| The first step was to make 2 mounting plates that match the throttle bodies.
I took 1/4" aluminum plate and used a 2 1/2" hole saw to make the opening.
I then scored an outline of the throttle body, ground it down, and drilled four bolt holes. The outside shape and all 5 holes have to align perfectly with the throttle body.
This first picture shows the result after using a dremel 120 grit flapwheel and 220 grit sandpaper.
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| Next, I sanded again with 320, 400, and 600 grit. Then it was on to the buffer wheel for the full polish.
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For the intake tubes, I ordered a mandrel-bent 2 1/2" tube in a U bend. I then cut the U tube in half to get my two 90 degree bent tubes. This saves some money, because a 180 degree U tube is about the same price as a 90 degree bent tube.
The tubes were then trimmed and fitted for proper length and angle, then polished in the usual manner.
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| Here are the mounting plates and tubes, polished and ready to be welded together.
Some might wonder why I would polish, THEN weld, instead of the other way around.
The reason is that it is very difficult to polish long irregular-shaped items with deep crevices, so it's much easier to polish them unnassembled.
If the welder is careful, (as mine is) during welding, he will create only minor scuffs that are easily buffed out.
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This is where the extra work came in. Remember, I wanted the weld at the back of the mounting plate, so no weld seam would be visible.
But I also needed to make sure the tubes would be welded to the plates at the proper angle.
To accomplish this, I first used JB-Weld to affix the tubes at the correct angle through the plates, then cut off the excess.
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| I then filed and sanded the surface flat. I used a flat file, then a block of wood with 220 and 320 grit sandpaper.
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Here's where it gets a bit creative. I took a dremel and ground out a channel around the opening, making sure to go slightly into the wall of the tube.
This is where the welder will attach the plate to tube and fill in the groove as he goes. This picture shows the grinding finished. However, to prep for welding, the JB-Weld still has to be completely removed.
Aluminum welding is very touchy. Any impurities can ruin the weld, and I'm pretty sure a blob of JB-Weld counts as an impurity.
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| Back from the welder.
This picture should be labeled, "Oh crap!"
When I picked up the welded intake tubes, they looked great. But looking closer, I realized that one of the plates was on upside down.
Remember, the mounting plates are shaped to exactly fit the throttle bodies and then polished only on the top.
I can't just flip 'em over.
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| As welded, this is how they would be installed.
Personally, I think the left intake facing backwards on the engine would look funny.
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sigh.
So I flipped the intake upside-down and scored the outline of the throttle body again. Luckily, the plate was larger than the throttle body on that side. This allowed me to re-grind, re-sand, then re-polish.
Crises solved.
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After filing and sanding the back again, this is the result.
The weld line is gone, and there are only a couple of irregularites that won't affect sealing at all.
My welder, Cliff Fleischman at Millard Radiator, makes this sort of thing look easy, but finding someone skilled at aluminum welding is no simple task.
It's hard enough to find a welder that can do good strong aluminum welds, and remember, this is the same gentleman that took my intake manifolds and made repairs that are good enough to bring to a full polish.
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Here is one completed intake tube.
Well, completed...but still not finished.
They still need hose and sensor fittings and the correct size K&N filters.
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I needed to select the best size and shape for my K&N filters. This may sound easy, but it is not.
There are approximately 1 zillion different sized K&N filters. Don't believe me? Go to their website.
I made paper mockups of some different possible sizes and found that a minor change in diameter makes a HUGE difference in looks and clearance.
A change of 1/2 to 1 inch can be the difference between a filter cone and a lampshade.
Besides size, there is the question of shape.
Round? Oval? Straight? Tapered?
Zig-zag? Topiary?...Bunny-shaped?!?
Ugh. Selection overload. Where's my corkscrew?
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I finally settled on a 6" tapered oval cone with chrome top as the best candidate.
It was hard to find because it is mislabeled on the K&N website as round, and most every dealer on the web copies their info directly from the K&N site.
This picture shows a test-fitting of the mock-up.
The size and clearance looked good, so I ordered the filters.
Total cost was about $85 for the pair, which is actually somewhat less than other comparable sizes.
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| Next, I needed to attach fittings for hoses and sensors.
After some debate, I decided to reuse the original fittings off the stock filter boxes.
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| The patient is prepped for surgery.
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| Cutting the hole for the AAV hose fitting.
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| I cut a countersunk hole for a nut that fits the screw-in B-bank air temp sensor.
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| For the A bank air temp sensor, I cut a square barely large enough.
I gently pounded it in, then used high-temp epoxy to seal it.
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This is an inside close-up of the A bank air temp sensor installed.
Do you have any idea how hard it is to crawl inside a 2 1/2 inch tube to get this shot?
Uvula, anyone?
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| Here is the finished product, fitted with K&N filters.
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| Here is the finished product angled so the fittings are more visible.
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| Finished A bank intake.
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| Finished B bank intake.
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| Here is the finished B bank intake installed.
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| This is why I spent so much time on the tricky throttle body welding and on shaping the back of the manifolds.
The intake manifold, throttle body, mounting plate, and intake tube all come together perfectly.
I really liked the looks of socket-head bolts instead of hex, but yes, access to the two bolts on the inside curve was not possible with a standard tool.
I had to make a special hex head tool to reach them.
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| As I mentioned, no hex head socket or hex wrench would reach the 2 bolts on the inside curve of the intakes. The socket-head bolts take a 1/4" hex, which is the same size as a screwdriver bit.
I took a bit and welded it into the box end of a 1/4" wrench and cut off the tip. It is now a very low profile 1/4" hex wrench.
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| To protect the polished aluminum, I wrapped the whole thing in neoprene.
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Here is a closeup of the intake tube going into the mounting plate.
A weld seam would just not do here.
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