.
---snip---

 

The 22L40 fit the 92mm TB nicely, and but it was a little tight on the 100mm MAF. The T-clamps that came with the Spectre 9775 were not large enough to work with the 22L40. I had to trim maybe a 1/2" at the bottom of the TB side and angle it up to the sides to get the angle correct. I found that I can not easily separate the MAF from the lid now, in fact I didn't because I was worried about cracking the lid. Perhaps the engine heat caused a side effect with the electrical tape recommended by FastToys to seal the lid to the MAF? That's agitating. The induction finally looks nice now, with the exception the MAF angle is rotated a bit, and now I can't correct it because it's stuck to the lid.