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© 1999 Brian F. Schreurs
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We decided to fix this lack of forethought on the 1995 Ford Mustang GT which so often visits Paradise Garage. We engineered our own cold-air induction kit which works in conjunction with the K&N filter. Follow along as we build this system using nothing normally found at Trak Auto. The cost is low -- under $50 -- but it's a lot of work. Be prepared to work hard.

First, remove whatever air intake system is on the car. In our case, we had already installed the K&N system. Remove everything forward of the mass airflow meter. Keep all of the K&N parts.

These two views illustrate the cold air induction system we built. They can be used as a general guide.

The object is to get the K&N filter inside the fender where it will get cold air instead of engine air. To do this, we needed some sort of piping to route the air back to the MAF. We went to Home Depot Racers' Supply and picked up some 3" ID PVC pipes. Different filters may need some sort of adapter to hook to the 3" pipe. One pipe needs to be a 90-degree long bend (it's a longer pipe than the usual bend) with two sleeves; the other is a standard 90-degree bend with one sleeve.

The long pipe goes from the MAF to the fenderwell. The shorter one will bend down from the first pipe to the filter in the fender.

Hooking the pipes to the MAF and filter works about the same for both. We fabricated some brackets. Get some medium-sized L-shaped brackets from HDRS. Place them with the L facing in toward the air flow. Bolt them from the original mounting points, then slide the piping over them (with the L inside the pipe). To keep the pipes as flush with the meter and filter as possible, we cut notches into the pipes where the brackets interfere. Use a felt-tip pen to mark where the L- brackets interfere with the pipes.

Note: make sure to cut the notches in the sleeve side of the short pipe.

Cut the notches as best you can. We used a hacksaw, a file, and some creative language. Some sort of high-speed grinder might work better.

To attach the pipe to the L-brackets, set the L-brackets in their notches. Mark the inside of the pipe where the bolt holes line up, then measure the distance to the edge of the pipe. Measure back out on the outside of the pipe, mark it, and drill through the pipe to create mounting holes.

Next, the two pieces of pipe will be connected with bolts and they'll be supported by the inner fender. Bolt the long pipe to the MAF. Take another L-bracket and find a good place to drill a hole in the fender and pipe. The bracket will bolt on the engine-side of the fender. Mark both.

Take the pipe back out. Attach the short pipe to the long pipe in such a way that when it goes in the fender it won't bonk anything. It will need a slight twist off center, maybe 30 degrees. Test-fit to be sure.

Drill through both pipes as marked. We needed a second hole for the bracket -- drill if necessary. Find a good place to drill a second bolt through the two pipes, on the reverse side of the first hole. When test-fitting, watch the L-bracket; it may need to be bent or cut short to fit through the fender.

To save some time, completely finish the long pipe, assemble with L-brackets in place, and paint. The short pipe will not be visible so it does not need to be painted. This way, the long pipe can dry while you assemble the short pipe. Make sure to not get any overspray on your best friend's collectible car. The bracketed side makes a good stand to reach all sides of the pipe; don't forget to reduce overspray by plugging the open end of the pipe with paper towels.

Ta-da, custom gaskets using the K&N gasket as a template. They work fine.

No matter how well the brackets fit into their little notches, there's still going to be some leaking. Nobody wants unfiltered air in the engine but it's easy enough to prevent. Get a gasket!

You can't really go to NAPA and ask for this gasket. Luckily, most parts stores and some hardware stores will sell gasket material by the sheet. Use the K&N gasket as a template -- it's the right size and shape. If your system doesn't have a gasket, use the front of the mass air meter.

Having trouble with the bolt holes? Use the brass casing from a .22 LR to punch the holes. It should press through by hand.

Take one of the gaskets and sandwich it between the filter adapter and the short pipe. Bolt it all together. The short pipe is done!

To prevent the filter from sucking hot air from the engine bay, the hole in the fender needs to be plugged. We used a piece of sheet aluminum. Measure the approximate rectangular size of the hole. Cut a piece of aluminum to those dimensions. Of course, the hole isn't rectangular so with this piece of aluminum, hold it to the hole and use snips to trim to size. Wear gloves. Aluminum is sharp. Not that we'd know the hard way or anything.

The long pipe must pass through this aluminum shield. Hold the long pipe in the approximate position in the engine bay; hold the shield approximately in place. Note there is a lot of approximation here; the aluminum has a little bit of space to move so it doesn't need to be a precise piece. Mark the location of the long pipe on the shield with a felt-tip pen.

Cut a hole into the aluminum. This is tricky. We used a razor blade to punch a guide through the center of the hole, then switched to snips to trim the hole out to its final diameter -- just large enough for the large pipe to pass through. Leave a little extra for the L-bracket.

This will take some time and patience.

A little more.

Time for final assembly! Slide the aluminum shield onto the long pipe. Insert the short pipe into the long pipe. Stick the L-bracket through the shield. Bolt everything up like crazy! To get the two pipes bolted together, you'll need someone with a small hand or a wrench designed to go around corners.

Jack the car up. The pipe assembly has to be inserted from underneath, long pipe first. It wiggles up through the inner fender. This step requires a lot of fiddling, as the long pipe must first go through the inner hole; then the L-bracket must fit through; and the shield flush with the inner fender.

This is the view under the hood. The rest of the contraption is completely hidden.

Bolt up the... oh, okay, we'll wait.

Bolt the long pipe to the mass air meter. Be sure to insert the gasket between them; use the bolts to hold the gasket to the long pipe, then slide the whole thing onto the MAF.

Line the L-bracket up with the inner fender. Drill a hole through the fender and aluminum shield. Use a screw to hold these items together; a nut-n-bolt routine won't work here.

Crawl back under the car to attach the air filter element. It may take a little finessing to get it seated right and tightened; it should point nearly vertical.

Drop the car! That's it! One custom cold-air intake system installed.

We gave this custom setup a workout on the Paradise Garage Test Course; it passed without issue. This lovely system took a bit more craftsmanship than we originally expected, but the results are excellent. It looks nice. It stays on. It works. What's not to like?

We used to offer this kit for sale as a unit but we discovered there is too much variance in intake systems, plus too many people who don't realize that V6 and 4.6L engines are not 5.0L engines and are not gonna work the same way. It was too much hassle. You have the instructions here; adapt it to your engine or your intake, and write us if you get in a bind and needs some free advice. We'll help you but we won't do it for you. MAC sells one.