# Sticky  How To: DIY OTRCAI (warning 56k)



## svede1212 (Nov 1, 2005)

DIY is what the car hobby is all about. BMW people pay to have things done... muscle car people get dirty and I am a very dirty, dirty boy . First off two things; one is a recognition for buickcadillacman and to Scraggy for giving me some motivation for actually getting this thing going. I've been talking about it and kicking it around for over a year and a half . The second is I am not an expert by any means at fiberglassing but I spent some time researching it on the web and assembling the supplies as well as looking over the situation on the car to come up with my solution. This like almost everything I've done on the car was my first time so you can do it too. I'm sure there are others here that have real craftsmanship or have other ideas. It is my opinion that it isn't so hard that you can't come up with a workable one of any size, shape or type for yourself using the basics of what I did here.

The first thing was to assemble the supplies. Some of the stuff, like most of the tools, I already had and I think the total on the supplies I had to buy was about $100 with the filter being the the most expensive part of it. The list to the best of my memory was:

2” Foam insulation board
Foam board compatible glue
Filter (K&N 33-2522)
Packing tape
Floor wax
1 bag of glass cloth from Menards
Play-Doh
Bondo
Acetone
Vinegar
Wax paper
3 ft. 1/2” x 3/4” aluminum angle iron
Bump hose connector that I already had
Hose clamps & misc. hardware like screws
The following was from Welcome to Mr Fiberglass.com - Composite Construction Materials
1 qt. epoxy resin and medium cure rate hardener
Hand pump set for above
1 qt. Phenolic microballons
1 oz. carbon black coloring
1 yard 3 oz. 4 HS (harness) cloth

Tools were:
Measuring tape
Hack saw
Dremel
Hand saw
Drill & bits
4” hole saw
Wire brush
Sand paper 
Razor blade
Cheap brush
Scissors
Wall paper seam roller
Plastic body putty spreader (got these from Menards. They're only $1.29 for 3)
Homemade jig to hold the form
Old metal can
Respirator
Disposable latex or nitrile gloves


----------



## svede1212 (Nov 1, 2005)

I started up looking over the engine bay and taking some basic measurements. The '04 LS1 radiator is a little lower than the LS2s so I have a little more room for clearance. I had purchased the filter from Auto Zone (they had to order it) and got the biggest one that was also as thin as I could find. There is only ~2 1/4” between the car's front metal work and the radiator to fit everything down. I felt that being able to easily service the filter was important plus with with the shaping of the vertical part of the form and the thickness of the filter it left only a little more than an inch for air flow from the lowest point behind the filter. The reason for the intake was obviously to get cool air in (which I was already getting with my SS Intake) but also for having one that had the straightest shot into the TB. Intakes like my old one (sometimes referred to as a Hardcore type) have bends with one being a hard 90* right in front of the TB. I felt that having the intake higher gave that straight shot and yet it still could collect cool air from the grill as well as the gap along the hood. That gap BTW isn't insignificant. There's about 15 sq. inches of opening along that gap right at the highest pressure part of the front of the car. Having the intake high also doesn't block much of the radiator. It's cold out now so it may be next year before I can get any real testing done. I also am going to think about if I want to cut the stock plastic trim piece or make up my own fiberglass ones to go on either side of the intake.


----------



## svede1212 (Nov 1, 2005)

When researching fiberglass I found two ways to make a hollow part. One was to make two molds and glue the two halves together. The other was to use the ”lost foam” method. I choose that as I am not mass producing the part and it is the easiest option. In it you form the fiberglass around your foam mold and then use solvent to dissolve the foam out of the middle. 
I glued up two thicknesses of foam board for the main part with another piece glued on a vertical for the filter part. In the picture you can see a triangular section along the 90* that I thought I would need. I didn't need it as it was all removed in the fitting procedure so you can skip that. I needed to glue it a couple of days ahead of time as the glue I used was a water based glue (solvent based eats the foam) and because the foam prevents most air from getting in it dries slowly. I didn't try it but I think another approach would be to use silicone adhesive.










In measuring I noted that the TB is off center as is the whole engine. The filter needed the whole width that had the full 2 1/4” part of the gap and that is centered on the car so it meant that the intake was going to be asymmetrical. I marked up the rough outline and cut it out with a hack saw blade on the curved sections and a hand saw on the straight sections. A hot wire cutter would be the preferred method as it makes less of a mess but I used what I had at hand.



















