Yep, just ordered it from my rapist of a dealer and it will be here next week (special order from NJ) so once i get it ill confirm if it indeed is the proper connectors. And if they are, we'll have ourselves a simple and easy DIY REAL CAI (that someone will steal and make millions on eBay, hopefully they keep the name 'Dawm Style CAI'

 

Yep, just ordered it from my rapist of a dealer (they charge LIST on everything, but are just down the street compared to the discount dealers which are about 30mins away..) $13.25 and it will be here next week (special order from NJ) so once i get it ill confirm if it indeed is the proper connectors. And if they are, we'll have ourselves a simple and easy DIY REAL CAI (that someone will steal and make millions on eBay, hopefully they keep the name 'Dawm Style CAI'

I'm eager to hear how well it works!
Please keep posting once you get it installed and have some drive time with it, pics would be great too!
I'd love to know if it improves "seat of the pants" acceleration, and most of all... if it's less noisey than the aftermarket CAI's that are out there now... or better yet, how does it compare to the stock air filter sound levels in the cab during acceleration and while driving at speeds of 50-70mph, (which, with my experience, is when the K&N was the LOUDEST!). While others may like it, the K&N is way too loud for my taste. I'm eager for the performance, but not the noise.

 

Still waiting on that harness... Also tomorrow I'm gonna lend one of my prototype pipes to a buddy to see if a guy he knows can weld on a pipe for the breather tube and the support bracket. I also thought i was gonna be able to get a grommet for the IAT sensor at the hardware store but apparently its gonna have to be a special order of 25 from mcmastercarr =P So i'll have a few extras for future use *wink*

 

You should make one for another DNO guy lol

 

well duh =p i need to see if it would fit the CVT =) i'll let ya know

 

got the harness works perfectly and gives it enough length to reach where im gonna put the IAT. my buddy has one of my tubes now and is gonna get with his guy and see about getting the needed parts welded. i'll have no updates until then =/

 

Hurry need more mods lol.

 

waiting to get the pipe back from the welder dude.

 

LOL i figured. I just dont want to waste money on the hot air ones.

 

yeah i didnt wanna waste the money either which is why i started tinkering with the idea. once i get the pipe back from the welder and see how well it works out i might have a few more made.

 

no updates yet, still waiting to get the part back from the welder, my buddy dropped it off earlier this week (he kept forgetting) so its looking like maybe next week ill have a crude version to test out

 

If you get that figured out ya need to see if it will fit with the CVT and let us know...maybe we can have that guy whos building it become a vendor supporter and we can send some business his way. I am sure all of us that like true CAIs would pay for one...Just a thought

 

ill probably test fit one on GeeEssFore's car, hes one of the ex-neon guys that went to the caliber, and he's got a CVT.

if i had a welder and could weld aluminum id do it myself, i spent a good few days trying to figure out a way to avoid having things welded, really the only thing that needs to be welded is the support piece. and really all the welder guy is doing is the support piece and the breather tube (which could be replaced with a hose barb) the rest of it can be purchased on ebay. its a pretty straight forward and simple design. if patent filing & fees werent a bitch id patent it and sell it to mopar (i bought my steelies from a guy on the Mopar Performance team =P) but all i can really ask for at this point is proper credit where credit is due. im sure once a few of these get made and are out and about they'll pop up on ebay and whatnot.

 

welding is done, should have the intake tubing in my hands saturday, ill post pictures once i get it, hopefully my buddy relayed my instructions properly =p

 

I am an ex neon guy that also went to a caliber with CVT and i also live in michigan

 

Sounds good I would like to see this setup all installed. And a video of it.

 

got the intake pipe back from the welder today, since the piping was previously powdercoated (i stole a piece of my Neon SRT-4 K&N piping to make the prototype pipe) it has some burn spots from the welding so i have to clean it up before i take some pictures. also its been raining the past few days so once it stops ill be able to test fit it and see how it performs it looks exactly how i planned it just need to make sure it fits properly.

