My Ls1 lid conversion with Ramair hood
#1
TECH Fanatic
Thread Starter
iTrader: (11)
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: fort walton beach,fl
Posts: 1,954
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
My Ls1 lid conversion with Ramair hood
i bought the standard ls1 lower air box with filter frame from FleaBay & i already have an aftermarket RamAir hood, i bought a metal lid with N02 bungs fabbed in on fleabay ,no i didn't pay full price for it either they took 110.00 shipped . ..here look
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/LS1-L...item255b7dc153
OK, yesterday evening i disassembled my CAI and mocked up the ls1 style support/air-box and lid...i am going to prob make some changes to the connection between the TB and lid..but, it really did go right on and have no discouraging fitment issues IMO...
here's the run down..
To make the lid ready to install the air pump provision hole needed to be plugged,I used a common floor pan rubber grommet and it fit perfectly. for the IAT hole i pulled and reused the plug from the metal elbow i had removed with my CAI and pushed the sensor back in. PERFECT! Lid's ready...On to the airbox ...
i pushed back the upper radiator support about a 1/4" from where it would have bolted down in two of the old stock holes left over from the lt1 style upper radiator support ,i then drilled two new holes and fastened the Ls1 support down with two self tapping stainless screws and washers..I did this because at first the lid was slightly touching the underside of the hood when bolts in Lt1 factory placement ..
by moving it back 1/4" it moved the high point of the lid back enough to no longer touch, and hood shuts easily.
To attach the lid to the TB i bought a 3" to 3" coupler from LoweDepo's and stretched it onto the TB.
The actual inner diameter of the is more like 3 1/2" which works out well because IMO the ducting needs to be closer to 4"....3" just seems like a choking point and doesn't look or fit right. I didn't have any piping laying around or i would have cut and fitted a piece of 3 1/2" pvc in-between the TB coupler and the lids coupler. but as i was contemplating buying a stick of pvc i went to the Auto parts store to get an air filter an browse their DIY CAI pieces ...needs to be around a 15-20deg bend to be perfect..as i was leaving i noticed some intake pieces in the trash left over from a turbo import and it had a perfect bend on it i wanted to cut off and try out. it ends up being 3 1/2" outer diameter and fit nice and snug in the TB coupler and inserted nice and snug in the lid...I feel I will change this but, to get it up and functional it worked great.
the Air inlets on the hood line up almost perfectly with where they need to be for air to shoot straight to the filter scoop area.
IMO this is the best power supporting mod you can do to complement the aftermarket exhaust set-up. It HAS to flow more air than the elbow and K&N fitted Lt1 stock air-box.Also, the air filter has nearly twice the surface area that it was before. This will also drop Air intake temps to that of ambient temperature.
And then i went for a drive.
I Instantly noticed that it has snappier throttle response and Power down low and pulls cleaner/stronger, especially from 80-130 mph..the tone of my open ORY pipe even sounds crisper..it has a different seat of the pants kinda feel ....
my test was both in town and on a stretch of interstate i travel quite often....i seriously feel a difference NO B.S.!
I will make some logs soon to support this mod as i have some logs from before this mod.
Tweaking fitment and logs coming soon.
HERES some pictures!
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/LS1-L...item255b7dc153
OK, yesterday evening i disassembled my CAI and mocked up the ls1 style support/air-box and lid...i am going to prob make some changes to the connection between the TB and lid..but, it really did go right on and have no discouraging fitment issues IMO...
here's the run down..
To make the lid ready to install the air pump provision hole needed to be plugged,I used a common floor pan rubber grommet and it fit perfectly. for the IAT hole i pulled and reused the plug from the metal elbow i had removed with my CAI and pushed the sensor back in. PERFECT! Lid's ready...On to the airbox ...
i pushed back the upper radiator support about a 1/4" from where it would have bolted down in two of the old stock holes left over from the lt1 style upper radiator support ,i then drilled two new holes and fastened the Ls1 support down with two self tapping stainless screws and washers..I did this because at first the lid was slightly touching the underside of the hood when bolts in Lt1 factory placement ..
by moving it back 1/4" it moved the high point of the lid back enough to no longer touch, and hood shuts easily.
To attach the lid to the TB i bought a 3" to 3" coupler from LoweDepo's and stretched it onto the TB.
The actual inner diameter of the is more like 3 1/2" which works out well because IMO the ducting needs to be closer to 4"....3" just seems like a choking point and doesn't look or fit right. I didn't have any piping laying around or i would have cut and fitted a piece of 3 1/2" pvc in-between the TB coupler and the lids coupler. but as i was contemplating buying a stick of pvc i went to the Auto parts store to get an air filter an browse their DIY CAI pieces ...needs to be around a 15-20deg bend to be perfect..as i was leaving i noticed some intake pieces in the trash left over from a turbo import and it had a perfect bend on it i wanted to cut off and try out. it ends up being 3 1/2" outer diameter and fit nice and snug in the TB coupler and inserted nice and snug in the lid...I feel I will change this but, to get it up and functional it worked great.
the Air inlets on the hood line up almost perfectly with where they need to be for air to shoot straight to the filter scoop area.
IMO this is the best power supporting mod you can do to complement the aftermarket exhaust set-up. It HAS to flow more air than the elbow and K&N fitted Lt1 stock air-box.Also, the air filter has nearly twice the surface area that it was before. This will also drop Air intake temps to that of ambient temperature.
