Miata Cold Air Intake Custom Fabrication

[JimGinbaku]

I own an M2 and I can't seem to find any intakes that don't have weird bends in them or seem like they're facing the wrong direction, so I was thinking about fabricating my own cold air intake.

I've decided on getting a K&N cone filter to use as the air filter (But I'm not sure what diameter to get for the best performance. I'm assuming it should be whatever the stock intake's diameter is since I will be using the stock intake manifold and throttle body). What materials and tools should I be looking out for to buy/rent in order to properly fabricate the plumbing (and even better, where is a good place to buy any materials that I will need, such as the unbent tubing)? Heh, at first I was thinking about using PVC pipe and clamps, but that probably wouldn't last very long in an engine bay, and fishing out molten pieces of plastic from inbetween the pistons and the cylinder walls after the intake finally decides to implode on itself doesn't exactly sound like fun.

I've done a little bit of spot welding and cutting sheet metal before, but not much else. Also, those were with massive and expensive shop tools and I was hoping not to spend nearly that much in tools (maybe more along the lines of portable blow-torch and a carpenter's hammer type tools, but I'd be willing to buy things here and there when otherwise the end product would just be complete crap that will kamikaze my engine if I even attach it. Besides, who couldn't use a good excuse to buy more toys?).

I'm sure you probably get this type of question all the time, but thanks for helping me out anyway. I tried searching the forums first but all that I could really find were suggestions for different intake brands and vague mentions of intakes in "gee, It's my first car. What should I do to it" type threads. Sorry if I passed over an existing thread about custom fabrication or making your own intake, I tend to not be the world's best searcher.

[Doubletap]

Alright...
It sounds like you are planning on making this out of metal and that is a horrible idea. Because as we know metal conducts heat really well so as the engine heats up so does the intake pipe defeating the purpose of a "cold" air intake. Custom molded fiberglass would be the suggested way. Doesn't conduct heat like metal and doesn;t melt like PVC.

As to how... you're gonna have to figure that out but i am sure you can pick up a book on he subject somewhere.

DoubleTap

[r0lliSl1fe]

Is he serious? Has he seen most of the CAI systems, or Turbo or Super systems available on the market? They're all made of mandrel-bent aluminum. In addition to being lightweight, they reflect heat and prevent the intake air from getting heat transfer.

By the way...first post in Miata forum. Just picked one up. Cheers, all!

[mx52nv]

good luck with that