> Well, my first performance mod is complete. :-)
>
> I got a 14" Mr. Gasket chrome air cleaner at Parts America and a 14x3"
>K&N filtercharger filter. I ordered a Daytona 9793, but they substituted
>a Mr. Gasket 1430 (1480? I dunno... If anyone wants the part #, lemme know
>and I'll look it up when I get home.) Anyway, they called the supplier
>who said its the same thing, just different packaging and a different
>part number.
>
> The Mr. Gasket breather valve was kind of cheezy, I'll admit. :-) I
>took the advice of someone on this list (Sorry, I'm not at home to check,
>and I forgot your name!) and I used the stock valve. All it took was
>a little filing make the opening a little bigger. My craftsmanship won't
>win any awards, but it got the job done. :-) (The metal plug in the
>filter was a pain to take out though!)
>
> I guess I could have gone the Meldrum S-bolt method, but I wanted it
>done right away. I suppose an S bolt would give a smoother flow of
>air... Anyway, what I did was to go to the hardware store. I found a
>1/4" x 4 1/2" coarse thread bolt which was nearly identical to the stock
>hold down bolt. (At the risk of sounding completely stupid, it had that
>"square thingie" near the bolt head.) Anyway... I also got a nylon
>insert lock nut instead of using the stock one. It worked great.
>
> I used the stock gasket at the base of the air cleaner; I probably
>should get a new one... I just cleaned and turned the stock one upside
>down for the moment. The air cleaner wasn't a tight fit, there was some
>play there, but once I tightened the butterfly nut on top of the air
>cleaner, it stays put. I can still move it with my hands, but I don't
>think it'll move on its own. I hope not, anyway. It would be nice to
>have a spacer in there, but...
>
> I used a cardboard-like washer on top of the air cleaner so that I
>wouldn't scratch the chrome top with the butterfly nut. I used the stock
>butterfly nut; maybe I'll get a fancy one down the line but its just
>fine for now.
>
> The 2" element that came with the cleaner had no clearance problems at
>all. The 3" is a much tighter fit... I'm still not sure about how to
>measure the clearance I've got left (if I have any left at all). I'm
>almost sure the air cleaner is pressing against the hood liner, but
>I'm not sure what the pressure is. I was trying to feel for pressure
>by moving the hood up and down, but I didn't notice anything. Just to
>be safe, I now close my hood by lowering it until the safety latch
>engages, then I push down on the top of the hood to lock it.
>
>
> Driving:
>
> I can't say that I've noticed any performance improvement, and even
>if I did, I wouldn't trust myself to be accurate. I'll have to wait to
>get to the track to see what difference it made. The K&N completely
>changed the truck's personality though. Seems like a different truck.
>I get that hiss/whistle at idle (and at cruise speed). Its slightly
>annoying, but that's the price of admission I guess. When I open up
>the throttle, there's a HUGE difference. The truck makes this loud
>roar; it sounds like a different engine. Is this normal? If so,
>what is causing it, the sound coming back through the air cleaner,
>or the fact that the engine is getting more air? Don't get me
>wrong; its an awesome sound, I just want to be sure its not
>damaging anything. :-)
More AIR!!!
Normal-- Cool Ain't it!!!!
>
> When I get on the throttle all the way, I get some mild pinging.
>I'm already using 89 octane; maybe I just got some bad gas? Is there
>any reason why a better breathing engine would be more prone to
>pinging?
>
> The air cleaner was $23, and the K&N was $42, so my total cost
>was $65, which gets me the same results as the $120 K&N. I got
>both items at Parts America. Pep Boys wanted $35 for the cleaner and
>$52 for the filter! $87 vs $65? Tough choice. I ordered the air cleaner
>on Monday at 3pm, and they called me Tuesday at 10am to say that it had
>arrived! So far, I'm quite happy with Parts America. Seems like a
>decent operation. (No, I'm not a stockholder) ;-)
>
Another "Air by Meldrum" installed!!
> Well, I've gotta run. I thought this might be informative for
>anyone considering this mod... And if anyone can answer any of
>my questions, that'd be great too. :-)
>
>
> -Jon-
>
> .--- stei0302@cs.fredonia.edu -- http://www.cs.fredonia.edu/~stei0302/ ---.
> | DoD# 1038, EAA# 518210, NMA# 117376, USUA# A46209, KotWitDoDFAQ, RP-SEL |
> | '96 Dodge Dakota v8 SLT Club Cab, '96 Kolb FireFly 447 (#FF019) |
> `-------------------------------------------------------------------------'
> I do not speak for the SUNY College at Fredonia; all opinions are my own.
Go Find some Mustangs!! (Get the exhaust next if you haven't already.):-)
Rob Robinson
96 Sport 318
Air by Meldrum
Rhino Muffler with dual exit
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