I was able to snag a K&N drop in filter for this air box (more money!), printed out the final pieces, and fitted them.

With the intake fully sorted out, it was time for another test drive. By this time, I was just wanting to be done with it. Thankfully, the new filter worked beautifully, and I had everything I'd had before with the Pizza Box + K&N and more!! Let me tell you, this engine is butter smooth all the way up to and past 4000 RPM. Even with the Pizza Box, the engine fought air flow at that RPM level, eliciting a sort of warble, with a matching subtle vibration felt through the pedal. There is none of that now. Incredibly linear power delivery. Just a flat out delight to drive now. MPG's are as yet unchanged, but I'm anxious for warmer weather and better gas. I know I am less into the throttle in normal traffic and highway cruising, so part of me thinks this has to improve mileage.

For now, I am enjoying the fruits of my labor here. Happy truck, happy driver.

As for externalizing this, yeah, there are some things one has to pick up, and I'd like to make an adjustment to the main air box bracket. Otherwise it's a workable system. Maybe the results aren't as felt with an automatic, but they certainly are with a manual. I have no idea. Guess I'll have to pick up a project Ram? Lol.

New PCV port plug.


Updated PCV conversion port design.


Hose installed.


Riv nut tools FTW. M8 threading here. The holes in this wheel well (two of them) are 10mm in diameter, and I used a 7/16" drill bit to open them up a tad more to allow the riv nut to slot in.


Bolts and nuts box for yet another contribution.


A very cut down snorkel to round out the visual proceedings. Also, hiding on the right, the updated coupling (internal) sleeve for the hose. That ain't goin' anywhere.

 

It's not a cold air intake, sucking from the warm engine heat. Linear flow is cancelled when it hits the Kegger. The stock setup is more than enough for our engines air supply and is sucking cold air from the outside. It might give you a .25 mpg and 1/2 horsepower. My thoughts and assumed scientific application has no proof it will work efficiently. Let's see a dyno pull for the numbers.

 

I realize it's not taking air from outside the engine bay, even if the stock setup can take it from the engine bay if need be (opening just behind the headlights). Ducting to the outside, whether at the head light or Volant style, is next on the list, and I've already bought material. I'll need to wait for warmer weather to see if heat soak is the same or noticeably lessened, but I'd have to think that not having an entire filter assembly directly on top of a hot engine, against the hood, is beneficial. Dodge moved away from this arrangement went it went to the 3rd gens.

Regarding linear flow, sure, it's canceled when it reaches the plenum like every other vehicle out there, but the air's path still needs to not suck, and the stock top hat sucks. The fact that 1) even a K&N panel filter didn't help too much and 2) that the "Pizza Box" ("Bento Box" would be more accurate, proportionally--maybe I should change that..) did help things noticeably is, to me, a testament to the stock top hat's inferior air flow.

I have read that the stock setup is sufficient for our trucks, but my butt dyno says otherwise with this new setup. You know how nice it is to not have to drag this truck through the RPM wasteland between ~1500-3000 RPM thanks to this new setup? Really nice! Love it. Sure, there is likely only "some" peak hp gain, but man is the area below peak and less than WOT noticeably improved across the board. 5th gear highway acceleration and passing, in town driving and engine "elasticity" within a gear, willingness to engage in cut-and-thrust maneuvers in traffic, etc. I have never had this engine sweep up to and past 4000 RPM this smoothly before. It doesn't feel or sound strangled or labored like before. And for those that wonder if it's louder or sounds like a Honda with an intake, it doesn't. Sounds like a truck, which I appreciate.

This is what the engine bay of a 3rd gen Ram 1500 with the 5.9L Magnum looks like. I'd love to be able to see photos or find what that hose/TB interface looks like, but the whole setup looks kinda familiar, eh? My elbow design is more optimized than this lean-to shaped design, but I'd say finding this assembly complete from a Pick-n-Pull (or similar) or eBay or via local CL/Marketplace and pairing it with a K&N filter would be a big help and net you essentially the same result.



I did find this modification at the Pick-n-Pull last week. We've been trying for a long time!

 

Somehow, I didn't show a macro view of the engine bay as it stands today. Apologies for that space cadet move.

