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How to install the fender well intake without relocating the battery
(This is how I did my installation, this write-up is intended only to give an idea on how to do this install and I take no responciblity of any kind if you endup damaging your car by installing a FWI)
Warning! Depending on how low you install your filter, you may run the risk of sucking water into the engine if you drive thru puddles. You have a few options. Install a Air Bypass filter, nopi and other tuner sites sell these. Seal the fender area to prevent water from entering. Or raise the filter as high as posible. I bent the brace inside to alow the cone to sit higher (almost level w/ battery) in the fender.
Parts needed:
-Flex Hose of 3" diameter x 3 feet
-New Cone filter
-PVC/Al Adapter Pipe (lower) of 3" outer diameter to connect filter to hose and about 4-6" long.
-PVC/Al Adapter Pipe (upper) of 3" inner diameter to connect flex hose to rubber adapter.
-Metal strapping or zip-ties to secure the filter.
-Rubber 3" Connector to attach upper tube to MAF sensor
*You may want to take this chance to relocate the Intake Air Temperature sensor to the lower connector to alow for proper temp calculations.
(all these parts can be found at autozone and most part stores, the PVC adapter pipes i found at lowes)
-If you want your car to still have a washer fluid tank, you will need to get a new bottle. I used one from a 94 cutlass supreme. I got it at a junkyard for less then $5. Some auto part store also sells a small washer bottle kit that will work.
If you have access to someone who can custom bend 3" tube you can get away without the adapter for the cone, but you will still need one for the MAF
To begin:
Then remove the cross brace that goes over the factory wiper bottle. (3 bolts)
You will need to remove the bottom panel from under the driver side fender.
Remove stock air box:
Remove the three top screws that hold the top of the box. Then the rubber air hose from the MAF to the top of the box. Remove the stock filter. Remove the bottom bolts holding the lower box. Pull out box and tube that runs behind headlight
Remove the factory wiper bottle. (2-3 clips)
Remove battery.(2 bolts and bracket)
* you can add a hole to the battery tie down bracket to hold the new wiper bottle out of the cutlass.
Assemble the lower portion of the FWI first:
Place filter on lower tube and tighten clamp around the filter.
Then attach the flex tube to the lower tube.
Once assembled this far, run the flex hose into the engine bay. Thru the access panel under the fender.
Use metal straps, or zip ties to secure the filter in fender so that it doesnt hit anything.
Next, I used my dremal to notch out part of the fender to keep the flex tube from being bent when I put the battery back in.
Now, starting at the MAF slip the 3"-3" rubber adapter over the MAF lip. Then, work a good bit of the flex tube into the upper tube and make sure it wont pull out. Use silicon glue if it seems loose. I didnt need to use any because the hose fit tightly in the tube.
Slip the upper tube with the flex tube attached onto the 3"-3" adapter that is on the MAF.
New pics for updated install. Install consists of two flex elbows and one peice of PVC alittle over 1' long.
Once all fittings on the intake tube are secured and nothing is rubbing the flex tube, just reinstall:
the Battery, New Wiper bottle, (You may have to lengthen the wiper pump cable to reach it's new location.)
Diagonal brace, and anything else you might have disconnected.
Basic outline of part assembly:
MAF, 3"-3" adapter, upper tube, flex hose, lower tube, filter.
New design: MAF connected to the TB with a straight 3" connector, flex elbo, 1' of 3" PVC, flex elbo, filter.
Once you are done, you have a new FWI without relocating the battery to the trunk!
***Be careful with locating your flex tube. If the tube is in a position to rub against something, it may rip and allow debree to bypass the filter. I wrapped the flex tube in black duck tape to protect give additional protection.
For the second version of this FWI i rotated the battery 90* to give me more space to run piping a new battery tie-down will be needed. You may or may not need to rotate the battery, but with it, your bends will be more straight and yield higher flow.
Compairing the FWI with flex hose and PVC & elbos, there is a great difference. From a std hot air intake to my first FWI with the flex hose, it felt like i gained 10-15hp and the engine gained a deep sound. Now with the PVC, it feels like another 5-10 Hp was gained, and the sound is much louder in the upper RPM bands. These differences I believe are due to the nature of the materials. The flex hose, was about 1.5-2 from the TB to the filter with aprox 270* of bends. The PVC version now has about 1.5 or less from the filter to the TB and a total of less then 90* of bends. Further more the PVC version has the filter even higher then any of the FWI kits i have seen or even the first modifitation I did to my FWI. (filter is 100% even with battery)
FWI Version4:
Ok its been some time and others have come up with pretty good DIY FWI besides the ones i have writen about above.
( http://www.oqcgp.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=17679&highlight=intercooled+air+intake
http://www.clubgp.com/newforum/tm.asp?m=3507787&p=3&tmode=1&smode=1&cookieCheck=913719921
http://www.clubgp.com/newforum/tm.asp?m=2393530&p=1&tmode=1&smode=1&cookieCheck=913801478 )
Ok the design is pretty close to what i had previously, but considering that those plastic seals are so cheep from lowes/HomeDepot i couldnt pass it up. Caution without some very clever work, the use of this heat shield is very difficult and your factory battery will prevent installation.
Hot Air Intake
The only obstacle to over come is the MAF on the Monte Carlo has a outer diameter larger then 3" (3.25") and most aftermarket cone filters have 3" diameter inlets.
In order to get the filter on, just use hot soapy water. It is also helpful to have the MAF off the car when you attempt to install the filter. Put the hot soapy water on the outside lip of the MAF and the inside lip of the filter. Then work them together.
To remove the stock air box, remove the three top screws that hold the top of the box. Then the rubber air hose from the MAF to the top of the box. Remove the stock filter. Remove the bottom bolts holding the lower box. Pull out box and tube that runs behind headlight.
I would recommend that you purchase a heat shield for your filter from eBay. They are cheep ($5-10) and help shield the filter from the exhaust crossover pipe.
This Mod is good for mostly sound. Even with factory exhaust the car sound great. But the extra heat that gets pulled in counters the gain from the extra air flow. Hens the name Hot-Air-Intake.
The only performance use these have is for sound and in areas in winter where it gets very cold and a FWI would suck up ice, slush and water and further prevent the car from reaching optimal runing temp. in all other instances the HAI is to be avoided. It is a good starter mod to get people into moding and it was one of my first mods so that is why i post it.
