Hello everybody,

Tired of having to pay $150+ for a K&N CAI? Then this is an easy way to make your own CAI that should take approximately $30-50 and 1-2 hours of your time. The performance gain is large enough where you will notice a difference and for $30 bucks who can resist? Especially considering the fact that with the amount of gas you will save the project pays for itself within months. So here is how to do it cheap and easy.

Disclaimer: This is for a '02 Dodge Neon ACR with a 2.0L Magnum engine. Slight modifications may be needed for your specific vehicle. Use this as a guideline, if you see improvements make them, this is just how I did it on a short budget.

Supplies:
1 - 2 feet of 2" diameter PVC pipe (Lowes - $6)
1 - 2" flexible 90-degree elbow with clamps (Lowes - $8)
1 - ?" PVC piece to connect air filter to 2" PVC pipe (Lowes - $5-10)
{This piece depends directly on the filter type you choose. I had to get a shower drain with an ID of 2" and an OD of 2.5". This was nice due to the rubber fitting on the inside and screw on the outside to make sure everything was snug. My suggestion is first choose the filter you want, preferably something similar to what is used on a '95 Ford Ranger, your local Autozone can help you decide, that way you can take the piece into Lowes with you and make sure it all fits snug}
1 - air filter (Autozone - $10-20)
{As I said I used the one that fits on a '95 Ford Ranger that has the cone tip}
1 - Can of high-temperature paint, your color choice ($5-10 - Autozone)

Instructions:
You now know that everything fits because you bought a specific piece for your application and made sure it fit while still in Lowes, right? That is half the work. Now the fun part, power tools.

Step 1: Take off the cover to your air box. (If you don't know how to do this without me explaining, you shouldn't be looking at this thread.)
Step 2: Remove your dirty airfilter and trash it!
Step 3: Using a 2-inch mandrel bore a hole through the bottom of your air box so that you can clearly see the ground.
Step 4:
A. Measure the length of your air filter.
B. Put the 90-degree fitting onto where your old filter used to connect and make sure the end points down.
C. Extend your measuring tape through the hole you drilled in the intake box until you hit the ground.
D. Look at how much room you have between the ground and the end of the 90-degree fitting.
E. Measure your ground clearance of your front bumper.
F. Add your ground clearance plus your filter length and subtract that from your total height.
G. Add 2 inches approximately and you have how long you need to cut your 2" PVC pipe. (Mine was an 8-inch long filter with a ground clearance of 8-inches. My measurement came out to be 10 inches of PVC.)
Step 4: Cut the PVC to size.
Step 5: Apply 2-3 coats of high-temperature paint to both the inside and outside of your PVC pipe and allow to dry according to can. (Remember light even coats.)
Step 6: Connect all the pieces together and tighten! (The PVC should connect to the 90-degree elbow and point through your 2-inch mandrel-drilled hole. You should then use your air filter attachment and attach the air filter to the PVC. Your air filter should now be directly behind your bumper and visible through the wheel-well from the outside. It looks very mean and you can show it off to all your friends who spent a month making the money for their kits)
Step 7: If you have an oxygen sensor that is now left out of the intake system just make a hole in the 90-degree flex pipe. Make sure it is small and fits in tight, remember, you can always make a hole bigger, but not smaller.

You now have your own custom intake. Here is the breakdown of cost:
PVC pipe: $6
Flexible 90-degree elbow $8
PVC piece specific to your project $5-10
Air Filter $10-20
Paint: $5-10

Total: $34-54

For 1/4th the price you now have your own custom CAI. Remember also, as a rule of thumb, every 2 degrees cooler the air you pull in is, 1 horsepower is gained. This as I said, is a feelable difference, especially in high RPM ranges racing down the interstate. Enjoy and have fun!

(I am hoping to post pictures soon, we will soon be doing a CAI for a '95 Ford Ranger XLT and I'll show the procedure because it is very similar. If you need more information or help e-mail me at phillip.knighton@maconstate.edu Have fun and be creative.)

(The picture attachments are pointless by the way, I messed them up and am too lazy to correct, just ignore the attachments.)