 

Cool project. Unless you are sitting idling in traffic, there is plenty of outside air to cool and dilute the intake charge in that part of the engine box, maybe not the same as full outside for sure, but you can set the parrot terror talk/negativity aside.
I'd have to see the V-10 setup, that box sits where the washer reservoir coolant overflow-ed. and coilpacks sit for my V-10, and the duct would have to do a full 180 to make the throttle body. Really interesting idea. I had Hughes Performance mill out my throttle body few years ago, but the factory airfilter box does nothing but likely mask a lot of that work. It needs a V-8 style airhorn and different filter setup. My idea has always been an airbox sealed to the hood, 60's SuperBee Ramcharger style. Maybe a printed box is the answer. Nice work.

 

Thank you!

Looking at the air filter location for the V10's, that's...I thought they did the Magnum V8s dirty with a smaller filter and the choke point/bad airflow situation. How is that filter even remotely enough for 8 liters??? To its benefit, it's a straight shot from the filter to the TB with no messing around. I could imagine a quick upgrade would be removing the panel filter and adding a conical element near where the ducting terminates under the battery. I'd really like to crawl around the engine bay of one of these. I've only ever seen the hood open on a V10 truck briefly, but it was impressive. I liked it.

The sealed-to-the-hood airbox ram air type setup makes a lot of sense. The K&N CAI for the V10 does that full 180° turn after running across the engine bay. It's a pretty wild look. And actually, for a couple years of the 3rd gen 2500/3500's, Dodge did the same thing to the same Hemi-sized air box. I think I wrote about this in an earlier post but didn't include photos. How have you liked your V10's power? Does it seem to deliver power well/smoothly or is it labored or inconsistent? I know many like it, and perhaps it's simply strong enough that the desire for more power isn't there. For all the greatness of the NV4500, I think a NV3500--or rather, its gear ratios--would better serve modestly-powered engines by allowing the driver to be in the power band as much as possible if needed. My 5.9L certainly would benefit from it.

The stock V10 arrangement sees a fairly busy engine bay, but room enough to sneak some pieces around if need be (which is what K&N did, I think).


Gotta love Dodge who was stuck putting a few legacy powerplants in the 3rd gen before the Hemi was finally installed. "Everybody's getting the same air filter box in the same location. No complaining!" Then they told the engineers to figure out pipe routing. Quite the solution!

 

Yeah, busy. That first pic is a mid 90's OBDII setup V-10, newer than mine. Second I have never seen before. Don't like the 180 to the throttle body or the uninspiring 24/34? battery.
I had to cut part of the filter box away to expose the work Hughes did on my throttle body. My '03 1500 OffRoad has a Hemi, must be part of the transition.
My '95 runs very well, V-10 torque very consistent, but the computer never liked the new cam, still don't have it or valve train fully sorted out. Mismatch to differential gearing and taller tires as well, fighting tuned long ram intake. Mileage was always comparable to the Hemi 1500.

 

Screw the forum parrots
Regurgitating or squirting from their obviously loose rear sphincters things they think they heard/understand like it was original thought.
They don't' know what you know, can't do what you do, try what you've tried, own or drive what you drive, yet they will constantly squirt a diarrhea stream of opinion presented as fact.
Worse than irrelevant, taking up valuable space in conversation to run a post count up.

 

Glad your V10's a good motor, even in spite of its issues. Must be pretty efficient, or the Hemi pretty hungry, to have their mileage comparable. We have our winter gasoline now, and I've been saving the truck for more truck-duty work and the 5.9 doesn't seem to really care (which is fantastic). 12.5 for mixed/city work. I have a little compact car and its mileage has dropped with the gas. Guess that's what I get for not getting a Civic!

 

Hemis not known for fuel efficiency and I got a good V-10. I own both with many miles on them. Max 14.8mpg for V-10. No trailer, full box, Texaco premium, cool northern air, 275-70/18 tires, 3.54 gears, MoparPerformance ECM, Bosch +4 plugs, stock 2.25 exhaust, CherryBomb 7481 muffler adapted, through the cats, air pump hooked up, stock intake setup, K&N filter. No longer get this.
Have always run platinum plugs gapped slightly wide, never copper, despite the screaming of the many parrots.
V-10 is very sensitive to fuel quality in my experience. Chevron, Texaco, Conoco, most Costco fuel out west, all usually run well. Most others, not so well. Can tell almost right away, throttle response not quite there, fuel mileage drops off. 10% fuel mileage is worth planning stops on a road trip around gas I know runs well. Trailering the Rockies is an absolute must. Around town, no sense in paying up, mileage sucks no matter what.
Two way to deliver octane rating. Deliver high quality fuel that does not pre-ignite, or weak gas that does not burn. The test is so simple it cannot tell the difference. Texaco proved it as far back as the 70's. High quality fuel increases mileage, but they did not believe the consumer would pay the difference.