I used a 4” hole saw to cut the TB end as I had one and it made a nice smooth cylinder. You could hand shape that if you had too. Starting on the rough fit I marked where it was going to take some material removal and after a little trial and error discovered that a wire brush makes a great way to take away material quickly and shape it. I only stroked it in one direction “pulling it” towards me until the shape looked close and then used 40 grit sand paper to do the final smoothing. It's a mess so do this outside. It makes for a nice dusting of pink snow in your driveway.










Shaping tools of wire brush and 2" PVC pipe with sandpaper stapled on it


----------



## svede1212 (Nov 1, 2005)

After some rough fitting it's time to get serious about it and I put a cloth under it to hold it up a little to simulate the thickness of the fiberglass. I put some Play-Doh on the form, covered it with wax paper and closed the hood to find out where it was going to hit. Make sure you put the wax paper over the Play-Doh before you close the hood or you'll jam the stuff into your hood liner. Don't ask how I know . Figure a little room for the thickness of glass on top. Another thing that you may have to account for is engine torquing. I have an Engall's Stiffy engine torque dampener to keep the engine from moving so much when revving. A compliant “hump” coupler connecting the intake to the TB and/or poly engine mounts would be a great help also.







































When you get the form to your liking it's time to prep it for laying up the glass. The first thing you do is wrap the entire foam form in clear packing tape. The tape makes it easier to get the innards out later as well as preventing the epoxy from melting the foam. The outside tape surface becomes the shape that's the surface on the inside of the intake after you remove the tape/foam so you need to lay it on as smooth as you can. After the tape layer is applied you need to coat it with some kind of mold release. A good paste wax is one of the things you can use and I had a can of it around from doing my hardwood floors. You should apply at least 4 coats of wax letting it dry between coats and buffing it out after the 2nd and 4th coats. The other thing that became apparent to me was that it was going to be a mess having to epoxy all the sides of the foam at once so I made up a jig out of scrap wood to hold it. I pounded several finishing nails into short 2 x 4 pieces that would hold each end to give it the bite it needed to hold securely. Now I could rotate it to work on either side or stand it up on either end.


----------



## svede1212 (Nov 1, 2005)

I didn't get any pictures of the actual glass layup because my hands were busy and it was a mess but you should cut the cloth pieces out first as best you can and plan where they are going to go allowing about an inch overlap. You can adjust the cut with your scissors after it's on the form but it's a little messy. The wife freaked because I used “her good scissors” but the epoxy cleans up pretty easy if you get to it before it completely hardens. This where the vinegar comes in. It's amazing but it will clean epoxy off your tools and skin as long as it hasn't fully set up. I was able to even clean the brush and use it again and again. Acetone works too but you don't want to use it on your skin. It can carry the epoxy into your system. I'm trying to save my liver for serious drinking so I used the vinegar, nitrile gloves and the respirator in an area outside my house. I laid it up in 3 separate layers letting it harden for a day between layers and then sanding it before applying the next layer. I used the 4 HS for the first and last layer as it is a very smooth cloth for appearance on the outside and for smooth inner air flow. I used the coarser but stronger cloth for the middle layer of the sandwich. The neck has 4 layers of glass for extra strength. The hand pumps that I got from Mr. Fiberglass made it really easy to portion the ratios of resin and hardener which were 3:1. I wasn't sure how much to make up on the first time and I used 9 pumps of resin with 3 pumps of hardener. It was way too much and I wasted half of it. On subsequent layers, 6 and 2 pumps were more than enough to saturate the cloth with some left over. Mix the stuff thoroughly and it's recommended to use a metal container. I reused the same can because by the next day what was left had hardened to a nice smooth bottom. After I was done with the project I had about an inch and a half of wasted epoxy hardened in the can. You need to work fairly quickly as it has a pot life of about 20 minutes. I read you can also put mixed unused epoxy in the freezer as it sets very, very slowly when cold if you want to save it. You do need to use it as soon as you get it thawed the next day.