And then i went for a drive.
I Instantly noticed that it has snappier throttle response and Power down low and pulls cleaner/stronger, especially from 80-130 mph..the tone of my open ORY pipe even sounds crisper..it has a different seat of the pants kinda feel ....
my test was both in town and on a stretch of interstate i travel quite often....i seriously feel a difference NO B.S.!
I will make some logs soon to support this mod as i have some logs from before this mod.
Tweaking fitment and logs coming soon.
HERES some pictures!
#4
TECH Fanatic
Thread Starter
iTrader: (11)
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: fort walton beach,fl
Posts: 1,954
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Just an update... I made a couple of DM logs and ambient air temp tonight is a humid 80Deg. @ 78mph DM reported IAT temp of 26.6deg Celsius...which converts to 79Deg F, Colder than ambient temp! ...on a previous log under nearly the same conditions , The IAT reported 32+deg Celsius...or 90+ deg F!! thats 11 deg cooler with this set up driving...After an idle of around 5min. tonight temps peaked at 100-/+deg F and cooled to 79 F within a 1/4 mi.
so like the old CAI there is some heat soak....but is cools with throttle and movement...the other set up did not show these dramatic changes.....
so like the old CAI there is some heat soak....but is cools with throttle and movement...the other set up did not show these dramatic changes.....
#7
12 Second Club
iTrader: (22)
So you didn't have to cut the radiator support at all? You just positioned the LS1 radiator support back a little from the factory mounting holes and bolted it down? On the few LS1 lid conversions I've seen done, they hack the radiator support and LS1 plastic support pieces to ****, and there ain't NO way I'm doing that ****.
If what you're saying is you didn't have to do any serious cutting or modifying to install this, I'm doing this **** asap. haha.
If what you're saying is you didn't have to do any serious cutting or modifying to install this, I'm doing this **** asap. haha.
Trending Topics
#8
12 Second Club
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: North Versailles, PA
Posts: 387
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
So you didn't have to cut the radiator support at all? You just positioned the LS1 radiator support back a little from the factory mounting holes and bolted it down? On the few LS1 lid conversions I've seen done, they hack the radiator support and LS1 plastic support pieces to ****, and there ain't NO way I'm doing that ****.
If what you're saying is you didn't have to do any serious cutting or modifying to install this, I'm doing this **** asap. haha.
If what you're saying is you didn't have to do any serious cutting or modifying to install this, I'm doing this **** asap. haha.
#9
TECH Fanatic
Thread Starter
iTrader: (11)
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: fort walton beach,fl
Posts: 1,954
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
So you didn't have to cut the radiator support at all? You just positioned the LS1 radiator support back a little from the factory mounting holes and bolted it down? On the few LS1 lid conversions I've seen done, they hack the radiator support and LS1 plastic support pieces to ****, and there ain't NO way I'm doing that ****.
If what you're saying is you didn't have to do any serious cutting or modifying to install this, I'm doing this **** asap. haha.
If what you're saying is you didn't have to do any serious cutting or modifying to install this, I'm doing this **** asap. haha.
Sup!.. yep, thats what i'm say'n ...
I have been tweeking the fitment a little..so far i moved my hood latch about MAYBE an 1/8"..adjusted my rubber hood supports/stoppers...hood shuts with out forcing it...
I could have shaved around a 1/4" off the bottom of the radiator support/air-box and kept it bolted in stock location...but my air compressor is toast so cutting/shaving anything right now wasn't doable..
Now stock firechicken and camero hoods will have to cut into the support for sure. anybody got a miller light?
#10
TECH Fanatic
Thread Starter
iTrader: (11)
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: fort walton beach,fl
Posts: 1,954
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
FOR THE LID TO SIT IN STOCK BOLTED LOCATION. A little shaving on the underside of the airbox..to make it sit 1/4" lower. and, ....with the hood... the radiator cap area is where it (the hood)starts to bump the support..So a 1/4" shave there too.... and at the lids highest point is where it'll bump..
SO ...Flatten a plastic lid in that spot with a heat gun about 1/8" ...or make a rounded shave there only where it bumps....
Sill.. i didnt have to do any of this...But if your OCD about it GO FOR IT.
Last edited by defaultexistence; 09-21-2010 at 12:49 PM.
#11
12 Second Club
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: North Versailles, PA
Posts: 387
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
That's amazing that you didn't have to cut anything to fit that in there. Do you plan on doing any trimming on the underside of the LS1 rad support? From the front view it looks pretty rough since it doesn't sit down flat. I had to shave a lot to make mine look stock.
#12
TECH Fanatic
Thread Starter
iTrader: (11)
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: fort walton beach,fl
Posts: 1,954
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
That's amazing that you didn't have to cut anything to fit that in there. Do you plan on doing any trimming on the underside of the LS1 rad support? From the front view it looks pretty rough since it doesn't sit down flat. I had to shave a lot to make mine look stock.
#13
12 Second Club
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: North Versailles, PA
Posts: 387
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Good point. As long as it works for you that's all that matters. Did you block the bottom of the filter area so it only gets air through the hood vents or leave it open?
#14
TECH Fanatic
Thread Starter
iTrader: (11)
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: fort walton beach,fl
Posts: 1,954
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Mine has the air duct behind the washer bottle still..so the intake scoop/filter area is isolated from condenser/radiator heat...somewhat,and breaths mainly thru the nose ports