i have a fair bit of time on my hands so ive decided to try and design and make a sealed air box to fit the k&n pod which will be able to be easily fitted into any magna. i have a few ideas already of what im going to do but im stuck now at the first production stage because i cant decide what to make it out of. can anyone out there give me some suggestions on a light thin strong HEAT RESISTANT material which would be easily worked with to make this possible. all suggestions will be greatly appreciated.
NOTE. If i can end up with a good quality product at a reasonable price i will work something out with blake to make some more for any of you out there interested. i will keep all progress current to let you know how its going. thanks.

Plastic or prespex would be my first choise as its cheep strong and flexible

Just my 2cw 8)

Careful with perspex, I have heard storys of it melting / warping in hot engine bays.

For my setup i used reasonably thin MDF and constructed the box. It was going to be a closed box but i found i had better results with the top open. Combined with a good cold air ducting from the bumper its the perfect setup and works wonders, especially on the freeways and on cold nights its fun fun fun all the way home :D

Plastic or prespex would be my first choise as its cheep strong and flexible

Just my 2cw 8)

i'd doubt they would stand to the heat very well!

isnt the whole point of having a box around the pod to seal it and stop ANY hot air coming in from the engine bay? unless the top of yours seals into the bonnet leaving it open seems like its kinda defeating the purpose.

Plastic would be ok...just depends on what type of plastic I suppose...Because the stock airbox is plastic and it doesnt to too badly for heat resistance

I found when the box was enclosed with a final MDF panel the car didn't run too well. With the top removed it runs far better than without the box and keeps the cold air up to them. You can use some rubber foam strips to create a perfect box when you close your bonnet but im looking at having a vent put in when i get the kit fitted.

Perhaps the pod needs a bigger box around it for it to be fully enclosed?

Dunno why..but maybe there is like an optimum volume?

Im sure that was the case, but if you look in the pic there just isn't enough room.

thats where my new design for the tr/ts engine bays will come into its own. im not sure if what im planning will be possible for the newer models where the induction setup is reversed but i will definately have a good look into it once i get everything happening. it seems to me in your case blake that with the greater surface area of the oval pod the feeder tubes only running into one side simply wouldnt be able to feed enough air into a sealed box to allow the pod to suck the air through evenly and feed it to the mas sensor like it is designed to. kinda like the reverse principle of extractors. i might be wrong but that just seems logical to me. thats why opening the opposite side up to your feeder pipes allows it to run alot smoother.

That was my theory magwgn.

However even though its not an enclosed box it acts as an excellent heat sheild and gets cold air to where its needed fairly effeciently id say.

Ok...
this is what I plan on doing... and I was going to post pics onceI start.. but it is going to be another couple of weeks ... so Ill tell you now.
I plan on removing the pod and leaving the MAS in place.
cover it with glad wrap and a rubber band. (ALOT OF GLAD WRAP over the MAS sensor) then with cardboard I plan on making the shap of the CAI box ...remember that I have the inlet in the bonnet so mine will be going all the way accross behind the fuse box to the side panel.
So with bits of cardboard around the sides to give the shape... I then plan on putting more gladwrap into the base ans up the sides...
The base will be gladwrap ontop of what ever is there.... you could put cardboard over it as well but it isnt needed.
Make notice of the bolt holes that are around to fix the new CAI box too.
I plan on pushing in timber dowles into the holes and letting them stick out and into the box. Then put some 25mm condute around the timber and just up into the bottom of the box.
Make sure that you have heaps of gladwrap around the location of the box ALL THE WAY AROUND!!!!!! Oh and on the bonnet above the CAI Box.
Ok... now for the fun part....
I bought from Bunnings Hardware.. a can of spaceinvader.... the cheapest one I could find... ($12 I think I cannot remember)
follow the directions on the can and start to fill your box. :D
make sure that you get it into the corners ... then fill up to the top of the CAI box... and then a little more for good luck.....
Gentely shut the bonnet and lock it.... (this is why you had to put glad wrap on the underside of the bonnet....)
allow it to set.
Once its set you shout be able to lift the bonnet and any excess foam would have oozed out onto your EXCESS Gladwrap!!!!
You should be left with the maximum amount of space upto and touching the the bonnet lining.
Then I will remove it from the engine bay and remove the gladwrap and the cardboard.
You now have a "PLUG".
You will need to coat the plug with something to stop the FibreGalss from sticking to it... (I forgot to find out what :oops: but ill let you know asap :D )
From your local parts shop or from a Fibreglass shop.. buy a small kit of Fibre glass.
Fibreglass is not that hard to use if you follow the instructions.
Glass around the side and bottom of the mould ... If you go up over the side a bit that is ok as you will have to trim them back a bit later.
As long as you take your time with the matting of the fibreglass you should be able to make a smooth finish on the outside.... it doesnt have to be perfectly flat ... you will prob paint it anyway.
Once the Glass is set break out the plug... or "Try and remove the plug in one piece."
it is a matter of then with a fine hacksaw of trimming up the top edges and then drill the holes for the bolts and the 4 bolts around the MAS sensor...
you will also have to cut out the hexagon shape of the MAS.
Ok so thats what "I" plan on doing...
It is a rough guide and I hope to do it in 2 weeks time... I will tka some pics to help explain.
Fibreglass is not that hard, and is really fun to use.. so please tryit.
For a nice looking finish you can get woven matting that looks like Carbonfibre... this is what I plan to use... but it is a little bit more expensive.
I expect that the total amount of parts will come to under $100 and you should have plenty of Fibreglass left over to try other odd jobs.
I will also include a complete price/item breakdown when I have finished the project.
Haydn

this sounds like a pretty cool idea although very risky working with that sort of stuff inside your engine bay. does this mean that you will be getting the oval pod for the mas or are you still sticking with the round one? one problem you may encounter though is the way the pod attaches to the mas sensor. the adaptor plate bolts onto the sensor then the pod slips over this and you then clamp it on. because of this without the pod on you wont be able to get the right size hole or positioning for the side of the box. to combat this you could maybe take the adaptor of as well and place a peice of cardboard flush against the opening to the sensor. then after glassing cut a whole in the side to fit the outside displacement of the pod itself which will then give you the correct alignment with the mas for it to sit over the pod behind the clamp and flush with sensor. i hope you understand what ive written but if not i think you will get what i mean when you look at how the adaptor sits over the mas and how there is nowhere on the mas sensor to fit anything to.
definately give it a go and keep me informed as to how it all runs. im looking at using a teflon based plastic to construct the housing for mine. its light, thin, very strong and handles very high temperatures.

Ive got a 5" round pod... and will be keeping it.
You are right about the adapter... I forget to say that it is NOT on the MAS when you do this...
it goes inbetween the MAS and the adapter.
Haydn

Either way... it is going to be interesting :D