How To: converting to open element air cleaner.

[Swims350]

yea that crap is debated over and over if it actually does anything, IMO air is air, tons of ppl use open style or pull air underhood and even the factory done it that way.

I had factory cold air and it looked terrible, took up way too much room. IMO if you want cold air on these trucks stick with stock. No real reason to upgrade and buy an expensive CAI, when it basically just frees up the air, not as compact and obstructed. More free flowing if you will, does really clean up anything, maybe some with the big box, but if it doesn't have it's own box or pull air from outside it's still underhood air.

 

[Badass69]

This is how I look at it, honestly. If you are driving down the road and moving, even a HAI ( or open element, lol) will provide cold air for the most part as you will be seeing airflow through the vehicle. The problem is when you are stopped. When I am sitting in the staging lanes at the track, or moving to the tree, an underhood air source sucks the big one. The IAT sensor ( not on a TBI truck but anything newer) starts to see overly hot air and pulls timing and starts dumping fuel. It really sucks for a launch whereas if you can keep that value down it's a better result. However what a TBI will see is detonation on a launch with a big fat hot air charge potentially. Very few of you guys race or care, so do what you like the looks of, lol.

It's really subjective though otherwise. People do air intakes expecting big gains and I just LOL at that. People even spend 3, 4 or $500 on stupid CAI that gain you next to nothing when you could dump in a cam and a tune instead. That's not the case here however.

Happy modding!

 

[Swims350]

I would have to agree fully, moving you get cold air, and was going to say that, sitting still, hot air only, nothing else.

 

[FastOrange]

the expensive CAI are a hoax, people see there gonna get 20HP on there 350 and EXPECT to actually get the much, retards.

 

[DRAGGIN95]

Yeah man, cold air intake, fuel line magnet's, throttle body spacer, maybe a tornado device, no muffler, that's like 100 hp right. HA HA HA!!!!

 

[97sierra]

Realistically that is the body of MAF. Look at your trucks stock configuration, you have an elbow right before the MAF upstream and some corrugated piping downstream. The stock Vortec configuration does not have like a 10 and 5 or 5 and 2 or whatever like your average mag tube, turbine, coriolis or what have you. The MAF is close to 3" across and you certainly don't have 10 upstream pipe diameters, not even 1, lol. Lot's of MAF systems work fine with no tubing ( my LT1 powered B body is one of them along with the multitudes of LT1 and LS1 F bodies out there).

wow i'm impressed a guy that knows his flow meters haha, but yea of coarse they'll work it just comes down to how accurate. but for myself i do agree i would rather go the cold air route, but for those who would choose looks over function the open element looks pretty cool.