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To gut or not to gut an air box

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Old 11-17-2009, 03:35 PM
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Default To gut or not to gut an air box

How and why do you gut an air box. And I keep reading about 180 T Stat mod.
HEHEHE 195 T Stat is not hot enought some times where I live when it gets -40 F
91 SSE Bonnie Black Beauty. duncan
Old 11-17-2009, 03:42 PM
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Gutting the air box makes the inlet larger and removes the baffles. This lets the air enter easier and makes for a bit more intake sound. People with superchargers like having more whine.
Old 11-17-2009, 03:45 PM
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Take a look inside your air box, and follow the flow of air from where it comes it to where it goes to the throttle body. If you have a lot of baffles in the line of flow, the theory is removing them will increase air flow.

I know a lot of members swear by a 180 T stat, but I'm with you. I keep an 195 on mine because I like staying warm in the winter.
Old 11-17-2009, 07:58 PM
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I have mine gutted doesn't really do anything for CFM but does allow air to pass through easier plus with the gut on mine my pcm get blasted with the fresh air also
Old 11-18-2009, 07:43 AM
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As I reccall the 91 box won't allow for gutting.

Can you please post a pic of your airbox.
Old 11-18-2009, 07:23 PM
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"Non Boosted 3.8 engines run best w/195 OEM thermostats". I have heard this to many times from credible mechanics and Mr. GoodWrech Techs to believe what a few try to say different on the net, and a large group of the old forum. Who heard it from a few people and it became their "law". Whether decreasing that and altering GM engineering helps reduce Supercharged stacked air temp,??? It'* not proven. Gutting a non modded box isn't going to do a thing. And if PCM'* needed cooler temps, then there would be alot of them fried. Not so. Save you time and money for actually doing something to will help.
Old 11-22-2009, 08:57 AM
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I was having a code for the MAF sencor so one day I took off the sencor cleaned it realy good with Brake Clean .Put it back on cleared the code still no code halalulia. So I wanted to replace the air filter
but first drill off the 2 phillip head bolts closest to rad. Did that took filter blew it out real good put it back in drove the car 2 miles got another code.A code that seemed strange for cleaning the air cleaner filter . So put in new filter canceled code been driving since and on codes of any kind. so far.
Old 11-28-2009, 07:10 PM
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Does the 91 Bonne have the old filter box or the new. Any change in the way it runs aside from noise. My Jeep sounds faster with the CAI. My 88 is very quiet. Maybe I'll get a spare and try it. Unless a 92 up box fits.
Old 11-29-2009, 12:30 AM
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The air box ia square all the same from 87-91 the only thin that I could cut out were 2-3 thin
plastic strentheners to hold air box straight I don't thick it would do much to remove these. I will get some pics as soon as I see my nephew.
Old 11-29-2009, 05:39 PM
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I quess if there isnt that much in there ,no sense in cutting it out. I was thinking if the 92 up is larger and has a larger filter and able re work a little it would be worth it if it fits in there. Dont want the noise of a CAI set up. When I get out of my Jeep and into the 88 I'm like "is this thing on"
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