DIY turbo inlet pipe

[ksgrimsr]

t Hi guys,

Since I seem to never manage to get in on some of the group buy intake pipe setups, I thought I’d whip together a DIY intake pipe that I thought others might also be interested in (in case you find yourself in the same camp as me).

First is the the finished result (so you know whether it’s worth your time reading on).

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The following is the step-by step:

First, purchase an off-the-shelf intake pipe setup to serve as the core of the setup. I used the Dejon Tool intake with K&N filter for the 89-94Eclipse/Talon 4G63 from CI Motorsports at the following link http://www.cimotorsports.net/motor-spor ... -4g63.html. The purchase price was $145 plus shipping (I purchase mine uncoated since I powdercoated it myself to match).

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Loop a piece of tape around the end of the intake pipe with the bend welded to it (the tape is your cutting guide) and cut that end off using a high-speed rotary cutting tool (like a Dremel).

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I used a Samco reducer at the end mating up with the turbo that I purchased from the following link: https://www.polyperformance.com/shop/Sa ... -1663.html. I failed to measure the diameter of the turbo inlet properly and made an assumption of its diameter (and guessed wrong), so I had to use a hose “shim” to cover the difference similar to the following picture (I’m sure you won’t make the same mistake, but if you do or the proper reducer doesn’t actually exist then you can use the same technique).

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I’m sure some folks just let the intake stay in place based on the strength of the coupling, but I whipped up a stay bracket that looks like the following picture.

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In order to accommodate the oil blow-by vents, tap a suitable hole in the side of the intake for a properly dimensioned hose barb using a couple rubber washers to provide good conformance to the curve of the pipe, like the figure below. I used a tee on the two hoses to simplify plumbing. By this time I had already powercoated the pipe.

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I attached my supporting bracket to the base of the garbage can support and then bolted it to the intake pipe as shown in the following figure.

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Care must be taken to avoid fumbling with the hardware and have it slide down the pipe into the turbo, so I made these connections off the car before connecting everything up. I also attached the bolt from the inside out (so the retaining nut is on the outside) and used a nyloc nut to secure this since I didn’t really want this coming loose and running through the turbo. Again, a couple rubber washers were used on the inside to conform to the curved shape of the pipe.

And that’s pretty much it. A DIY intake for $145 plus shipping plus the time to do some fabricating.

And of course the next step is to give it a run at the track…

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Hope you guys find this useful and/or interesting.

Knut

[RayD]

Excellent post

Ray

[trig]

Very useful post! , I'll be doing this but I think I'll leave the garbage can as is...even if it is ugly

[tweetdriver63]

When I saw the subject, I was hoping it was the other pipe.

I think all the custom intake pipes between the trashcan and the turbo do is improve looks. I want the other one for my BOV, but I don't have the $$$$ for any that I've seen to date.

[Karl Martin]

I was hoping it was for the other pipe as well!

Nicely made.

But did you realise that you can buy this already made, in a choice of colours, with fixings and air filter for $175 at http://www.racetep.com/lotus.html (2/3 of the way down the page)

I have this fitted to mine, although I got clobbered with import duty

Doesn't look as nice as yours though

[ksgrimsr]

I was hoping it was for the other pipe as well!
...

But did you realise that you can buy this already made, in a choice of colours, with fixings and air filter for $175 at http://www.racetep.com/lotus.html (2/3 of the way down the page)

I guess I'll see if I can re-name the title on this thread to something that avoids the confusion (my mistake).

I do know that the inlet pipe is available, but that's not quite as fun or satisfying as doing it yourself (in my opinoin).

Since everyone seems more interested in the other pipe (which on my car is also a DIY job) and which is also clearly visible in the first picture, I guess I'll post another note on how to get one of those whipped together.

Knut

[tweetdriver63]

Since everyone seems more interested in the other pipe (which on my car is also a DIY job) and which is also clearly visible in the first picture, I guess I'll post another note on how to get one of those whipped together.

Knut