I'm looking to tinker a bit. Got a question.
The stock airbox. What's the inner and outer diameter of the tube section that connects to the air intake tube? Anyone know?
Ill get it for you tonight.
You mean the tube on the box or that goofy short tube between the airbox and the MAF?
I'm fairly certain it's all bigger than 70mm, which is the size of the throttle body I'm running. As long as it's bigger than that it "shouldn't" be a restriction.
Lou, the tube on the box itself. Hoping for 3" or larger, but yes over 70mm on the inner diameter will do.
I'm planning on re-installing a stock box and opening the hole against the wall and match it with the fenderwell (remember it is just a tad smaller). That and a nice SMOOTH tube up to the throttle body. Something rubber preferably.
its bigger then 3".. I used a 3" plumbing connector, and had to crimp the stock pipe to make it go in to it
(http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo164/Master_Dimentio/Reaction%20Images/bueno.jpg)
Guess that means I gotta grab one. Need to go hunting for a good replacement inlet tube too.
I measured the extra airbox I have in the garage. The inside diameter of the opening is 3.25 inches which is about 82.55mm so much bigger than 70mm. I wonder what the area of the hole in the fender for the airbox is? I'm thinking about measuring it and if the area of the hole is the same or larger than 70mm I don't think it would be worth it to make the hole bigger, at least for me. The throttle body I have is 70mm (the Explorer GT40 upper I have had a 69.5m opening so I took out the Dremel and opened it up to 70mm) so as long as everything in front of that is bigger there should be no restriction.
As for replacing the stock rubber inlet tube between the MAF and TB it should help. I have one of those cast C&L 76mm inlet tubes. I ran it back to back with the stock tube at the track. On my 3700lb Thunderbird it was worth .5mph and .05 second in the quarter over the stock tube. So in my case it added about 5hp.
I was thinking more on the airbox itself. A "gasket matching" of sorts. Pretty sure the fender hole is bigger than the hole in the airbox that mates to it.
I'm running an Edelbrock 70 mm TB with a 73 mm C&L.
Have I mentioned I hate how clean your engine bay is? My Mustang is that clean, but she don't see the wet stuff.
Wish my wipers and window cowl panel looked like your too. Still getting out from the body shop under the hood. Rained all day....No progress.
Actually the hole in the fender is smaller than the hole in the airbox base. To gasket match it you would need to make the fender hole bigger.
I'm actually running the exact same MAF and TB you are. Small world eh?
The only reason the engine bay is that clean is that, like your Mustang, it never sees rain. It keeps from splashing all over the place.
Everyone here seems to complain that the engine bay of my Thunderbird is too clean. You're not the first ;).
Hmm....Cut-off wheel, touch up paint, some of that door edge protector plastic strip stuff.... Although I'm fairly certain the fender hole area is far larger than a 70 mm circle so I guess I'll see when I match them up.
I know the hole in the airbox is about 1/4"-1/2" bigger all the way around than the hole in the fender. I've thought about making the hole in the fender bigger to match the hole in the airbox but I don't have a cutoff wheel at home and, well, I haven't got the gumption up to do it.
Now I'm curious how big the area of the fender hole is and if it's bigger than 70mm. The area of a 70mm circle is 3848.45mm (A = pie(mmm pie) x radius^2). Can you measure the area of the hole in the fender of your Cougar? The formula for the area of an oval is Area = (Width x Length) x 0.8. So if it's the same or bigger than 3848.45mm making the hole larger "shouldn't" result in a gain in power.
FWIW a 70mm TB flows ~750cfm.
I think the hole in the fender is the same size as the pipe, its just oval, and the airbox opening is way bigger then that hole.
I have a pic of it but I cant seem to post a link with this version of the forum
One must take into account that it must pass through a filter barrier as well. Interesting article on how they stack up.....
http://www.nicoclub.com/archives/kn-vs-oem-filter.html
I've seen a couple people that cut out the back side of the air cleaner and also a large rectangular hole in the fender well...
Yeah, dig this one from another thread... Note the fender hole. Good execution actually. The hoodliner SHOULD make a decent seal in this application. I want a sealed box though.
(http://www1.garaget.org/archive/123/122432/247957/247957-2332284.jpg)
I figure once I get everything here I'll do some measuring, and then some more measuring, and then some cutting.
Obviously I'll be using a stock style panel filter with this. I think with a large enough opening there should be negligible restriction with a stock paper element filter.
I have the hole in the airbox sealed to the fender on my Thunderbird with foam window strip. The intake can only get air from the inner fender that way. I don't know if it helps but it might.
I've seen some actual flow tests where aftermarket filters actual flow worse then the stock paper one, while allowing particulates 40x the size in.
Lou, got the box. Thank you. Any idea what that little tube at the front of it is? The one with the mini panel filter behind it. I don't recall ever seeing that on any 5.0 airbox before.
(https://scontent-b-iad.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc3/t1.0-9/10256533_632950323464162_5323059872238569073_n.jpg)
I ran the part number through EB=bay and every other one that showed up didn't have this provision..... Weird. I'll just plug it, but I'm really curious as to what this would have been for and what car it may have been used on.....
I don't have one of those little tubes either
I THINK a V-6 had that.....I want to say my first Bird....yeeeears ago, had that.
That airbox came out of a 5.0 Thunderbird I found in a junkyard. The stock airbox in my Thunderbird has the same nipple. It was always open to the atmosphere. That little filter keeps dirt from getting in. I think that on 3.8 cars it is used in part of the PCV system. The 88 3.8 cars use the same airbox as the 5.0 cars. I've never seen a Mustang or Mark VII with that fitting but I've seen several 5.0 Thunderbirds/Cougars with it. It was probably easier for Ford to just use the same airbox in the 3.8 and 5.0 cars on the assembly line.
Aha!
I stumped a few Mustang friends when I showed them the picture of it today. I must admit I was stumped as well. It looks as if I pull the metal clip that the fitting and mini-filter and mount point for it will come out. I'll find a plastic or rubber plug for it.
Thanks ;)
You should be able to pop that fitting off and plug the hole. I never have. I doesn't interfere with anything if you leave the box stock.
I just thought of this but I remember you were having some cold start issues. What sample tube do you have in the C&L MAF? There is a specific tube for a cone filter on the end of the MAF which is different from the one that you use with the stock airbox. That *might* cause the issue you have with a cold start.
I'm running an under hood cone filter. Calls for the same tube as if it were the airbox.
C&L changed the calibration tube chart a year or two ago. See here: http://www.cnlperformance.com/Calibration-chart.php
The blue tube (102) is not even specified for 24lb injector and the 73mm MAF anymore. If your C&L 73mm MAF for 24lb injectors is as old as mine (bought in 2010) than you've got the blue tube (102) in the housing. I called C&L and they said the new tube specified (brown 095) results in a 3-5hp gain from leaning out the air/fuel ratio slightly over the blue 102 tube used only in the 76mm MAF with 24lb injectors now.
I picked up the meter & tube in 06 or 07. The local speed shop to me has the tubes in stock. Might be worth a shot.