hey guys, i am currently working on my first cai and i have a question about the sensor that sits inside the tubing going to the filter. is there a preferred place for it to be. with the current design, it has the wires completely stretched out and will end up inside the air box. can that be moved further down the tube and closer to the intake without having any adverse effects?

secondly, does the pcm need to be inside the air box? i currently hav it still strapped down and under the box. i couldnt figure out a good way to get it inside.

also, is there a suggested size of the box. is bigger better or will it function the same regardless the size?

sorry for so many questions in one post, just trying to get everything together before i start the final cuts. btw, going a little off the beaten path and building it from plexy

1. I think it should stay the same distance compared to the OE intake.

2. It can be either way.

3. No size limit just as long as you take into account the location and if there are any moving/hot parts next to it.

No worries about the questions. It's good to ask. Good luck and take some pics!

I am doing some measuring, and drawing to make my own CAI box from plexi as well. We will have to exchange Ideas and thoughts/problems that we may have. I think I am going to make my own pcm tray as well from sheet metal or plexi. Not totally sure yet.

ok, headed to Lowes to pick up some plexy, i think i have what i need to start the prototype. thanks for the speedy reply.

will post some pics with dimensions as soon as possible.

post some pics while your building it and the finished product! Good luck!

I am unsure of how much it will cost you total and time to build it....IM going with the thrasher just because I think the fit n finish on it is nice....

i already have the K&N cone filter that was ont he car when i bought it and i picked upt he plexy already. that was a little pricier than i thought it would be, cost me almost $40 for about a 1/3 sheet. so really that is all i will have invested in it. i doubt i can buy anything already made for that. besides, i like the challenge of fabricating things myself. may not look as well, but i hope it will turn out good

I still have a wizaired if anyone wants to buy it.

When you guys are done make sure you post pics!

I to like to fabircate things, and I have a couple of different sizes of cone K&N's that I can choose from, that were in some totalled cars here. I will probably choose one that will be small enough to make a small box, no larger than the stock box.

I wish I had a digital camera to put my pics of the building and after on the net for you guys. That is the next goodie on my list to get, but can't quite afford right now, beings that I just bought a 42" plasma tv last month.

I've received my K&N cone last night, I have the 3" coupler that goes to the TB, i have the PVC 45deg. elbow which is very ugly, and now i need the tube that connects the cone to the elbow, but this cone flange is 4", so i have to look how to connect, so pics will be vey helpful if you could post them.

Well i don't have the pieces for the air box, hope you could post your sizes.

Alex.
you can also use PVC pipe to connect from the 45 deg. elbow, to the filter if you wanted to. It won't be very pretty, but I would suggest you paint it anyways. Maybe do a Red to match your car

I will try to borrow my brother's digital camera to take pic's of my build up this weekend, so that you can see what I did. I will post the deminsions that I will use on this thread later this week.

When building an airbox, it'll be wise to use cardboard first. Cut a little bigger than the size you think you need then trim it down to fit. My first box was made from cardboard wrapped with reflectix. My current design is polystyrene wrapped in reflectix, kind of a double insulated box, actually quadrupled. Outer layer of reflectix, layer of polystyrene, second layer of polystyrene (I doubled up on the polystyrene) and the inner layer of reflectix.
Once you get the cardboard pieces to fit right, trace those on the plexy, then cut the plexy.

Have fun!

And fer the hell of it a few pics in between..I like pictures they are nice.

My two cents:
1. Your IAT sensor can be moved, but I don't think it makes that much of a difference. Some people swear by moving it as close to the "cold air" as possible to kind of "trick" the PCM into thinking the air is cooler than it is. I don't like the idea of "tricking" things.

2. Nope, it doesn't have to be. In fact, if I make a cai box, I want the PCM outside the box. The PCM gives off heat (maybe slight amounts, but heat nonetheless). I want to keep my PCM out of the box if possible (but having it in is most common).

3. bigger is always better as long as you keep the hot air out. Don't make it so big that the heat from the tranny will get in for instance. But if you make it too small, the airflow can become restrictive.

umfan, that was 3 cents, not 2

Only thing I'd like to add is that while plexiglass would look cool on the top, it'd be a good idea to insulate the rest of the box (sides and bottom) to help keep engine heat out. The foily reflective stuff looks good.

I'm in the process of figuring out what I'm doing for a better intake on my CSC setup... right now its just a 9" K&N clamped to the inlet of the supercharger. I'll probably go fenderwell since theres not much room for a box with my blow-off/BBV now.... and I'll insulate the pipe going over into the fenderwell. I might reroute the valve's outlet back into the intake (should technically be better for power/SC spin, but would reduce valve sound, which could be bad or good depending if you like it).

-Bill

Alex,
The 4" filter will attach to the hub of the 45*. You don't need a piece of pipe for that.

Relocating the IAT isn't "tricking" the PCM. It simply keeps the sensor from coming in contact with parts that are exposed to the engine heat, which in a sense could allow it to read higher temps than you are REALLY receiving.

People that talk about "tricking" the PCM usually have a resistor in the place of the sensor, giving the PCM a constant IAT rather than the sensor telling the PCM what it sees.

My IAT sensor is located way up in front of my filter. There are times when I still feel the need to trick the PCM because of having a Black car, and track temps. It would be more so if the sensor was mounted in the engine bay.

I agree with this too. Plexi looks pretty, but it's not a great insulator.

One little note if the apearance of the pvc is offensive the best I've found to paint it with is truck bed liner spray looks and is pretty durable.Chico.

I had planned on the whole box being made of the Plexi glass, and keep the top open or see through, and insulate the remainder of it w/ the reflective insulation. Maybe paint the whole box, w/ the exception of the top. I was thinking something similar to the thrasher box, or what Chico has.

But my elbow is 3" so the cone wont fit directly.
And the elbow is too short, the cone would be too near the engine. I bought a tube of 7" to connect the cone and a copler of 4-3"

Your material is not what I typically see then. Usually it's a Schedule 40 PVC which has a hub that is 4" in diameter to mate to a 4" filter, and the other end is 3.5" diameter to mate to the rubber coupling.....I assumed you had the same.
Can you take a picture of what you have?

ok, so i finally got it done and in the car. i still have some work to do on it, but at least it is finished. im not entirely happy about the overall finished product, but that is my fault. i did not put much thought into it, just went after it.

i did end up making it out of plexy and used aluminum angle to tie the corners together. ended up using too small angle and some of the corners did not hold together very well so i am going to go back over it with aluminum tape and see how that turns out.

i do have some pics and if i can get it together a rough, and i mean rough, diagram of the cut list. i used a cardboard template and once i was happy with that i cut the plexy and them made the drawings, ended up doing some further cutting and never made new diagrams. but what i have is a good starting place if i can get it all scanned to my computer. right now i am still having some computer problems, got a virus that totally screwed the hard drive or boot process, but as soon i get it back and everytihg running again i will try to get it all posted.

Good, now you know what areas need to be worked on and your second version will be much better.