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Project K&N
I wanted to modify the intake for my 92 3.1L V6 Berreta to use a K&N filter cone and get rid of my airbox, which, while being too restrictive, was also damaged on the bottom. Note the damage in the picture to the left, and the airbox opening on the picture to the right.
The Filter:
I purchased a K&N filter model number :RU-1480 which was approximately the same size as the air hose going into the intake manifold. It has an opening with an inner diameter of something like 2 1/4 inches or so. I was tempted to get a larger one but as I found later that a filter any large probably would not have fit inside the car. BerettaStuff list RE-0920 as the appropriate part number. It might work out a little better, but I have not seen that one, nor do I know how large it is. Considering the $150 unit Mantapart sells has a much smaller cone then the RU-1480, I think this is about as big as you might need.
The adapter:
Using a 3" to 2" pipe junction and a section of 3" PVC, its possible to make an adaptor to go between the K&N and the air intake hose. There was a section inside the middle of the white section of piping that probably would have disturbed proper airflow, as this piece is meant to be used to join two pieces of piping. It just so happened that it was a perfect fit for the air intake hose. To make airflow more smooth, I filed down this section of the pipe so that there were no obstructions to the incoming air. No modification was made to the 3" to 2" junction, though if I owned a drill I would have bored the inside of that as well, to give an even larger space for air to flow. The two sections were glued with epoxy and taped with radiator host patching tape, then the entire package was assembled.
Installation.
Installation onto the intake manifold is simple, the entire assembly, with K&N on one end and air hose on the other is attached to the intake manifold of engine. The air sensor is taped atop the adaptor.
I know it kinda looks like crap, but it works fine. All seals are solid and the unit functions as specified. I can't know real world improvement figures without dyno testing, and I don't really care that much to get that done. BTW, that picture is out of date. I redid the mod so It looks different now. Version 3 of the intake mod is seen below (version 2 was a less severe version of this).
This is my cool air version of the intake mod. The filter extends all the way down into the engine bay and sits just behind the bottom of the radiator. When the fan blows there is some good circulation down in that region, and in general it should be a little cooler than where it was before. No real way of testing though. If I wanted to be scientific, I'd test one mod at a time on the track or with a dyno, but I don't have the time or money for that, so I'll just test this package (along with the new chip and themo) at the track when the next opportunity avails itself..