 

Today I decided to go a little further exploring the possibilities of the previously mentioned idea of moving the battery to where the stock air box is located and running the CAI to where the battery was... and it is VERY feasable. After tooling around today under the hood I removed the battery and the battery platform and figured out a way to mount the platform securely where the stock air box was, and then run the CAI to where the battery was. Just come up with some extended battery cables and that's that!
However, I think I'm going to go with Dawm's idea, but take it one step further. I'm going to route my air filter to the front driver's side bumper area. I don't have fog lights, and there is a nice open cavity there that is shielded from water. Plus the unused fog lamp opening is a wide open vent on the front of bumper... perfect to feed the CAI with nice cold outside air hitting the front of the car!!! Looks like there's enough room under the battery and a nice open pathway to the fog light cavity. I'm going to give it a go! I'll keep you all posted.

 

After tooling around today under the hood I removed the battery and the battery platform and figured out a way to mount the platform securely where the stock air box was, and then run the CAI to where the battery was. Just come up with some extended battery cables and that's that!

Pictures man! where are the pictures?

 

Yeah putting it behind the fog light opening will work, you just need a smaller filter as the RU4590 really doesnt wanna fit in there, But i have Fog lights so i couldnt put mine there even tho i tried =p

 

dawm,

You said, "got the harness works perfectly and gives it enough length to reach where im gonna put the IAT." May I ask you where you got the extension? I did something similar on my '96 Impala SS, but I cut the wires and soldered them back together. Then, later I found that they sold an extension. Any secrets you can pass out would be greatly appreciated.

Thatnk,
Kurt

'09 Caliber RT, black
'05 Suzuki Boulevard C50, black
'96 Impala SS, black
I'm seeing a pattern here...

 

dawm,

You said, "got the harness works perfectly and gives it enough length to reach where im gonna put the IAT." May I ask you where you got the extension? I did something similar on my '96 Impala SS, but I cut the wires and soldered them back together. Then, later I found that they sold an extension. Any secrets you can pass out would be greatly appreciated.

Part#5037926AA
Available at www.moparpartz.com or www.moparpartsamerica.com

 

RavenGhostwolf,
Nice avatar! Ace rocks!

Sorry everyone else. ( :

Kurt

 

Thanks mrimpala, Ace was my favorite member from the beginning, I'm happy I got to see him in the original line up of KISS before Peter and him left the band....the first time.

 

Impala

:wavey: Hey mrimpala , many years ago Iowned one of these over here in England--- 1964 Chevy Impala!!!:Racing:

 

mrimpala name

:wavey: Hey mrimpala , many years ago Iowned one of these over here in England--- 1964 Chevy Impala!!!:Racing:

Nice. I've had two 1965 Impala SS's, and one 1964 Impala...with a/c. ( :I currently have a 1996 Impala SS.

Kurt

 

:Hey:Heads up Shaun, this may NOT be a viable mod on CVT equipped Calibers!:wow: I say "may" because I'm not 100% sure, I haven't ripped anything apart beyond my pre-filter air intake (Only took two twists of the wrist, no tools) to look around, along with an under car crawl to see the bottoms up view of the same, (Thank you Caliber R/T ground Clarence! No jack needed to get underneath all the way to the engine! Do I really want to lower this? Now batting for St. Louis...:doh:... )

Anyway, it looks like a good sized chunk of the CVT lives RIGHT under the battery. I saw no empty/extra space to run any sort of an air intake tube, at all. I can only guess the 5 speed takes up different/less space. It's a known fact that no other automatic will FIT the Caliber, it was designed around the CVT tranny. So.....

Perhaps your destiny lies on a different path than Dawm. Perhaps you are destind to explore the battery/air intake relocation switcheroo agenda instead. And that extended harness trick may yet prove useful...:naughty: From what I do see, the hardest part of a battery relocation, is being sure you've made a sturdy enough mount to hold the weight of the battery itself. Were one to turn the battery a quarter turn clockwise sideways into the area the filter case fills now, wire extentions would only be needed for the ground wire. A bolt in section of battery cable about 6 to 9 inches should be enough!