----------



## svede1212 (Nov 1, 2005)

I took the cheap paint brush and cut the bristles to about 1 1/2”. You need them fairly stiff to work the epoxy into the cloth. Apply the epoxy first to the taped/waxed form. Lay up the glass cloth onto that one piece at a time and re-apply the epoxy over the top to “wet out” the cloth. Put on enough to wet out the cloth but not so much it runs and drips. Use the brush, spreader and seam roller to work out any big air bubbles trapped in the cloth. After the cloth gets wet is becomes somewhat transparent and forms to the shape a little better. Be careful not to push the cloth as it will want to slip around. You can lay up other layers after its initial “set” period which on this epoxy was 3-4 hrs but before it's “dry” period of 8-10 hrs but it's hard to do while it's tacky. If you decide to wait until after it fully dries you need to sand it before the next layer. I liked being able to smooth it between layers so I let each layer dry until the next day and then sanded and applied the next layer.

After the first two layers I used the epoxy to glue down a strip of the angle iron along the little flat ledge I had formed in the front on top. It will later be used to hold the top part of the filter. Here you can see the first glass layers almost disappear after getting laid up with resin.










The top layer went over the top of the angle iron to firmly hold it in place. After I was done laying up the cloth I made up a mixture of 3 pumps resin and one pump hardener and mixed it just a little of the black coloring and added the microballons until I got a thicker consistency. The microballons also make the resin a little stronger and easier to sand. I added the coloring mainly to see what it would look like (it looks good) but found that it has the benefit of helping when it came time to sand it. You could easily see where the top layer ended so you didn't go too deep and it made it easy to see where to add the Bondo when I got to the final finishing. You can see it looks a little ragged yet.


----------



## svede1212 (Nov 1, 2005)

After sanding (you always sand between coats) I skimmed a thin layer of Bondo over the intake to fix any imperfections and make it as pretty as I could. The Bondo sets quickly and in about a half an hour I could sand it and re-apply where ever it was necessary.










The top coat was some of the carbon black coloring (it's very concentrated) mixed in 2 pumps resin to 2/3rds pumps of hardener and that was a lot more than enough to “paint” the outside black and give that nice shiny finish. It sags slowly but surely so don't try to put on very much otherwise you'll come back and it will be dripping off the bottom. I did two thin layers waiting for 4 hrs. between for good coverage. Because the coloring is through the entire layer it won't peel or rub off like paint would. Spraying would be an even better option if you wanted it to be absolutely perfect but brushing it on worked fairly well as it self levels fine. You'll just have a few tiny pinholes from air bubbles. To minimize them i gently brushed the surface bubbles from one side to the other before it started to set. Don't go too crazy because a lot of the imperfections will slowing flow away before it dries.










After hardening (i gave it 2 days) it was time to trim the intake. I cut off the neck to length with a hack saw and measured where the filter opening needed to be on the front. I used a small cutting wheel on my Dremel to cut the filter opening. 

This part is pretty messy. It was time to remove the foam from the inside. I got the box I'd thrown my waste in and poured a little of the the acetone into the neck end of the intake and watched the foam dissolve away. It's important that you do the Wizard of Oz *“I'm melting, I'm melting” *as you watch the foam shrink away. After you get it down to a gooey level you can pull out the tape along with the goo. Use your gloves!


----------



## svede1212 (Nov 1, 2005)

The filter was then tucked into the angle iron and pushed into place. I was going to put the other piece of angle iron on the bottom with screws to hold the bottom of the filter but it snapped in so tight and then it's held so it can't move after I installed it in the car so for now I'm just going to leave it. It was more luck than brains that made it fit in so well.


Hooked up and ready to go. I put a strip of foam insulating tape on top of the radiator and condensor to cushion and insulate it. I'm really happy with the way it came out. I expected it to be “OK” as I said I've never done anything like this before but it looks as good in person as in the pictures. It makes really loud sucking noises out of the front, much more than my other intake. Testing to come when and if the weather gets better before I put her away for the winter.


----------



## Rukee (Feb 8, 2007)

Wow, what an awesome job of fabricating! :cheers
Please forgive my ignorance, but is the grill a straight flow through for the air?


----------



## svede1212 (Nov 1, 2005)

do you mean the grill on the intake or the car?


----------



## Rukee (Feb 8, 2007)

The two chrome grills on the front of the car between the headlights.


