Conversion - Air Induction

There are several ways to get air into your throttle body, depending on how creative you are and whether or not you use the Mass Air Flow (MAF) sensor. The easiest approach is to clamp an aftermarket filter like a K&N cone filter right on the throttle body. (If you do this, don’t forget to provide an alternate location for the air temperature sensor.) I originally planned to use the rubber boot with the air sensor fitting from a ’93 Corvette on the front of the throttle body with a cone filter on the front of the boot. Tony warned me he thought this would result in too much hot air coming into the engine due to the filter being located behind and slightly above the radiator. His approach was to re-use the air box off the Firebird his engine came from. I wanted something simpler, but just as effective. I ditched the Corvette boot for a new 90-degree elbow from a 1LE (A/C delete) Camaro ($78.99 from GM Goodwrench—includes Inlet Air Temp sensor and clamps). We used some $20.00 flexible ducting and aluminum sleeves to route cold air from the original air inlet location in the left side of the radiator core support and mounted a K&N filter ($45.00 from Jegs) in-line. Similar aftermarket kits for F-body and A-body cars are available that supposedly offer a 30 HP increase at the rear wheels and cost over $200.00; but we fabricated this setup for $50.00 less than that. With a good cold air setup, headers, and free-flowing exhaust, I expect to take the otherwise stock engine from 285 HP to around 320 HP.

When we put the filter on the left side of the radiator, it completely filled up the area where the turn signal housing sits behind the plastic grille. We talked about moving the filter, but decided that was the right location; so the next solution was to modify the turn signals. I cut off the back of the turn signal housing behind the amber lens, shortened the lens to eliminate interference with the bottom of the filter and epoxied two 4" x 3/8" amber LED light bars from Ron Francis Wire Works (http://wire-works.com) to the front of the lens so they fit between the slats in the grille. These cost $19.00 each.

The LED turn signals were attached with silicon to the old lenses and test-fitted fitted into an old grille. I wired them in using GM Weatherpak 3-pin connectors so they can be easily removed without cutting wires. They look and function great and leave room for the big K&N Filter in front of the core support. Talk about a "giant sucking sound"—at idle the engine pulls a lot of air! I’m glad the filter is out of the engine compartment where it can draw cool air.

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