 

I just ended up pulling the air box and putting a different tube between the intake and TB along with the drop in K&N that I had in my air box. Drilled the end of the K&N to accept the Air Temp sensor. I still need to get a 4 ply Silicone tube to put between the intake and TB since the rubber one I've got now doesn't work as well as I'd like but ya'll get the idea. As far as air goes, it pulls plenty of cool air from the big hole that's left from pulling the air box out.

 

Your setup is nice. The thing with mine though is first you can put the airbox cover back on, which prevents a lot of heat build up, and also the fact it is lower makes it inhale less heat. Yours is closer to the hot air, still a great design though.

 

Actually, the way the engine in a Neon is set up with the exhaust next to the firewall and the intake/TB on the front side of the engine it shouldn't pull all that much hot air. Also, if you notice, there's a BIG hole where the stock air box used to be that's now open to outside air coming up from under the car. I did have a sort of ram air intake set-up for a while but this seems to be a bit simpler and it looks a lot "cooler" too, LOL. I do know what you're talking about though because I built a CAI for my '04 Dodge truck kind of like what you're talking about, here's a pic:

 

i would but i need a c.a.r.b. number so dats a no for me

 

HAHA! This reminds me of the Honda VTEC 2 song on youtube! "Custom Cold-air intake made from PVC pipe"

Lyrics:

Rollin down the strip just hollerin’ at bitches
My Honda is bouncing cut the springs 3 inches
My neons are flashing with the beat of my bass
Just another Friday night and my Civics ready to race
I got mad props for days from all the races that I’m winning
And when I’m stopped at a redlight my hubcaps keep spinning
My Seat is layed back got my hat cocked to the side
My skin may be white but I claim asian pride
My FWD is just burning up the streets
While I got your head bobbin to this cold *** beat
Tearing down you block with my crazy *** drivin’
I’m ripping through your town like hurricane Ivan
Got the music blaring from my audiovox speakers
The crowd parts in half when I hit the strobes in my blinkers
People gather around looking kinda curious
They all wanted to know if I’m in the Fast and the Furious.
I got out of my car with my pants just saggin
Then popped open my hood so I could start bragging
Chrome exhaust tip with built in LED lights
Custom cold air intake made from PVC pipe
2 Jensen subs in the trunk that are bangin’ hard
Grill from Home Depot made from Gutter Guard
Reving up my exhaust at everything I drive by
Saw a Camero in the slow lane and gave him a ricer fly by
I got your mirrors vibrating from the bass of my subs
I told my momma for Crimus I want the Giovanni Dubs
I got Japanese symbols on the back of my car
If you could read Japanese it would say Type R
I got a carbon fiber wing that stands 3 ft high
It it was any bigger I’d be flyin’ in the sky
Fools driving driving domestics know that imports are superior
I got 15 horsepower just by painting my interior
I got more horsepower than the phonebooks got pages
And my speedometer reads 140 on my indiglo gauges
I got purple neons underneath that keep the ground lit
3 more paychecks and I’ll have my body kit
Got decals on the side of all the sponsors I wanna get
And they’ll all coming crawling cause this songs about to hit
I gotta get my Civic ready for the road to Nopi
When the judges see my car I’ll get the first place trophy
I’ll smoke any car at Hot Import Nights
The only thing you will see is my altezza taillights
Cause everybody knows Hondas are the fastest car yet
I’ll eat a mustang for breakfast and **** out a corvette

 

from urban dictionary




51.
Civic

A car that is really meant to just get people from point A to B. Yet, there are some people out there that see a "hidden" performance package. Regardless if it's a type R or type SIR, it's still a torqueless car. Some people actually spend 5 thousand on a old pos civic, then spend another 10-20 grand on the car to make it look "cool" and "fast" when in reality, they could have just spent that money on a real car, saved the money and moved out from living in their parents basement.
Bill: Daym check out Eric in his civic, he spent 5gs on that turbo alone and another 7 on that type R engine!
Bob: Really, where does he live?
Bill: With his parents but still he got a dope *** car..
Bob:Actually myneon could whip his *** *cell rings* Oh daym my girl's at my house naked gotta go!