Vortech Inlet and Splash Shield

[Ray]

Had a question about this in the SVT forum so i took some pictures.
This is also relevant here, so...

just took some pictures. sorry the car isn't cleaner.

here you are looking down from the vortech plastic inlet. the aluminum plates you see house my DSI actuator (bottom shelf) and power distribution (top shelf) since i relocated my battery to the hatch. the red wire comes from the OEM starter cable. the large wire goes to the alternator. the black cylinder just to the right of the vortech plastic inlet is a ford lightning intercooler water pump.



looking from under the car from the vantage point of near the header. you can see the plexiglass shield, MAFS, associated couplers, and if you look close, the paint mixing bucket (soft plastic). i drilled some holes on the bottom of the bucket in case any water gets in there too.




this vantage point shows the silicone elbow. yes, i have a t clamp to replace the worm gear clamp, i just haven't put it on yet. they're not needed for this part of induction, but they're prettier, and i have one on hand.



looking up from the bottom of the elbow. you can see the 3" section of stainless to space the 90 degree coupler from the plastic inlet. this is needed to space the MAFS from the blower (MAFS turbulence). there is also a 5.5" section of stainless on the other end of the 90 degree coupler. there is some (some) light MAFS turbulence at extreme low throttle input with low revs (2100 or so). this is easily combated by simply depressing the throttle for a second.




another view






i would highly recommend using either stainless or aluminum 3" for this, as mild steel will rust. also after you cut the steel / aluminum, grind / sand out any rough spots on the cut marks to eliminate the chances of debris entering the blower and engine. also after you make your cuts, wipe a damp cloth thru the piping to clean up any other possible dust / debris, and rinse. this is a TIGHT fit. the air filter in the bucket nestles against the bumper edge. however i needed to put the piping in there to minimize MAFS turbulence. i have had ZERO problems in extreme heavy rain and even extreme slush, the kind of slush that actually packs the front bumper. not only that, but it adds a bit of horsepower. i would do this before getting dyno tuned as it will change the tune a bit.

another note: put the IAT (ACT) sensor AFTER your intercooler. you will need to run the outer two wires from the MAFS to this sensor. (air charge temp).

[CTGrey02]

Basically guys, that POS dryer hose that Vortech ships with all thier products is robbing you of power. The original bend that Ray had before the MAF wasnt helping him either. We're talking 20 or so + wheel hp here off of just a couple bucks and some spare time.

[Ray]

Yes, that's true. Given i had water problems and took a stock airbox from my zx3, cut it to fit the cone filter, and placed it up in the fender well, i had over a 90 degree bend in the inlet hose. granted i didn't have water problems, but i was down horsepower. doing what's mentioned above netted me 36whp. and it cost me i think 26 bucks. (all i had to buy was the silicone bend, i had everything else on hand).

[tiresmoker]

nice setup. you got a pm sir.

[Dukman]

Nice to see what you have done there.

I've been looking at fabbing up some form of splash shield for mine as well. This is a car that isn't a daily driver, but there is still a chance I could get caught in a thunderstorm.

[Ray]

duk, slick had i think marcy motorsports make a custom intake tube. check the location of the filter. the paint bucket solution might be enough.

[Dukman]

^^^

Correct.

I still wonder about that filter sitting right there behind the lower valance though, not to mention like yours the MAF is directly behind the filter.

I worry a bit about it's location and the fact that it might take in a bit a of water. I don't think road spray would bother it much, but from time to time we get a serious thunderstorm and was thinking that perhaps a shield beneath the filter like yours would help prevent that.

I was thinking of just fabbing an aluminum plate and bolting it directly beneath the cone itself. That might help a bit with the heavier stuff.

Edit: Looking closer at your pic's Demon I think that the bucket just might do the trick. I assume it's still closed at the bottom of the bucket and that I doesn't factor much with your airflow?

I just had the front bumper off to work on the battery. Had I been thinking I could have taken pics of the piping. I can still do that, so nect time I'm poking around I'll shoot some pics.

[Ray]

yeah actually i think the biggest problem is water from the top, dripping down. the shield on the bottom (plexi) for me is mainly to stop slush / spray / etc.

[CWCZX3]

I also had the problem of water dripping down on my filter and maf sensor. I too used the paint bucket method and haven't had a problem since. Nice under sheild also.

[lourenco]

I would think outerwear filter cover would help also to keep the filter clean.