03+ Intake airbox mods

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spoold

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So i hate the integrated one piece upper design on the gen II ls. My idea would be to cut off the upper airbox and eliminate the setup entirely and mount a universal cone to the remaining maf/airbox housing basically replicating the kkm setup. Has anybody else thought of or tried this? I measured everything out and cant see any issues with it but thought i'd see if anybody has any additional input on the subject before i go and destroy my airbox.
 
there was a thread that i read just a few days ago about a cone filter kit, search for it, sounds like what your looking for. i used the kkm adapter on my 2001 and love it and for only 30 bucks it was worht it in my eyes
 
I cut down my stock airbox and put on a 40.00 Autozone universal 3"-4" cone filter at the 3 1/2"`size.
At it's narrowest point there is just enough lip to hold the filter so remove the MAF sensor and cut carefully.
I also cut the noise baffles off and made some plugs from the cut offs, then glued and screwed them and it hasn't broken it's seal in over 2 years.

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perfect 04SCTLS thats exactly what i was looking to do.

i probably wont worry about the resonators just yet. my plan down the road would be a 45' silicon coupler to replace that entire plastic accordion intake tube and seal fittings into it for the crankcase vent hoses.
 
I left the plastic cover that sits on the intake manifold off for a few days when I was studying the vacuum system and maybe it's just in my head but the car seems slightly smoother and perkier without it.
Maybe the intake runs a little cooler without the cover...

A no cost mod?
 
yes i've read all the other tech articles but i wanted a more effective solution. besides, my stock air filter is getting a little dirty finally so perfect time to swap it out.

i like the simplicity of the k&n fipk but i am not a fan of oiled filters and in particular on fords. and i definitely cant justify spending the money for one. a deal on a used one some day, maybe. k&n intake with an aem dry filter would be ideal.
 
what filters have people been buying for this custom cai ? is it a 3 inch to 4 inch filter, they would fit onto a 3 1/2 tube?, im thinking of doing this mod too, should i be looking at autozone, pep boys, advanced auto parts stores that carry these cone filters? thanks
 
i use a spectre one from autozone, its blue and has a bunch of diffrent size rings in it so i can fit on a various amount of sizes
 
any 3.5" filter will work. it'll be a hair too big but will tighten down with no issue.
 
The one in the pic is the 3-4" Custom 40.00 filter I got at autozone, but they're available at pep boys and advance auto also.
The opening has 2 collars and for 3 1/2 size you take out the small collar.
I like it because it's a lot bigger than the k&m and the blue color goes well with my car. They have white and red ones also.
I think I've cleaned it with a blowgun once sice I put it in and it works great and sounds fabulous.
 
thanks for the info, this will be my next mod, does anyone know what the extra things on the tube for the intake are, and can i cut them off and patch it for more power, this is a 2000 v8 sport, its the L shaped stock air tube, it has a small thing sticking out on the side near the top, the bigger one at the bottom, i want to cut them off and patch it until i can build a cai tube, but im going to hook the filter up to the stock tube for now anyways,
 
They're noise suppressors.
You can cut them off and patch them.
 
The gen2 airbox mount is different from the gen1... I'll have to see one and get a good fit, but it looks like just cutting it and mound the filter directly works fine.
 
LSK sells the MAF adapters so you dont have to cut the factory box up, i'm just saying, you never know when you might need the factory one... aka trip to the dealer
 
i'm a service advisor at a ford dealer so i AM the dealership ;). and besides mine's an 03 so no warranty left besides coils.

and Lincoln Jealous, your's being a gen 1 i'd just buy an actual maf adapter and a cone filter. very cheap and easy solution.
 
spoold said:
i'm a service advisor at a ford dealer so i AM the dealership ;). and besides mine's an 03 so no warranty left besides coils.

and Lincoln Jealous, your's being a gen 1 i'd just buy an actual maf adapter and a cone filter. very cheap and easy solution.
Click to expand...

thanks, thats what im planning to do, i just dont want to suck in air from the engine bay, could i hook a maf adapter up to the cone which i want to extend into the fender wall alittle
 
i've seen several instances of failed maf sensors that were directly related to oiled filters (like k&ns and such) contaminating the sensor itself from the oils and grime that will collect as air passes through. i've also seen driveability issues and off maf readings resulting from this as well. the older all-in-one units in particular were not too keen on this. the newer style with the removable card like seen on mine do better but it's been enough for me to steer away. it's not just fords but they in my experience are especially finicky. as with any maf based vehicle a careful cleaning with the right products can sometimes fix this but i prefer to avoid it entirely. now this can also be caused by pcv and crankcase vent return hose systems that source fresh air at the air box when they fail and begin to saturate the air filter with oils as well.

now this is by no means an indefinite answer and i'm sure many people have no issues with it just my 2 cents. i would however strongly advise if and when cleaning your filter to not go crazy with degreasers and such and more importantly only apply the minimum amount of oil to the filter needed to do its job. without it its not going to filter much at all the oils are what trap the fine particles passing through the filter.
 
spoold said:
this can also be caused by pcv and crankcase vent return hose systems that source fresh air at the air box when they fail and begin to saturate the air filter with oils as well.
Click to expand...

You know the 2nd gen V8's do not have a pcv.
 
Thanks Spoold, I like to explore everyone's opinion when doing a mod. After oiling my K&N and installing it I couldn't help but wonder if some of the oil didn't get sucked in and what the effect (if any) would be.
 
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