----------



## svede1212 (Nov 1, 2005)

that's just the stock grills. the intake gets air fed from there and from the gap between the hood and bumper. i measured that gap as ~15 sq inches so it will feed a lot of air from the highest pressure area on the car. the hood scoops on '05-'06s are positioned for show not go. by the time the air gets by there it's already lifted by the flow up over them.


----------



## GM4life (Mar 18, 2007)

Good job *svede1212* thanks for taking the time and posting all that up. How many intake setups have you had on your car so far?


----------



## svede1212 (Nov 1, 2005)

gm4life said:


> Good job *svede1212* thanks for taking the time and posting all that up. How many intake setups have you had on your car so far?


let's see: stock, JHP MAF pipe, JHP pipe with K&N drop-in, all the before with 2 hole mod, Thru-the-fender with Omega thermistor mod (SS Intake) 1 & 2, new OTRCAI. a couple :lol: plus i've tested the LPE and K&N with temp and MAP logging


----------



## alsgto04 (Nov 21, 2007)

Very nice setup, thanks for sharing that with us.:cheers


----------



## GM4life (Mar 18, 2007)

Any testing done yet IAT's, MAP, ect.? I know thats what your good for.


----------



## Aramz06 (Mar 2, 2008)

Awesome setup.


----------



## svede1212 (Nov 1, 2005)

gm4life said:


> Any testing done yet IAT's, MAP, ect.? I know thats what your good for.


yep, just one test tho. it's snowing like a beach today and besides it getting too cold for proper IAT testing. she's probably going to sleep for the next 4-5- months unless global warming kicks back in real soon. for my test i idled for a half an hour to heat it up. my IATs were 93* on a 50*ish day. the setup IMHO needs a shroud to isolate the engine bay from the front. i looked at cutting up the stock shroud but besides not wanting to do that it really doesn't seal it off. i guess that means i'll have to make one . as far a MAP it was better than expected. 
MAP is manifold absolute pressure and you can think of it like barometric pressure. whatever the pressure is outside is what the MAP is. you check the baseline by just turning the key to "on" without starting the engine and noting what the logging software says it is. i baselined a 98 kpa MAP. a restriction in the filter, intake, bends, tubing, manifold, TB, etc will give a MAP lower than the engine off/static MAP due to the engine sucking air out of the manifld faster than it can refill. my old setup gave a MAP of -1 to -2 less than static MAP at high RPM/wide open throttle. when i took off for the freeway my IATs dropped quickly and my MAP not only held my baseline 98 MAP from 3,500 to 6,500 RPM but from what i believed was my speed it increased to 99 kpa for a period. here's a graph of that run. the MAP is in the second section with the purple line with the value to the left. as i said conjecture meets measurements.


----------



## Tri-Power (Jan 10, 2008)

Sorry if you addressed this in your write up, but It seems like it is blocking a significant portion of the radiator. Are the stock radiators efficient enough to be blocked like that for the southern guys?


----------



## svede1212 (Nov 1, 2005)

Tri-Power said:


> Sorry if you addressed this in your write up, but It seems like it is blocking a significant portion of the radiator. Are the stock radiators efficient enough to be blocked like that for the southern guys?


it really isn't a large percentage of the radiator. i think that the radiator has more than enough capacity. another thing is you're thinking in a straight line. altho it "blocks" a small portion of the top it doesn't block if off completely. if you look at the second picture of post #8 you can see that air (which is being pulled by the fan if necessary) is easily able to flow up to the top of the radiator behind the intake thru the condenser fins. they've been using OTRCAIs extensively in Australia for years


----------



## Rukee (Feb 8, 2007)

It would be sweet if you could take your unit and shrink wrap some melted plastic to it and reproduce them in quanity.


----------



## 6QTS11OZ (Mar 27, 2005)

Are you using the MAF or running a speed density tune?


----------



## svede1212 (Nov 1, 2005)

Rukee said:


> It would be sweet if you could take your unit and shrink wrap some melted plastic to it and reproduce them in quanity.


oh how i wish i could. my wife thinks i could make big bucks . i told her it was a hobby which of course she doesn't understand. i've had several requests to make one but unfortunately the '05-'06s are different and i don't have one to fit up on. i also would feel compelled to make them perfect which would drive me nuts



6QTS11OZ said:


> Are you using the MAF or running a speed density tune?


i've been running a speed density tune for over 2 1/2 years.