 

You're right MykTurk, it is tight under the battery. I pulled everything off again tonight (airbox, battery, battery platform, etc.) and fit the parts I have so far together the way I had planned... so it is most definitely feasable the way I'm planning to do it. I will route the 2.5" pipe down under the battery with a coupler or two (moving a few wires out of the way) turning 45 degrees and capping the K&N air filter #RX-4010 in the empty fog light cavity in the front bumper. The fog light cover popped right off to open that airway in the front bumper fog light cavity... again, perfect for a cooler air flow - and plenty of it! I should have the rest of my parts by this weekend and will be putting it together then. I will definitely let you know how it turns out. I love a challenge!
So to you MykTurk... I accept the callenge!!!

By the way... I pulled off the battery cover/airbox vent last time and left it off and suprisingly experienced a nice jump in throttle response! If this doesn't work I'm going back to that.

 

Ok.. so i finally got around to bundling it all up and installing it.. The hardest part was getting the darn IAT sensor in the grommet without the grommet popping out the otherside, after that it was a simple bolt-in install..

It works, car seems much more peppier than with the stock intake.. BUT.... it sounds like CRAP!.. sitting in the driveway revving the engine it sounds just like any car with a K&N filter on it really nice and louder than stock. But on the street and driving... the second you put your foot down and accellerate it sounds like a Honda Civic with a fart can on it.. but from the engine bay!!.. during my testing i was getting looks and people laughing at me it sounds so retarded. just cruising you dont hear it, but the second you give it some gas (doesnt even have to be floored) it gets retarded, and around 5800rpm it starts to whistle..

Sooo.. as far as form and function it works, the only downside is the retarded noise it makes I dont have the time or motivation to figure out a way of correcting the noise, maybe its the size of the filter, maybe its because its such a short pipe.. but i'm just gonna rock the stock intake setup until something better comes along thats not a WAI and that doesnt make people laugh at my Caliber.

If anyone is interested in the prototype, i'd sell it for $100 without the filter (need it for my other car).

 

Ok.. so i finally got around to bundling it all up and installing it.. The hardest part was getting the darn IAT sensor in the grommet without the grommet popping out the otherside, after that it was a simple bolt-in install..

It works, car seems much more peppier than with the stock intake.. BUT.... it sounds like CRAP!.. sitting in the driveway revving the engine it sounds just like any car with a K&N filter on it really nice and louder than stock. But on the street and driving... the second you put your foot down and accellerate it sounds like a Honda Civic with a fart can on it.. but from the engine bay!!.. during my testing i was getting looks and people laughing at me it sounds so retarded. just cruising you dont hear it, but the second you give it some gas (doesnt even have to be floored) it gets retarded, and around 5800rpm it starts to whistle..

Sooo.. as far as form and function it works, the only downside is the retarded noise it makes I dont have the time or motivation to figure out a way of correcting the noise, maybe its the size of the filter, maybe its because its such a short pipe.. but i'm just gonna rock the stock intake setup until something better comes along thats not a WAI and that doesnt make people laugh at my Caliber.

If anyone is interested in the prototype, i'd sell it for $100 without the filter (need it for my other car).

Its great you are tring different things out. I really need someone to drop off there car so I can do some fitting and size testing.

 

I am glad to say that my exeperiment has finally come to fruition. My cai is built and has been test run with exciting results. The results show a definite increase in seat if the pants hp and torque. The throttle response is better. And best of all, it's not loud like K&N... Much more of an acceptabe sound. I'll be posting all the details and pics soon

 

I am glad to say that my exeperiment has finally come to fruition. My cai is built and has been test run with exciting results. The results show a definite increase in seat if the pants up and torque. The throttle response is better. And best of all, it's not loud like K&N... Much more of an acceptabe sound. I'll be posting all the details and pics soon

:smileup: can't wait. mine sounded like crap

 

Ditto!! I'm curious how it sounds too!!

 

Pictures Shaun, pictures!
:worthless: