Outer Limits 4x4 Board

Im about to install a 3" stainless snorkel to zook, and since the oem airbox dont seal too well, i was wondering what others have done about airboxes, especially custom airboxes.
I want to fit it to the drivers side fender. I was thinking along the lines of using a hilux filter which is 155mm diameter, and making a PVC airbox for it, using 200mm PVC. If it sits infront of the battery ontop of the fender there will be mm to spare, if not hitting the hood. Plus it would be a bitch to cut a hole in the PVC to plumb the snorkel in.
I could also make it from sheetmetal and tig it all up, but then how do i make a cover which is sealed and easy to remove.

i'm in a similar situation... my zook has a weber on it and just a normal round airfilter directly on top!! scary as in the mud/wet!

i was thin along the lines of 200mm pvc with a screw on cap?? but then getting it to the carb.. youd have to plastic weld.. thinking about checking out the wreckers for a hilux/pootrol/'cruiser airbox?

Thats exactly what i was gonna do with the screwon cap. Was gonna have a blanking plug on one end, some 200mm pipe in middle, and on other end a screw cap, with a 3" hole drilled in the middle and a bit of pipe glued over hole to attatch flex hose to. Then on the end with the blanking plug, have a 3" hole drilled in at a 45deg angle with the centre of the hole on the outer edge of plug, and somehow glue a bit of pipe on there too for the snorkel to attatch to. Cant think of how to glue it on with any decent strength tho.
Anyone have dimensions of a lux/pootrol or cruiser airbox?

Vit efi one? my 3" goes fine into mine

On the face of it, the PVC thing isn't a bad idea, but it sounds like a lot of work when there is a fair amount of room under the bonnet of a sierra to fit an off the shelf housing.

I'd go to a wreckers and have a hunt around. Cruiser airboxes will be too big (I've played with them before) but a Gen 3 hilux diesel might go in could be close though - I had one here for years.

Another possibility would be a Gen 2/3 Hilux petrol These are like a mini landcruiser (element goes in vertically from the top)

Personally, I'd go with a steel housing as they are easy to modify the mounts for etc.

I think any filter housing from a wreckers would be cheaper than buying the PVC to make your own. It avoids lots of messing around trying to locate the filter inside the housing.

Another option is Jimny - not the biggest filter but sits behind the headlight nicely.

Steve.

mate my job envolves desigining pvc compounds.
i would not use pvc under bonnet. its vicat softening point is around 70 -78 degree c. get an alloy one made or use a jimny one

cheer bru

Ok so PVC prob isnt a good idea then.

Is there any sort of glue i can use to glue a piece of pipe (plastic/steel/alloy) onto the origional airbox? I might be able to get it to seal ok i guess.

1 & 2 series Volvo's up to 86 or so have a large flat element(300x150mm roughly) sealed in a plastic box that has a 2.5-3"? round inlet and outlet. I'm sure you'd get one from the wreckers for bugger all.

PJ.zook wrote:Ok so PVC prob isnt a good idea then.

Is there any sort of glue i can use to glue a piece of pipe (plastic/steel/alloy) onto the origional airbox? I might be able to get it to seal ok i guess.

Wouldn't recommend it. The consequences of a failure in the glue are too horrible to contemplate.

A 6" donaldson might be OK if it can flow enough air.

Steve.

I thought PVC was pretty hardy, I saw a post on here with a guy whos entire snorkel & airbox was made from it. I was thinking of getting a plastic box made up as I have a Vit engine in the sierra. I am planning to get a 3" snorkel bent up.
Anyone got a price on the Donaldson filters? Are they a pre-filter for trucks?

My original snorkel was made from pvc and worked well, but that wasnt sitting near the engine, it just went into the original airbox.

chops_Drover wrote:I thought PVC was pretty hardy, I saw a post on here with a guy whos entire snorkel & airbox was made from it. I was thinking of getting a plastic box made up as I have a Vit engine in the sierra. I am planning to get a 3" snorkel bent up.
Anyone got a price on the Donaldson filters? Are they a pre-filter for trucks?

chops, have a look at mine. i run a 3" snorkel and orig vit airbox on my sierra.

chops_Drover wrote:I thought PVC was pretty hardy, I saw a post on here with a guy whos entire snorkel & airbox was made from it. I was thinking of getting a plastic box made up as I have a Vit engine in the sierra. I am planning to get a 3" snorkel bent up.
Anyone got a price on the Donaldson filters? Are they a pre-filter for trucks?

No, Donaldson Cyclopac air filters are just that - a filter. The precleaner is called a Top-spin and is the little clear bowl/hat thing on the top of the snorkel.

The "little" ones are often used on things like boom lifts etc. They are the industry standard for filtration.

PVC snorkels suck. Not only do they look hack (geez mate, is that hooked up to a water tank???) they explode once they have been in the sun and you lean them on a tree/bank/the car falls over. I recommend 3" exhaust tube for snorkels. It's easy to work with, it's cheap, light and very, very durable, and a topspin or ram duct slips straight on the top.

Steve.

Gwagensteve wrote:

chops_Drover wrote:I thought PVC was pretty hardy, I saw a post on here with a guy whos entire snorkel & airbox was made from it. I was thinking of getting a plastic box made up as I have a Vit engine in the sierra. I am planning to get a 3" snorkel bent up.
Anyone got a price on the Donaldson filters? Are they a pre-filter for trucks?

No, Donaldson Cyclopac air filters are just that - a filter. The precleaner is called a Top-spin and is the little clear bowl/hat thing on the top of the snorkel.

The "little" ones are often used on things like boom lifts etc. They are the industry standard for filtration.

PVC snorkels suck. Not only do they look hack (geez mate, is that hooked up to a water tank???) they explode once they have been in the sun and you lean them on a tree/bank/the car falls over. I recommend 3" exhaust tube for snorkels. It's easy to work with, it's cheap, light and very, very durable, and a topspin or ram duct slips straight on the top.

Steve.

My PVc snorkel looks alright(hammertone blue) but yeah do they explode! Went through 3 in 3 trips at one stage and the one thats on it now has been run over when i riped it out!

I'm goin to an exhaust joint to get them to bend some stainless the same shape as my snorkel BUT DOES IT DINT EASY?

My Gwagen snorkel (Mild steel) has had more coats of paint than Grimbo's car from all the time it's spent dragging on banks. No dents.

Steve.

Sounds good what about stainles?

My pvc breaks at the drop of a hat although this one has been driven over and is still alright! Over mud now but still gotta have one on there!

What size is mild steel in? The pvc i have is 60mm and i want that same size so i don't have to make the hole and that bigger!

Stainless is generally a tougher than mild steel. it will resist dents better, BUT - it is heaps more expensive, harder and more expensive to weld, harder to work, and available in less confirgurations (i.e mandrel bends and doughnuts in mild steel are everywhere, much harder to find and much dearer in stainless)

Very thin wall stainless tube (<1.5mm) is hard to find too, the thinnest common pipe is schedule 10S, which is much thicker than required.

Personally I think stainless is a waste for a snorkel. I'd just use mandrel bends and mild steel tube. don't worry about rust- it's all before the air filter.

As to diameter, I'd never use anything under 3" (75mm) because this is the smallest size you can easily get ram heads and top spin pre cleaners in. (it also looks good)

Steve.

Sorry about the high jack PJ!

Steve will just go mild steel then but i will price both and see the out come! Wouldn't mind some bling BUT don't need it!

Thanks mate!

Its on same subject so keep posting.

Well i think i might have found a reasonable solution maybe, i aquired some more 3" stainless from a mate, so i now have enough to go further down the guard, so i might just enter the guard right where the 90degree rubber bend is in the original airbox, and just use a reducer. Still worried about how to seal the origional airbox.

i run the standed 1ltr air box with a uni filter and a 75 mm stainless snorkel i did cost a bit but i'll only have to pay for it once.

I sealed mine by taking that hose off that's ment to help start it when it's cold and silasticed a milk bottel lid in there!(Exact same size!) Then just hooked the snorkel up like any other 4x4!

Havn't had any water get in yet and have had water and stuff over the bonnet heeps of times....

suzuki boy wrote:I sealed mine by taking that hose off that's ment to help start it when it's cold and silasticed a milk bottel lid in there!(Exact same size!) Then just hooked the snorkel up like any other 4x4!

Havn't had any water get in yet and have had water and stuff over the bonnet heeps of times....

why not just run a piece of pipe straight from the snorkel to the 90^ bend off the air filter box and remove the annoying summer / winter actuator?

or is this what you did?