cold air intake

[tobbycook]

91 GMC c1500 - K and N cold air intake or nah? The specs for these show a 10 hp increase. thinking thats not enough for the cost but maybe theres a different type that can squeeze a bit more?

 

[User_name]

If you get one with a filter that sits in the engine bay it's useless. It'll do the same thing flipping the air cleaner lid does. (Just makes more noise)

 

[TacosnBeer]

I question the 10HP gain - if it doesn't put the filter in an isolated box with fresh "cool" air feed, it defeats the purpose. Anything else is a "hot air intake" and just for looks and noise. Pay the lil extra for a kit that has a box to make the true CAI - you will sleep better at night. Beer and tacos help too.

 

[98chevy2500SS]

"Cold" air intakes are hot air intakes, in other words useless and a waste of money. It seems to add placebo effect and noise. For the Vortec users, you could achieve the same thing as cutting off the muffler on the Delphi air box, and removing the "Vortec" box. The only one that is more of a "true" cold air intake is made by Volant, they sell them on Amazon. The filter is enclosed in a box instead of open to the engine bay heat.

 

[Joe Dirte]

Oem is bout as cold air as ur gonna get. Sucks air from fender that I THINK is behind headlight on early versions. Did see dude on Impala forums fab up a factory intake on a tbi B-body n add 2nd snorkel to go to other fender. Was his first attempt n kinda crude but he was only one who'd tried it.

Edit, found similar to what he did. Maybe it's him n he made a new one to look better. Oem only has a passenger tube. Betting you could make the caprice box work under a gmt400 hood if needed since B-cars are so low slung in front.

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[someotherguy]

All GMT400's have a factory "cold air intake" where it does indeed come through the passenger fender, fed by a duct that is in the core support under the headlight.

On most, if not all, 1988-1993 models there is an extra piece of ductwork inside the fender that you can remove. Some feel it's a choke point as the opening of it is kind of small. GM quit using this part in 1994. Once you pull the resonator box and plastic adapter to the fender out of the way you will see the "lip" of a plastic piece -inside- the fender. There's a pull-pin style fastener inside of it, and there's one 7mm headed screw up towards the front near where the fender attaches to the core support. Pull the fastener and screw, then grab that plastic at its edge with vise grips and wrangle it out of the fender, then re-install the fender adapter and resonator box.

On the TBI trucks you can also eliminate the resonator by installing a full-length snorkel hose to the air cleaner. Some base model V6 trucks came with this part, and it was also sold aftermarket for a while (now discontinued.)

Finally you can eliminate the warm air flap inside the air cleaner housing, as long as you don't live somewhere that it gets really cold. A little bit of hackery to get it done and done right. Or, look for an air cleaner housing from a 2500/3500 model that doesn't have the flap at all. I scored one from a '95 C2500 5.7 a while back. Not sure what made that particular truck special where it didn't have the flap, suspect the less stringent emissions standards for the GVWR made it so.

Richard

 

[df2x4]

I installed a K&N FIPK on my V6 truck and later removed it in favor of the factory intake with a high capacity paper filter. The K&N actually raised my intake air temps significantly. As others have mentioned, stay away from open box designs like the K&N.

If you absolutely have to upgrade the intake for some reason, Volant is the only company who makes one that's an improvement over the factory setup. They use a sealed box design just like the OEM intake that draws cool air from the hole in the fender.

 

[Joe Dirte]

I think the only improvement is a smooth flow intake. Pvc pipe. Did it with my road master. Cost bout $10. Wish I still had pics cuz it was white trash sexy.

 

[454cid]

I think if I wanted to remove the TBI airbox, I'd get a Vortec Airbox and plumb that from where the MAF would go, back to the throttle body with solid tubing and silicone fittings. I'd probably just use the original TBI housing, Though.

 

[Donald Mitchell]

Save your money for when stuff starts breaking.