Work in progress!

Preliminary "test-fitting" of the wing for making custom aluminum wing mounts. Here, the wing is seen set fairly close to where I want it. I've always wanted to mount a GT wing this way... it looks so much better (I think) than where the factory put it (too far forward and too high).



This second picture shows how the back lip of the wing follows the front contour of the tail-lights:



The wing-ends are also set to be horizontal to the rest of the body lines:



I will be using a combination of aluminum plate and aluminum rod to make the wing mounts. Two 1/8" aluminum plates (2 1/2" wide by 9" long, slightly curved) will function as mounting bases underneath the wing:



I'll post more on this as I go (there will be a lot of test-fitting and experimenting going on here).

Last weekend I got the grills installed in those quarter-window scoops. I just bent and cut them to fit, then used epoxy and clamps to fasten them to the backside of the openings. Here's a couple of shots:





Also played with the interior a little more. Here, I painted the passenger-side storage area (black, of course):



...next up, that cold-air intake. Yummy!

[This message has been edited by ITALGT (edited 01-31-2013).]

Update time...

I've had the car apart lately and took some time to study the inner fender-well for the best possible intake system I can build. What I'm now going to build is a "cold-air" intake with the shortest possible overall length and the largest possible intake diameter (4" tubing in this case) running from the throttle body to the inner fender. I will be using two 4" x 90* rubber hoses from JTR:

https://shell7.tdl.com/~jag...irClean_Ducting.html

There are a couple of reasons for going with the rubber tubing. First, the 4" diameter will clamp directly to the throttle body and will bend and flex to whatever shape that's needed to fit. Second, the large 4", free-flowing diameter will compensate for any restriction caused by the bends. Because I will be locating the filter as high as possible, there is a limit to how tall the filter can be. I've found an AEM "dry flow" synthetic filter with a 4" mounting base and a height of 5" (Part#AVM-21-205DK) that should do the trick. I'll finish off the system with a Holley throttle-body air-foil.

I'll post some pictures once I receive the parts and put them together.

[This message has been edited by ITALGT (edited 01-31-2013).]

Quick update:

Today I ordered the intake tubing and related parts from JTR and the AEM filter from Summit Racing. I also ordered new clutch pedal bushings, adjustable clutch banjo, door hinge pins/bushings, and a 195*/185* low-temp fan switch... all from Rodney Dickman.

More goodies soon to come!

[This message has been edited by ITALGT (edited 01-31-2013).]

Progress is good! I finally have the new 4" cold-air intake on the car and functioning. I still have a couple of minor details to take care of, but overall it's complete. I also added a Holley throttle body air-foil, adjusted the IAC valve, checked TPS voltage (and found I need to buy an adjustable unit!). I also added a Proform 50,000 volt coil to the distributor. The engine pulls harder now! Runs/idles smoother too.

Shown here, 4" rubber intake tubing made from two 90* elbows, one 45* elbow, one foot of aluminum tubing, AEM synthetic "dry-flow" filter, Holley air-foil, mounting plate, and heat wrap (for wrapping the coolant tubes running near the filter).



New 4" "cold air" intake versus the old, hot-air-sucking factory elbow:



Old 3" K&N vs. new 4" AEM dry-flow (no oil) filter:





I also fabbed up a steel and rubber engine splash shield so I can drive in the rain without the alternator belt squealing and slipping. It also happens to double as a heat barrier for my new intake system:



Other stuff I've gotten done in the past several weeks: re-powder coated the engine vents, installed a new clutch master cylinder, Rodney Dickman's adjustable banjo and pedal bushings, and new door pins and bushings.

It's getting late and I'm getting tired so I'll fill in the blanks later.

Next up: flushing the cooling system! (I'm so excited!)

[This message has been edited by ITALGT (edited 01-31-2013).]

quote Originally posted by 3.8 SC: Where did you get the rubber intake tubes? I need to make an intake for my 3800 S/C engine. Thanks, Don Z.

I got everything I needed from JTR (Jags That Run). They have several sizes of tubing available, and provide many tips for making a custom intake. These guys specialize in TPI swaps, but should fit about anybody's needs when it comes to building a custom air intake.

I haven't talked much about building the intake or the installation of it, so I thought I'd share a few more details. First, the question of "was it worth it" would be answered with a definite "yes." It took a lot of thought, creativity, time, patience, and a chunk of $$$. But in the end I got what I wanted; a low-restriction, hi-flow, weather-proof intake that sucks in COOL DENSE air. No more worries about rain in my air-filter, or just the constant irritating thought that the only air it was sucking in was the hot air in the engine compartment.

Building the intake was rather straight-forward. I started by determining the most important part: where exactly the new intake tubing was to be routed. In this case, most of this was easy because there was only one obvious route from the throttle-body to the fender-well. Some tight maneuvering over the upper coolant hose was required as well as making some tight/short bends. This is when I realized that rubber tubing was going to be the best choice, as it's easily flexed and bent to conform to these tight spots as required. It's also thick rubber (about 1/4" thick), which also acts great as an insulator from the engine-bay heat.

OK... so I went with a 4" size intake tubing. Some people may think this is overkill... I just call it "being thorough." Part of this logic resides in the simple fact that a TPI throttle body accepts a 4" diameter hose. So, why would you want to go smaller??? Here's why you could go smaller... 4" tubing is a REAL tight fit and can be a bear to fit properly. A 3 1/2" or 3" system would probably work just fine and be easier to install and take off the car... but if you're anything like me, you'd rather not compromise! JTR does make a 4"x3.5" 90* elbow that would work well also... allowing for a healthy 3.5" system. If I was to do it again, I would consider it.

After sizing up the approximate positions of bends and appropriate lengths needed, I ordered the rubber and aluminum tubing from JTR. Lots of trimming, test-fitting, grinding, cutting, hammering, sweating and swearing ensued... and when it was all said and done, the 45* (middle) and one 90* (air-filter end) tube were cut down as small as they would go to get them to fit, and the throttle-body mounted 90* tube needed to be cut down on one end (again, as short as possible) to fit.

Mounting the filter where I did required some cutting of the inner fiberglass body reinforcement, and also involved trimming a portion of steel from the passenger side engine bay. I used thin sheet steel to make a filter mounting plate which gets bolted to the passenger-side of the engine bay. It was powdered in a textured black and lined with automotive-grade weather stripping for a complete seal.

I originally used the Holley air-foil because it was the smoothest design out there, and a little Internet research also uncovered a loyal following... but now I've realized that this particular intake set-up would work better with an SLP-type solid mount air-foil, as removing and installing of the intake is hindered by the Holley's protruding design. And it's plastic. I hate plastic.

And that's pretty much it for the intake... it's for the most part done. I may also be doing some more intake "tweaking" in the future, so by no means is this project finished. I also have some custom side-vents in the works (my own design).

[This message has been edited by ITALGT (edited 11-21-2014).]

[This message has been edited by ITALGT (edited 01-31-2013).]