Ramair system
These are some quick pics of the ramair system I built on my 90 Talon AWD. I am using the 95 MAF, with a modified 1G aircan (so I could use my 1G filter and save some money). The entire ramair system cost about $10 and can be removed in about 2 minutes if it gets in the way of other car work. Note that I have a frontmount IC, so I didn't have to fit the panels around the upper IC pipe, but if you have a stock or upgraded sidemount IC, the principles are exactly the same, you'll just need to work the panels around the IC pipe and figure out how to feed outside air to the filter.
I cut out the fenderwell a lot in order to make the hole feeding the air filter as large as possible, but it isn't necessary to do so to take advantage of the ramair system. Since I have a frontmount IC, the stock IC is gone, and the fenderwell acts as a ramair duct to force air up to the filter. I left the bottom of the fenderwell open (where the bottom of the stock IC was) to let water out in case I ever hit a puddle.
The advantage of this system is clean, cool air at all times. We did some tests of my system vs another car with just a hose crammed in the foglight opening leading to the filter, and my system ran at ambient air temps at high speed cruise, while the other system was about 20 degrees above ambient. We both had 95 MAFs on 1Gs with open filters, the only difference was the larger cutout in my fender and the blockoff panels shown below, which keep the hot engine compartment air away from the filter. Note that the panels do not need to be totally sealed to the hood, aircan, and fender, just getting the gaps as small as possible works well.
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Here is a passenger side view of the system, showing the rear panel. Note that it is only held in by Velcro, to the aircan and the fusebox. This makes it very easy to remove for work, but it stays in place quite well. As to how I built it, I got some cardboard and tape, mocked up the panel, then cut it out of ABS sheet. Then I got a propane torch, and heated and bent it until it fit, then used a Dremel with a drill bit to cut out odd shapes, then finished it off with a sanding wheel. I did the same for the other 2 panels. Since each person's aircan/IC setup will vary, I won't be including separate pics of the panels off the car, or patterns, as each panel will be unique for each car. Just get out the cardboard and start trimming.
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Here is a top view of the front panel, that goes between the aircan and radiator. This is the most important piece to keep the radiator fans from causing an uneven idle from the turbulence caused by the fans swirling the air around.
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A driver's side view of the front and rear panels. The panels are trimmed to within 1/8" or so of the hood. I did this easily while my engine was out for a rebuild, but if your engine is in, this will be tough to do. I suggest cutting some Masonite to match the cardboard patterns you have, then trim them down until the hood closes completely. Then coat the inside of the hood with a thin layer of Vaseline, and put modeling clay on the top edge of the Masonite. Shut the hood, and the clay will squish down to match the profile of the inside of the hood. Then trim your final patterns 1/8-1/4" below the top clay level.
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The front panel is fastened to the aircan with one of the MAF mounting screws, and Velcros to the radiator shell.
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A closeup of the front panel. The front circled area is a tight cutout I made for the radiator fan wiring to run through. The rear circled area is a partial view of the bottom piece I used to bolt the filter down to the fender panel. The bottom panel is fit to the bottom of the 95MAF, and uses the 2 bottom MAF bolt points to mount it. It has a 90 degree bend to meet the fender panel, then bolts down with the 2 bolt holes used for the small front stock aircan mount bracket, and slips under the AC line in the rear.
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Last modified: Dec 31, 1998
Copyright 1998, Tom Stangl
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