R33: Heatsheild For Your Pod.

[sedanlover]

hi all, just thought i'd post up some helpful info for those interested in making your own heatsheild for your pod filter.

this exercise was conducted on my 1993 ECR33 turbo skyline. i'm sure the same ideas/plans could be adapted to any make or model, but this write up is model specific to ECR33 RB25DET.

...HEATSHEILD INSTALLATION...

materials needed:

>cardboard

>scissors

>stanley knife

>tin snips

>pliers

>gloves

>bolts from your standard airbox

>marker pen

>hole punch -OR- cordless drill and various drill bits

>1-2mm thick alluminium sheeting, preferably about 650x650 square sheet. (cost me $12)

>rubber/plastic edge lining, to cover the sharp edges of the sheet. (costs $2.55 metre)

>race tape

we all know its bad for engine performance to have hot air being fed into the exposed pod filter.

so why not make a heat sheild!!! its easy, AND its cheap.

STEP 1.

*buying all the neccessary bits and pieces for your project. i'm guessing most houses will have garages with various tools in them...but if not, i'll guess you'll have to buy the tools for the job. i happened to score my sheet of alluminium from a screen door manufacturer. i chose alluminium because its plyable like cardboard...easy to bend and shape. most metal places "should" have plenty of offcuts of sheets lying around, but if not, they will be able to point you in the right direction. now the rubber/plastic edge lining was purchased from a P and M PLASTICS and RUBBER store. i'm pretty sure any other plastics/rubber supplies shops will stock products similar.

STEP 2.

* making up a few templates out of cardboard is the first thing needed. it will save you alot of trouble later...its like doing a rough copy first. it might take a few times to get it close to perfect, but it will make life easier when it comes time to cut the sheet of alluminium. using the scissors and stanley knife, cut the cardboard into the shape you need...sometimes you will need masking tape to "go back" and re-evalute the templates. thus sticking on old cut off bits and using your eye to measure up the correct distances needed.

STEP 3.

*stencil the cardboard template onto the sheet of alluminium and make sure to note where the bends are in the cardboard and also transfer these onto the sheet. simply mark reference points onto the sheet, (top and bottom of stencil), then using a straight edge join the marks up. once the stencil has been cut out, use a piece of wood, with a straight edge on it, and slowly bend the alluminium to the curve needed.

!!CAUTION!!

*BEWARE OF THE SHARP EDGES ON THE SHEET. WEAR GLOVES TO PROTECT YOUR HANDS WHEN CUTTING THE SHEET*

STEP 4.

* remember to keep trial fitting the heatsheild to make sure your happy with the end result. now its time to drill the holes for the mounting tabs. i used a hole punch on mine...because i'm lazy and couldn't be bothered hooking up the drill. if you're like me... make sure the hole punch is up to the task. mine was broken at the end of the this particular exercise and i ended up using the drill for one hole.

i simply used some of the offcuts from the sheet to make up my tabs. its very easy to bend and drill. i also used the existing holes from the standard airbox as my mounting points. its not a show piece, but it works.

STEP 5.

* time to put the edge lining on. this is fun! the product i used has a special piece of alloy in the strip and assists on holding it in place. it takes a bit of force to push it onto the corners and bends in the cut out, but the end result is very satisfying. REMEMBER TO USE THE PLIERS TO FLATTEN OUT ALL THE "CUT" EDGES TO ASSIST IN FITMENT OF RUBBER. this is where the gloves come in handy. i have a pair of snap-on mechanics gloves, and they work well!

STEP 6.

* i had to cut out a small "vee" section to allow for the loom for the AFM plug to feed through. now this section was to small to use the rubber edging, so i used race tape to cover the sharp edges. again, its not pretty, but it works. i also 'race taped' the sharp corners of the sheild to protect unassuming hands from cuts.

STEP 7.

*i have included the standard air intake tube in my application for better breathing...and its a good rule to go by when making the heatsheild as you already know it fits under the bonnet when it is closed. so by cutting out the neccessary room in the sheet, you too can have the snorkel involved in your cold air intake.

now mine isn't quite up to scratch looks-wise, but i intend to slap on some sticky foil (insulator type heat resisting foil) on both side of the heat sheild to really keep the pod cool! i also wanna involve some foam to cover up some gaps down near the stock cooler piping.

thats basically it!

she fits under the bonnet nicely, and quite frankly i'm happy with my work.

i hope this help a few people out there in skyline land.

andy

[nesh]

hey

Great work! its been alot of hlep, Im in the process of doing this..just wondering do u think it would be even better to place a cover on top?

[anthonymcgrath]

I like this - I have exactly the same pod filter but I never thought to keep that feed that directs air to the old airbox attached - does this send cold air more directly to the pod - have you noticed a difference if its not there?

[sedanlover]

hey sorry for the late reply.

i haven't included a top plate in my plans, but i'd say it would help and wouldn't be that hard to do.

as for the top feed pipe... i just figured that nissan had this here for a reason, and personally the air that comes from underneath the front bar wouldn't be enough. i havent tried the setup with out it, but thats just me.

just remember that some sort of foam insulation on either side of the metal sheet will also cut temps down. i haven't fitted any yet, but i need to, because after a spirited drive around town, it can still get hot inside the "box".