Ok been thinking of doing a CAI on my little 4 banger and im not paying 100 bucks for one from K&N or anything like that when i can make my own for cheaper. So what should i use as a heat shield? I'm never one to do a **** job that doesnt look good, i want it to be functional, and look professionally done if you know what i mean. Also, what do you guys use for the intake pipe? PVC? or can you guy some of that rubber hose so it looks more OEM?

 

I would just use the stock intake box and put the filter inside there. Line in with some of that aluminum bubble wrap that you can find at lowes that blocks 95% of radiant heat. Get the air out from behind the headlight.. This is all assuming your engine layout is the same as mine.

 

Yeah the engine layouts the same, matter of fact the block is just about the same it just has two cylinders cut off lol. I thought about doing that but i want to retain my stock box so i can go back to how it was if i want.

 

I still think the cheapest, most OEM looking would be to pick one up from a junkyard.. Might be able to fab a metal heat shield, assuming your skills are better than mine lol.

 

well what ever you use as a heat shield it should be something that won't easily melt or warp from exposure to confined heat

i have one of the $35 kits for my I6 off ebay, i still need to make a heat shield but i figured 20 guage steel would work great... then take some rubber tubing and line the very top edge as your soft seal

 

What's insulating about metal? Doesn't it conduct, absorb, radiate heat?

 

If I remember chemistry class correctly, all metals have a VERY low specific heat, meaning that they take little effort to heat up (or cool down).

Plastic makes a better heat insulator than metal. Wood does. Fiberglass. Anything but these hunks of wasted money that people call "cold air intakes".

 

Was being facetious. That was the point of my post.......what's insulating about metal? Nothing.....at least it's not insulating for the intake.

 

Now THAT's a cold air intake.

 

Im gonna use something like this in my xj...


it will need trimming i believe and i may put some exhaust wrap on the inside on the mini keg.

Found empty ones for those of us who dont drink this so called 'Heineken'

http://www.midwestsupplies.com/mini-keg.html

then get like a badass jeep sticker to put on it!

 

So.....what are the heat shields on the K&N kits made of? We've got lots of junk lying around, im sure i could find a little bit of anything