Cold air intakes

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Making a CAI, or a shortram intake
 
 
 
When I think of Cold Air Intakes, the first car that I think of is the 1964 Ford Fairlane THUNDERBOLT. Detroit Steel Tubing, known as DST purpose built these cars for drag racing for Ford. The engines that they were using were 425 HP 427 Cu. In. How do you feed cold air to a engine of this size? BIG PIPES! How big? About 6 inch diameter. When you need to get cold air from the frontal area to the gigantic carb intake you take the most direct route. Kick out the inner headlights (who needs four headlights on a drag strip), add some grills to keep out large debris, run the expansion pipe up to the aluminum intake box and you have it. Check out the pictures on how they did it back in 1964.
 
When I think of Cold Air Intakes, the first car that I think of is the 1964 Ford Fairlane THUNDERBOLT. Detroit Steel Tubing, known as DST purpose built these cars for drag racing for Ford. The engines that they were using were 425 HP 427 Cu. In. How do you feed cold air to a engine of this size? BIG PIPES! How big? About 6 inch diameter. When you need to get cold air from the frontal area to the gigantic carb intake you take the most direct route. Kick out the inner headlights (who needs four headlights on a drag strip), add some grills to keep out large debris, run the expansion pipe up to the aluminum intake box and you have it. Check out the pictures on how they did it back in 1964.
  
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Of course, other people have their own views on what cold air intakes should be, and they're entitled to them. '''BIG IS BETTER'''
 
Of course, other people have their own views on what cold air intakes should be, and they're entitled to them. '''BIG IS BETTER'''
 
  
 
This is really quite simple; a great project for the budding automotive enthusiast.
 
This is really quite simple; a great project for the budding automotive enthusiast.
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Normally a shortram/warm air intake is a better idea if your car sees snow and other wet, inclement weather.  A CAI is better suited for track use or for a car which rarely (if ever) sees bad weather.  If your car pulls water up in the intake then you'll hydrolock it and if you're lucky you can pull the spark plugs out, crank the engine a few times, reinstall plugs, and be on your way.  Lots of times you'll ruin the internals of the engine since water will not compress.  The engine parts will bend before water will compress!
 
Normally a shortram/warm air intake is a better idea if your car sees snow and other wet, inclement weather.  A CAI is better suited for track use or for a car which rarely (if ever) sees bad weather.  If your car pulls water up in the intake then you'll hydrolock it and if you're lucky you can pull the spark plugs out, crank the engine a few times, reinstall plugs, and be on your way.  Lots of times you'll ruin the internals of the engine since water will not compress.  The engine parts will bend before water will compress!
  
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Bigger is not always better?  Your engine will only breathe in what it can, unless it is forced in, turbo, blower, etc.  Ramming it in does not produce more power, it still will only breathe what it needs, unless you are cruising at 200+ MPH...
 
Bigger is not always better?  Your engine will only breathe in what it can, unless it is forced in, turbo, blower, etc.  Ramming it in does not produce more power, it still will only breathe what it needs, unless you are cruising at 200+ MPH...
  

Revision as of 01:42, 1 April 2008

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