----------



## svede1212 (Nov 1, 2005)

well, the car's going off insurance this week so this is the last test for this year. i really wish i could track it now because it is running so strong. i looked up some logs of past runs that i kept to compare MAPs with my old setup. one thing i've noticed is that my MAP sensor reads 2 kpa lower than barometric kpa as compared to Weather Underground. yesterday's actual was 103 kpa and my recorded static MAP was 101 kpa. it doesn't affect anything but it's handy to know as i can just look up the kpa for logged days and subtract "2" to come up with my baseline.
my old setup was a thru-the-fender with 9" cone filter, scooped intake, 4" smooth tube, MAFless with a JHP tube connected to a 80mm BBK TB.
the first graph is a run at the strip last year. Weather Underground shows a kpa of 102.5 for that day so my baseline is 100.5 kpa. at a much higher speed but the same RPM as the second graph i averaged around 96 kpa and at a couple of points dropped to 95. other runs with that intake showed similar results.










this second graph shows a spirited freeway on-ramp run with the OTRCAI. the barometric kpa yesterday was 103 and my HPT measured static kpa was 101. i averaged a 100 kpa with it briefly touching 101 kpa a few times but as you can see the MAP stayed almost as flat as a board. if you look at the top of the graph you can see where my MPH and RPM have little humps instead of a steady ramp up. that's where the tires spun a little a few times. summer tires and torque FTL . i'm kicking around moving the IAT sensor a little farther upstream as it seems to heat up a little where it is. my conclusion is that at least for low restriction this intake beats the "Hardcore type" setup hands down and is a very worthy mod.


----------



## JamieCash (Feb 3, 2009)

wow that really is good man how much would you sell me 1 of these puppy's for ?


----------



## svede1212 (Nov 1, 2005)

JamieCash said:


> wow that really is good man how much would you sell me 1 of these puppy's for ?


right now the only one i can make one for is a '04. when spring gets here maybe i can fond someone with a LS2 to mock one up on


----------



## Mr. Black (Apr 10, 2006)

So so tempting to try this. How exactly is the filter held into the air box again? Maybe I missed that part. 

I drive in a **** load of rain though. I know it won't neccessariliy blow the engine up but it would I think create more filter maintenance ensuring the filter stays oiled. 


Been following yours and scraggys builds for a while now.


----------



## svede1212 (Nov 1, 2005)

Mr. Black said:


> So so tempting to try this. How exactly is the filter held into the air box again? Maybe I missed that part.
> 
> I drive in a **** load of rain though. I know it won't neccessariliy blow the engine up but it would I think create more filter maintenance ensuring the filter stays oiled.
> 
> ...


sorry, missed this. the filter is held in with the aluminum angle "iron" along the top and the lower part is held in by pushing against the metal in front of the radiator gap. i should take a better picture of that someday to show how it works. i was going to do something more elaborate but that worked so well i never did anything else


----------



## REDGTO89 (Jul 19, 2008)

thats awesome nice job:cheers i want one lol
:cheers:cheers:cheers:cheers:cheers:cheers


----------



## svede1212 (Nov 1, 2005)

here's a new one that just went out for testing. i'm hoping it's going to test out well. excuse the pink fairy dust. my engine bay is trashed from all the styrofoam molds i've had in there... 

this one's hooked up to a 100mm MAF.


----------



## ricekiller848 (Oct 24, 2007)

put me down for 1 !!


----------



## GTOJer (Oct 20, 2006)

I have a question. Glad to see you hooking it up to a 100mm MAF, as that is the exact MAF I have. Is there room to have a FAST manifold, along with a 92mm TB? I have a Banshee hood and I think the air scoops are far enough forward to still have some pressure on them so this would be THE setup, but I am worried about room for that TB as I know it is longer than a stock one.
I about to cut the 4" hole next week as soon as the rest of the 4" stuff gets here but I would rather not.

Another question and this one is just curiosity as this won't effect me but what about engine vibration? Does this hit your hood upon acceleration? I have the new style Noltec engine mount so mine doesn't move.


