Custom Fibreglass Enclosed Airbox And Snorkel For Gt-t

[Fry_33]

Well this thread has been quiet for a while but I figured I show what I've been able to come up with so far. This is for my R33 GTST series 2. I decided to give this a go when we found the standard airbox/snorkle was a flow restriction up the top end for my setup. It's taken a while to get to where it is and after trial fit tonight realised it is fouling slightly on the bonnet at the front top setion

So it's time to trim and shape a little more. I really just tried to use the standard setup as much as possible to help with fitment and not have to come up with another lid sealing design.

I can't wait to finish it and see if it's helped with the flow.

Standard

Custom

Just so you can get an idea of STD vs Custom..

I'm over sanding!

Edited July 27, 2009 by Fry_33

[ONE-VIA]

brilliant i might try and do something similar in the near future

[jrm]

Wow, that's fibreglass? It doesn't look like it... it looks *awesome* though.

[08r3308]

looks hot make more , group buy

[Fry_33]

Wow, that's fibreglass? It doesn't look like it... it looks *awesome* though.

Cheers, does this look more convincing?

[attachmen

t=237125:Snorkle_FG_2.jpg]

The bog is probably what makes it look not look like it..

I have thought about trying to duplicate it but I'm not thinking about any of that until I know this one actually works and does something useful.

[SABBAi]

It does look great.

[gotRICE?]

Even if it doesnt, it still looks sick

[Dean Muzz]

You need a fair bit of time and patients for this diy but when the gruppe m unit costs over 2 grand this is great.

[allthewaytotheskyline]

great job

[Wacky Dee]

has anyone made a custom airbox with snorkel to suit factory piping (SMIC) on a R34 GTT ?

[skins]

looks hot make more , group buy

I'd buy one.

[midnight]

just a helpful tip for anyone attempting this. try and find some better suited foam. at college we used to use this blue stuff for product prototypes, which was quite hard, you could cut it, file it, even power sand it, real easy to get it really smooth.

building a better plug saves time later on, as the fiberglass comes out a lot smoother and requires less work.

[jrm]

Wish I could just buy something like this...

I've never worked with fibreglass before, and not sure something this complicated is something I'd want to tackle as my first project!

[Wacky Dee]

anyone tried using that foam/rubber thingy from clarkrubber, the one with the shiny foil on one side to create a ghetto enclosure? the stuff is pretty easy to bend and I've been meaning to get a sheet and try to make an enclosure. Should be easy enough to cut all the holes for the piping and even use the stock snorkel. Wouldn't look very neat but as long as it encloses the pod properly and allows stock snorkel to feed the pod that'd be awesome

Just not sure what to use to glue the f**ker to the engine bay chassis ..something like sikaflex ? or would that melt at 70-80c deg ?

[Fry_33]

Ok, figured I'd do a bit of a write up as there's been a few questions and requests for one. I am by no means great at this sort of thing and have only made a sub box (first thing), pillar pod and now the snorkle so I'm still learning. This actually too me a long time to do over many weekends.

I was originally thinking of modifying the standard plastic snorkle but decided that was going to end up being tricky as it's hard to get things to stick to plastic. The standard snorkle is also quite restricitve and I didn't want to end up with leaving any of that in it.

The first thing I did was to figure out what I could do to increase the inlet in the airbox lid. I just carefully cut the end off in the middle of the lid and moved it to the outsied edge like the opposite end is. I just hot glued this in place and kept going with the rest of everything. I would suggest finalised this first before going on. cut out the new hole in the airbox lid and go and get a plastic welder (bumper reparier etc) to attached the free end to the lid and connect the two sides with straight pieces of the same plastic as the lid PP from memory. clean this up and try not to scratch the lid during this process.

Now I go a bit silly with taping up and masking as I don't want to get an FG on things. I taped up the paintwork along the radiator and then cut pieces of cardboard to create flat surfaces and bridge gaps. I also put some rags over the piping before I taped them up. You need to leave a bit of a gap under the snorkle since the engine moves rocks to the side. Once you're happy with everything and sure that no fibreglass is giong to find it's way down into the engine bay you're good to go for a bit of glassing. I put a bit of wax on top of the tape to help stop it sticking. There are also mold release agents you can get for this. If you use polyethylene tape to mask up the FG won't stick to it as it is plastic. it's not always easy to get it to sit flat though. I glassed up the base inside the snorkle so that it had something to sit on and hold it later.

Here's what it looked like at this stage.

After that cured I marked out the outline and cut it with a dremel (reinforced cutting disc).

I sanded that down to remove the major peaks and put on a bit more resin to help smooth it out as this will be the inside surface. I started to mix body filler with a small amount of FG resin added to it to smooth it out a little. I then added a bit of hardner for each and brushed that on. I goes quite thick at the end so you can fill in holes and even build up small pits as it stops flowing. Be careful as the base of mine changed shape slightly at this stage. It's fairly flat so there's not much strength to it. I guess you could add more FG layers or bog to it before you remove it from the engine bay that way it'd keep it's shape better.

I sanded this back until I was fairly happy with it. Once the lid goes on it will be harder to modify so best to do it now.

Unfortunately I didn't take any before pics of the next stage. I masked up the engine bay again and installed the airbox lid over the top of the masking. I taped up the base and put it in place. It sits on the inside lip of the airbox lid inlet and above the radiator. I added some pieces of cardboard under the bonnet above the snorkle and taped up the entire underside of it taping it on the top of the bonnet using a polyethylene drop sheet. The next part was a bit tricky but basically I maed a channel around the perimeter of the snorkle and then used some PE drop sheet to lay inside this channel. I bought some two-part expanding foam, mixed it up, poured it in and shut the bonnet.. I was freaking out at this point! It didn't help when my mate says at this stage I'm going to laugh my arse off it that makes it's way into the dipstick hole and fills the engine.. friends, who needs em

I popped the bonnet to find the following..

Phew, all good!!!!

I then cut and sanded this into a shape that I liked.

I taped the plug up, waxed it and then FG over the top.

I had taped up so that I could split the top and base still so that I could remove the plug. I trimmed that up and then smoothed off the underside. I should have probably joined the top and base at this stage before boggin the top as it would be less likely to flex change shape that way. Quite a bit of bogging and sanding later I had this..

A bit of paint and it's pretty much done.

[DaGr81]

If you ever wanna sell these please do let us know this thing is gold! And I'm lazy just like alot of others....

[08r3308]

that looks hot , i think r34 snorkel would fit fine on r33?

i would want one as well

[boz_soljah]

this is sikk, im gona do this,, (y)

[disco_potatoe]

Ah found em !

hi everyone i have seen the pics of this custom air box and i was just wondering if u can buy it?

do u sell them?

im after a airbox for my pod but i really want one like the one you have in your pic with the snokel.

do u know where i can get one from?

Matt

[W0rp3D]

If you have the time i would consider doing a group buy of these, make up a good mould and away you go, its exactly what im after to get more air flow through the air box and keep it legal in vic, i am looking at making another intake on the front of the box and have it draw air from behind the headlight.