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Custom CAI for an 2008 Impala ls

5K views 9 replies 5 participants last post by  adamg38671 
#1 ·
Hey guys. I wanted to put a CAI on my V6 3.5L Impala LS. I AM NOT PUTTING IN A K&N OR AFTERMARKET ON LIKE THAT! I want to put a cone filter on some metal piping, then attatch that to where my bow is right now after removing the box. This will take the intake out of the engine bay. Do y'all think this will be affective in increasing power, sound, or MPG??? I am going to put the new filter in that triangle hole in the pic next to the wheel well. THOUGHTS AND OPINIONS PLZ!!!
 

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#2 ·
That is what you call a fender well intake, better than the traditional "cold air intake" because it actually pulls cold air. But, so does the stock airbox, and that 3.5 isn't going to use any more air regardless. So performance and mpg, not likely to see any change, but it will sound different.
 
#3 ·
Honestly i would not do that, all you are going to do is suck hot air from your motor. If you really want a cold air intake either get a cold air intake box like they have for the impala ss. (it will bolt right up) or get one with a heat shield blocking off the engine heat to your filter.

The best cheapest thing to do is to get a better flowing air filter for your stock airbox and modify your sock air box by cutting from where the stock airbox takes cool air from behind your headlight all the way across. From the factory its only a 2inch by 4inch hole. (im going by memory) just cut that to like 2inch by 8inch. (all the way across the front of your air box)

I have a 4inch cold air duct with a 5inch horn that runs air from my fender (where the fog light goes on most but i have the single bar) up my fender right into the front of my air filter. (connected to the front of my filter) and i am custom making a heat shield to seal off that whole box where my filter is sitting. Its gonna seal off from the hood down and close off that whole area from and engine or exhaust heat and its only gonna suck cold air from behind the headlight and my fender.

I dont have pictures but i also sealed off the whole area where my duct and i force the air up behind my headlight so not only does the cold air duct suck cold air but instead of the air going through my fender it gets forced up at my filter.
 

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#5 ·
Once you get into the fender, you are no longer getting engine compartment air. Running down to the bumper is great, but there is nothing wrong with pulling from the fender well.
 
#7 ·
Gravity my friend, no worries. Just avoid deep water if you run it in the bumper like that, cause you'll be screwed.
 
#8 ·
I did end up putting in the filter. I put a big piece of piping over the whole filter, then ran some metal A/C piping down past my headlight to where Ejbiers has it put. It is similar to his accept I found a pipe that goes over the entire filter then adapts to an A/C tube. I would post pics but my computers bein retarded right now. Ill have them in my garage soon tho.
 
#9 ·
If your filter is in your fender or its sealed off from the motor then engine heat is not a problem But, on my setup it is all open so the engine heat is getting sucked up by my filter too. On top of that the metal intake pipping gets alot hotter than the oem plastic and tubing.

Its not a huge difference but having the air shot into the duct placed in the bumper and directly into the front of the filter is more efficient than the filter trying to suck it from the fender if it isnt placed in the fender.

If you have metal intake pipping i would suggest getting a wrap for it too keep it cool (insulation wrap), The pipping gets burning hot defeating your whole point of sucking cold air from the filter end cause its heated back up by the time it goes into your throttle body.
 
#10 ·
Thats always been my big worry about the bumper intake system
 
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