----------



## svede1212 (Nov 1, 2005)

GTOJer said:


> I have a question. Glad to see you hooking it up to a 100mm MAF, as that is the exact MAF I have. Is there room to have a FAST manifold, along with a 92mm TB? I have a Banshee hood and I think the air scoops are far enough forward to still have some pressure on them so this would be THE setup, but I am worried about room for that TB as I know it is longer than a stock one.
> I about to cut the 4" hole next week as soon as the rest of the 4" stuff gets here but I would rather not.
> 
> Another question and this one is just curiosity as this won't effect me but what about engine vibration? Does this hit your hood upon acceleration? I have the new style Noltec engine mount so mine doesn't move.


the latest design i've been making is shorter (the one in the writeup is a speed density/no MAF unit). i have sold them to people that have it with FAST TBs and manifolds. the Banshee hood needs to be cut as it hangs down too far in the front. one guy has done that successfully too. the fan shroud also needs a little 6" cut made in it. as far a vibration, etc, none has been noted by anyone including myself. most are on stock engine mounts altho mine has an Engalls stiffy. the only thing is you hear a loud sucking sound from the front especially on cold start up as it's megaphoning straight out of the TB.


----------



## Mikejy1785 (Aug 11, 2009)

Do you actually make these for people? I've got an 04 and i'd really like to try that setup out.


----------



## svede1212 (Nov 1, 2005)

Mikejy1785 said:


> Do you actually make these for people? I've got an 04 and i'd really like to try that setup out.


i do. if you're interested PM me.


----------



## seanrg1116 (Aug 13, 2009)

Do you believe that it made a noticeable differance over the traditional FIPK? or about the same? what about rain?


----------



## jsmith564 (Sep 12, 2008)

svede1212 said:


> the latest design i've been making is shorter (the one in the writeup is a speed density/no MAF unit). i have sold them to people that have it with FAST TBs and manifolds. the Banshee hood needs to be cut as it hangs down too far in the front. one guy has done that successfully too. the fan shroud also needs a little 6" cut made in it. as far a vibration, etc, none has been noted by anyone including myself. most are on stock engine mounts altho mine has an Engalls stiffy. the only thing is you hear a loud sucking sound from the front especially on cold start up as it's megaphoning straight out of the TB.


i'm thinking instead of cutting the shroud.. pull out the rad rubber supports that it sits on and trim them down about 3/4 to an inch.. that'll give some needed clearence. just an idea.


----------



## svede1212 (Nov 1, 2005)

jsmith564 said:


> i'm thinking instead of cutting the shroud.. pull out the rad rubber supports that it sits on and trim them down about 3/4 to an inch.. that'll give some needed clearence. just an idea.


the cut shown gains you another horizontal inch. you'd need to lower the radiator at least an inch to negate the need and i'm not sure you can gain that much. you do need some of it to prevent metal to metal contact. it would also be a much harder mod than the 10 minutes it takes to do this.


----------



## svede1212 (Nov 1, 2005)

just a little update to the latest design i came up with to accommodate all years ('04-'06) GTOs. the hood scoops and the radiator were the main differences. i had to figure out a way to work the PVC sytem in on the LS2 and i think came up with a little better one than on the VR. it is a 3/8" nylon barb/barb hose coupler from Menards with one end cut off. the center section is a disc and pushed thru from the inside with the hose on the outside makes a nice tight fit without too much intrusion into the air stream. a positive of the LS2 is the distance between the TB and radiator is a little longer as the '04 was really tight if you had aftermarket TBs which tend to be 3/4"-1" longer. there's also lots of room for a NO2 plate. the "tube" on the top of the intake allows for sufficient air flow over the radiator and IMHO has the added benefit of helping to shape the air before the neck. the "tube" is offset just like the neck because our engines are off center. interestingly enough you'll notice that it puts the weight of the car slightly to the driver's side which is of course the original passenger's side on the Monaro, possibly to offset the driver on a right hand drive car?


----------



## LOWET (Oct 21, 2007)

svede1212 said:


> /QUOTE]
> 
> 
> 
> ...


----------



## Mr. Black (Apr 10, 2006)

I have the svede intake on my car now. I could not be happier with the work he has done on the LS2 setup. 

Highly recommend.


----------



## Mr. Black (Apr 10, 2006)

Here is a better picture with the bay all cleaned up and the radiator cover put back on.


----------



## whytedude422 (Mar 11, 2009)

Is this avaliable for purchase yet? I would def like to get my hands on one.


----------



## svede1212 (Nov 1, 2005)

I've made dozens and dozens in the last 7-8 months. Unfortunately the waiting list is getting pretty long. PM me if you want the details.


