Vortec or LS swap air intake pic request and K&N WARNING!

[L31MaxExpress]

So bouncing around ideas since I need a new airbox. Would love to see pictures of what you are running. Cannot for the life of me figure out what to setup or build but did learn something that might be valuable in who not to use for air intake parts and filters!

K&N does not sell replacement parts for their kits!

K&N has terrible customer service that I experienced just yesterday.

A little background, I have sold auto parts in chain stores, dealerships and even worked on performance vehicles for my customers in various ways since 2004 including custom swaps and builds in my own shop space. In that time I have used, recomeended and sold hundreds of K&N and Spectre filters, parts and complete intake kits.

I am working on my 1997 Express van that is in good shape and have the 383 under the hood. The factory GM airbox basically crumbled and not looking to stick a generic cone filter on it and have it bouncing around under the hood while drawing hot Texas summer air off the radiator.

I looked on GM Parts and its discontinued. Tried the local treasure yard and found several in the same shape or worse than mine. Looked at an 01+ and picked one up. Would not clear the fan shroud. Tried to find an aftermarket CAI kit. I have found NONE on the market.

Now enter the negative K&N customer service part of the story. In my searching I discovered K&N makes a kit for a Kodiak 4500 with the 6.6 diesel that shares the same firewall as the van. Called K&N to try to buy just the heatshield and the filter from them. The woman on the phone was absolutely not helpful at all and rude to boot. Seems the only way you could get the part even if you already had the kit and needed a replacement part would be to buy the whole kit again. She suggested I look at Spectre for something "universal" despite making the product I need and wanted to buy with debit card in hand. Never will buy or suggest K&N or Spectre parts again after having run their filters in all my vehicles over the past 18 years and suggesting and selling hundreds of K&N and Spectre products to customers. Their current customer service was that bad and I have zero faith I could get a replacement part for my customer short of buying the whole $350+ kit again. Its ashame because they already make the perfect shaped heatshield and perfect sized filters for the 96+ Express vans. The filter is even a 3.5" like my OEM MAF. Could literally fabricate some mounts in about 30 minutes and bolt it in. Still scratching my head as to why one of the most common vans ever built does not have a K&N CAI kit made for it anyway yet a limited production run of Kodiaks built for only a year or two does! Absolutely zero chance of me paying $350 for a stamped metal heatshield, a few bolts and nuts and a cone filter even though it would fit and look great. Even more puzzling is that K&N builds an intake kit for an Econoline van with the modular V8s. I see 3-4 Express/Savanna vans for every Econoline on the road and GM has had a much longer run than Ford.

So be warned if you ever buy a kit from K&N for your vehicle regardless the make and need to replace only a portion of it that becomes damaged or lost you will have to buy the whole kit again!!! I have stripped a MAF screw hole on a Volant and Volant sent me a replacement intake tube the stripped grommet was built into free of charge. I have lost a T-clamp on a HPS post MAF intake tube set on my Infiniti and HPS sent me the clamp free of charge. K&N will not even sell you the item!!!!

This stamped metal heatshield and air filter must be made of unobtanium and plated in gold at K&N to only sell it as part of a $350+ kit! Keep in mind the intake tube and other hardware is worthless to me since they failed to create the application specific kit in the first place and would rather pawn you off on generic Spectre junk.

You must be registered for see images attach

 

[df2x4]

Yet another reason to avoid K&N.

I bought a K&N FIPK intake kit for my red truck years ago, I ended up removing it and reinstalling a factory intake. The K&N kit raised my intake air temperatures almost 20 degrees IIRC compared to the factory setup, and the filter fouled my MAF in less than 5K miles straight out of the box. I swapped to a dry Amsoil EA series filter and ran it like that for a while but the higher IATs always bugged me. Both of my '97s now run factory intakes with ACDelco A1301C high flow paper filters.

 

[OutlawDrifter]

AirRaid makes a great drop in high flow filter if you're not in a super dusty conditions. They have both oiled and non oiled. I have the non oiled in my Z28 (with a custom CAI sealed to the hood) and my '49 GMC. They wash with soap and water.

 

[L31MaxExpress]

AirRaid makes a great drop in high flow filter if you're not in a super dusty conditions. They have both oiled and non oiled. I have the non oiled in my Z28 (with a custom CAI sealed to the hood) and my '49 GMC. They wash with soap and water.

My problem is the stock box fell apart. All the junkyard ones have failed the same way.

 

[red98]

Even more puzzling is that K&N builds an intake kit for an Econoline van with the modular V8s. I see 3-4 Express/Savanna vans for every Econoline on the road and GM has had a much longer run than Ford.

You must be registered for see images attach

I don't know much about the GM vans, but I gotta say it must be a regional thing as to which is more common, I've only ever seen probably 10-20 1980-2000 Chevy Fullsize vans in my area, I've probably seen close to 500 1980-2000 Econolines, and that's not including motorhomes and RVs, as 98% of those in my area are on an Econoline chassis.
Pretty sure the Econoline was like 20+ years of the same model (I'm looking at my Ford catalog and the model doesn't change IDs from 1980-2005 {goes from e150 to E4}), so it seems to have had a pretty good run too.

 

[OutlawDrifter]

My problem is the stock box fell apart. All the junkyard ones have failed the same way.

I 100% understand your issue, was just stating another place to look at for filter options. They also have u-build kits with tubing.

Get some 1/8-1/4" ABS plastic and build your own box. Cardboard with skewers/toothpicks in the corrugations works well for finding contours underneath the hood.

 

[jaywestfall]

I'm going with the dry Volant 150576 for this new L31 GM crate motor. I had a K&N filter charger on the old one, but I wanted to get away from the oiled gauze set up. I had one claim with them on the cold air box weatherstrip around it, but they sent me a replacement free, no questions asked. That was several years ago, though.

 

[Lewo68]

Hi, read a lot of stuff on here trying to learn about my 97 express van. Not common over here in australia. So far this forum has helped with the 411 ecu swap and then a ls1 engine changeover which I have found to be a huge improvement over the l31. Anyway, I have the original airbox if you are interested? I would be interested in any advise on what standard airbox from a later model might be usable and aim the airbox outlet across the front to line up with the front mounted throttle body of the ls1. At present I have a simple pod filter and would like a more factory look. Freight costs might be an issue but it is available and in good condition if it gets you out of trouble.

 

[L31MaxExpress]

Hi, read a lot of stuff on here trying to learn about my 97 express van. Not common over here in australia. So far this forum has helped with the 411 ecu swap and then a ls1 engine changeover which I have found to be a huge improvement over the l31. Anyway, I have the original airbox if you are interested? I would be interested in any advise on what standard airbox from a later model might be usable and aim the airbox outlet across the front to line up with the front mounted throttle body of the ls1. At present I have a simple pod filter and would like a more factory look. Freight costs might be an issue but it is available and in good condition if it gets you out of trouble.

I appreciate the offer and may end up having to take you up on it. Of course international shipping may be a possible deal breaker.

As for the LS swap. GM built the Express van with LS engines from 2003+. I would imagine you could convert to the tube and air box as long as you have an 01-02 fan shroud or electric fans.

 

[Lewo68]

That is fine, it is just sitting in the shed.
I still have the original fan shroud with electric fans underneath. I re-used the original shroud in the hope that an airbox could be bolted back up using the original mounts for a look factory. Seems like that is not going to happen from what you have said. At least I now know what year to search for. Thanks.