Airbox upgrade

Rusty's off road sell a kit to remove the stock airbox and put an air tube with a K&N filter on it. It cost about $80. My question is this upgrade worth the $80 bucks and how hard is it to do?
Thanks
aueagle

Lots of opinions on this mod...I put one with the small cone filter on a 89 non-HO this spring, and honestly I couldn't tell much of a difference in performance, other than increased intake noise. My engine is getting on 200k and has no other performance mods. I'd think with a header & catback it would help more.

Installing it takes probably 1/2 hour tops: 2-13mm bolts, 1-15mm nut & 1 hose clamp to pull the factory airbox. Install the tube (the nut you pulled cinches it down to the fenderwell) Install the filter, plug or route the hoses and off ya go.

YMMV and again this was on a non-HO...the HO motor has the tube cross over the engine to the pass. side IIRC.

The only 'snag' may be if you have state emissions inspection and they gig ya on a visual inspection for it...if this applies, don't dumpster the OEM box just yet.

Most of the mods that improve airflow tend to produce power only where the airflow is starved at all, i.e. at high RPM's. Unless you break parts alot (from rock"crawling" with a lead foot) you probably won't notice much of an increase in horsepower.

The stock system works well with the other stock intake components. As Woody stated, a bigger difference would likely be realized if other performance parts were demanding more air than the stock box will flow.

Order just the tube from Rusty, shouldn't much more than $20-$30, then find decent double cone filter. I hate to say it, but I bought a APC filter. Thats the company that makes all the Ricer products. There filters are made by K&N, so I'm told.

For what it's worth, I first bought the RockIt air tube with the small cone and I wasn't too happy with it... next I fabbed my own tube and put that small filter on it and placed it where the stock airbox was and I wasn't too happy either. Then I bought a BIG cone and things have gotten better (don't take me wrong, as progression went in the beginning things were getting better but I just wasn't happy with the end result).

In any case, fabbing one isn't too hard. My costs were: 3" diamter exhaust pipe($5?), a shelf bracket from Home DEpot ($2.99 and I still got one left), a piece of rubber hose I had and a harden hose fitting (brass I think) that I attached into that 3" pipe for the valve cover hose. All that I painted with that rubberized spray paint ($6?) and the cone which was the most (prices vary where you get it from, I got mine from Kragen).

I wish I could find my pics of it to show you, but if you buy the right size exhaust pipe and start looking at things, you will see how it all fits.

Kejtar

Yes, but not so easily on earlier models. Will the HO crossover tube fit on a non-HO throttle body?

Well, I used the rubber piece that goes from the TB to the box, so making one yourself shouldn't be too much of a problem with the exception that you have to deal with more of the hoses going to the tube.

Kejtar

i think i win the award for the cheapest ever version. i got the old filter off my dad's f-250 with the 7.3L diesel, made plates to seal it, and connected it to the original tube to the throttle body with, yes, a plastic peanut butter jar that i cut the end off. the entire project didn't cost me a cent. i intend to eventually replace the jar with pvc, but that would be like $5 or something. i'm not made of money! the ford filter is probably 3 times the size of the stock one, and there was a noticeable differance in power. nothing huge, but i could definetly spin the rubber more easily. working on pics.
dan f.

air filter mod

Rusty's air tube is fine, the problem lies in the small air filter, it restricts breathing. Get the BIGGEST cone filter that you can fit on there! You want surface area! ALSO airflow is "laminar", it wants to flow along the surface of the tube or "duct". If you want to replace the factory rubber corregated elbow with a smooth one (metal or rubber) it may help flow too.
BLUTO

I found it too difficult to buy a piece of tube with holes in it for >$20, so I built one, surprisingly, all it takes is a drill.

I like the coffee can or is it a peanut butter jar?

Acually, it is a "blowby hiding device".

It USED to be a coffee can.

Thanks for the input. I'll let you guys know if I come up with something as creative as peanut butter jar. Thanks again
aueagle