----------



## GTO Jimbo (Jan 1, 2010)

I've been thinking about buying one but, the only thing holding me back is rain.

I live in WA state where 364 days a year we get some form of rain. How well does this hold up? Have any issues with it?


----------



## svede1212 (Nov 1, 2005)

Hey, didn't see your post. I don't check this thread very often. Rain isn't an issue. Even if some water gets in it doen't do anything. Most people confuse some water ingestion with hydro lock. Hydro lock is where so much liquid enter the cylinder that the piston can't compress it and something breaks. On some engines water is intentionally injected to cool the charge just like methanol injection. Water is also formed from combustion every time the spark plug fires. You can read about water injection here.


----------



## gregethomas (Mar 7, 2010)

Where can you buy a svede system?


----------



## dquack (Oct 28, 2009)

gregethomas said:


> Where can you buy a svede system?


Shoot Svede a PM and he will let you know the details. Be warned his intake has alot of followers hence the longer wait list. I plan on getting one when I get back to the states next year.


----------



## G T Oh Damn (Feb 2, 2010)

Off topic but, dquack that is one nice GTO. If you don't mind I would like to send you a PM. Got a few questions about the L92/L76 head/intake combo.


----------



## svede1212 (Nov 1, 2005)

I do intakes as a performance mod and appearance is secondary but IMHO they do look pretty cool. I thought I'd post up this just 'cause. Someone had his body man fill, block and paint his intake because he wanted to remove my imperfections and didn't want it shiny. On the downside the "stock" finish is more durable as it's solid black epoxy but I think this looks nice.


----------



## G T Oh Damn (Feb 2, 2010)

It looks damn good no matter what you do to it..... it just looks right at home underneath any GTO's hood. I can't wait for mine.


----------



## Poncho Dan (Jun 30, 2009)

I can't wait to get mine and compare before and after log files on the stock air box vs Svede's.


----------



## dquack (Oct 28, 2009)

G T Oh Damn said:


> Off topic but, dquack that is one nice GTO. If you don't mind I would like to send you a PM. Got a few questions about the L92/L76 head/intake combo.


Thanks. Can't wait to get back stateside and do some real work on it. Sorry just read your post what are your questions?


----------



## G T Oh Damn (Feb 2, 2010)

I was just curious what spec cam you are running with your L92's? I've heard in order to get the best timing/performance out of the L92's with a decent sized cam you need to flycut the pistons... Also, are you running stock length push rods after you installed your heads? I'm sure I may have more questions later but I think those are the question I need a bit more info on. Thanks man.


----------



## dquack (Oct 28, 2009)

Those mods were done by the previous owner. I tried to get some info on the mods done, but never heard back from the owner or the company that did the mods. I plan on getting into it this spring to find out which cam he went with and see what else he did. As soon as I get in there and see I will let you know. Sorry it wasn't the help you needed. Wish I knew more about those mods that he did - it would ease my mind some.


----------



## G T Oh Damn (Feb 2, 2010)

Its no big deal. I still got plenty of time before I am even remotely close to installing the heads. And hell I wish I was lucky enough to find a goat with L92's already on it lol. Nice find.


----------



## GM4life (Mar 18, 2007)

No hyjacking please.


----------



## Poncho Dan (Jun 30, 2009)

A few tips:

If you indeed are going to cut your radiator fan shroud with the hacksaw blade method, use a scrap piece of cardboard to protect your radiator from errant cuts or stabs.

Also when Svede says cut your radiator shroud, cut it *deep*, behind the radiator. I had to re-cut again because my initial trim was not sufficient.


----------



## Poncho Dan (Jun 30, 2009)

Since I can't figure out how to post a .log file, I'll provide a snapshot.










This particular snapshot shows the one and only time in the 20 minute drive I got a KR spike, and it's huge. Don't know what that's all about yet... I've been looking at different spark tables in my tune and don't see anything out of place. Maybe someone can step in and tell me whats up... :confused


KR aside, this snapshot was a 6->4 downshift on the freeway. Base temp was 52°F, and my IAT peaked at 61° sitting at a light. Ambient kPA was 97, and on this and several other occasions in the run my MAPs were pretty flat with ambient @WOT.

As far as teh butt dyno, it feels like this intake builds a lot of midrange TQ and top end HP over stock. Can I tell you how much? No. But I was stock before, and the motor seemed to nose over after 5500RPM where as now it keeps pulling hard past 6000. Throttle response is much more snappy.

Svede makes a fine product. :cheers


----------



## svede1212 (Nov 1, 2005)

Wow I've never seen a KR that large ever. Do you have a wideband? knowing the AFR would eliminate a lot. It was at a fairly low RPM too. I think it says 3.9k?


----------



## Poncho Dan (Jun 30, 2009)

Yeah, I've got the Innovative LC-1, I just have to get off my butt and get the bung installed and the sensor hooked up. I've only done two short logs so far with not a whole lot of opportunity to open it up all the way.


----------



## svede1212 (Nov 1, 2005)

Well, the MAF signal doesn't look wacked so I'd guess that you're getting more air flow and your AFR is lean. I'd get it verified before you do some spirited driving


----------



## 87GN06GTO07IRL (Aug 10, 2009)

Congratulations on having your intake on the 10 second Gto in this months gmhtp mag!


----------



## svede1212 (Nov 1, 2005)

Wow. I'm going to have to pick the mag up. Was it the one I made for LS1Melissa?


Edit: I went and looked for it. Was it the August issue of GM High Tech Performance? 'Cause it wasn't in the July one I found.


----------



## Poncho Dan (Jun 30, 2009)

Damn dude, free publicity, you can't beat that!

I need to get to the track. I'm betting myself I can break into the high 12s with just the intake, exhaust, and tune. Too bad Great Lakes Dragaway is about an hour south of me... keeps me from going much.


----------



## svede1212 (Nov 1, 2005)

Poncho Dan said:


> Damn dude, free publicity, you can't beat that!
> 
> I need to get to the track. I'm betting myself I can break into the high 12s with just the intake, exhaust, and tune. Too bad Great Lakes Dragaway is about an hour south of me... keeps me from going much.


With a good launch you should have no problem. I have my intake on a couple of 10 second cars and one 9 second one now. With the number of ones out there now the list should grow. arty:


----------



## 87GN06GTO07IRL (Aug 10, 2009)

svede1212 said:


> Wow. I'm going to have to pick the mag up. Was it the one I made for LS1Melissa?
> 
> 
> Edit: I went and looked for it. Was it the August issue of GM High Tech Performance? 'Cause it wasn't in the July one I found.


Yeah it's Melissa's. August page 28.


----------



## svede1212 (Nov 1, 2005)

Just an update. For those of you not wanting to DIY I have partnered with West Coast Speed to produce and market the intake in a higher capacity than I did it by hand making them. We hope to be not only offer the universal '04-'06 OTRCAI but also to offer body color matching and carbon fiber in the future. Visit the website to pre-order the unit. Right now the prototype is at the composite shop having molds made and should go into full time production in the first 2 weeks of October.


----------



## dquack (Oct 28, 2009)

Svede - That is AWESOME! When they made the mold and made their prototype were there any big changes from the one you were cranking out? Just wondering if they changed anything due to manufacturing purposes or monetary reasons. Thanks for the update - I will be ordering mine in the VERY near future. Just have to find someone who tunes here in Germany or learn it myself. Thanks again for everything you did.


----------



## svede1212 (Nov 1, 2005)

Very minor changes. I made up as perfect of prototype as I could. We shaved the back top corners slightly as a couple of them seemed to rub there a bit. We also had to attach the top filter holder differently as I embedded it in between layers when doing it my hand. Other than that it's the same. I've really been wanting to get out from under the demands. I had around 150 waiting that wanted them and it was way too much for one guy. That got to be a lot more than the couple of intakes I made as favors to start with. For those wanting to do the hard work or wanting to save the money they still have the how-to.


----------



## nastygoat405rwhp (Mar 28, 2010)

man great job I have an 06 and you have inspired me to make my own as soon as i get home from iraq


----------



## x2jesse1x (Feb 26, 2011)

Ive tried to make my own OTR CAI and it was pretty tough. I have an order for a Svede OTR instead. lol


----------



## RelentlessGTO (Sep 17, 2011)

How much to make me one lol?


----------



## Vbp6us (May 6, 2008)

$400 for a Svede OTRCAI? Ouch.


----------

