MiniTorque.com banner

Another air box modification thread ! On a budget ?

19K views 19 replies 11 participants last post by  Astroboy 
#1 · (Edited)
Hi folks ,

After reading and researching the airbox on the R53 Mini Cooper s I decided to modify my own .
To do this modification all you need is ;

-67mm hole cutter (available from most DIY outlets )
-68mm plastic down pipe from a roofing gutter . ( you only need 4" )
-sandpaper or sand flappy wheel as close to the 67mm as possible .
-chalk
- 2x 60mm-90mm jubilee clips ( you'll need these if you remove the fancy standard clips on the air box , I didn't have the tool to refit those)
- battery/mains operated dril

First of all I removed the air box from the car . Then using the hole cutter I cut a 67mm hole where the original small hole is carefully keeping it as close to the bottom of the air box as possible . I then ran the flappy sanding wheel round the hole opening it up until my 68mm pipe fitted tightly . I then chalked the end of the 68mm pipe . I refitted the bottom half of the airbox. I inserted the pipe through the hole and turned it until the chalk on the end marked the bulkhead panel to ensure the perfect line up. Now remove the airbox again and carefully cut the hole using the hole cutter on the bulkhead panel. Now do the same as before with the flappy sanding wheel so the pipe fits tightly.

Refit the bottom half of the air box and insert the pipe right through the air box and in to the bulkhead . You should have around 10mm sticking into the airbox , and 10mm sticking through into the bulkhead space. Refit your standard panel filter or a k&n panel filter . ( I fitted the standard as its a budget experiment ) refit the top half of the airbox .

Job done

Road test - instant improvement in whine from the supercharger , and even sounds healthier with the improved induction . This was with a standard filter ! So it can only be improved apon.

Cost ? Very little ! :glare:
Difficulty ? Very straight forward .
 
See less See more
#4 · (Edited)


This is it in position , I then made a neater looking one and smoothed the ends with sandpaper . The cut/missing part is to accommodate the air filter. If you went with a smaller hole you wouldn't need to do this. I just wanted to use the drain pipe as it was handy and available . Nobody will see it in there anyway .

Next is to fit the flange in my previous post and the k&n filter cone . That DIY has been done to death so I won't be doing a step by step .

Astroboy on here has a couple of posts Iv basically copied :lol: cheers
http://www.minitorque.com/forum/f275/hybrid-airbox-tenner-ish-30411/
 
#5 · (Edited)
Part 2

Finished the top half off the air box . Used the flange purchased for £10 that I put a link up for earlier . No glue or silicon used . I used cork gasket which can be bought in a sheet and cut with scissors and is easy to work with . I did use a hole saw 67mm to cut the hole in the gasket for neatness . Used the 4" K&N that's most common for these mods giving more surface area to suck air from . Combined with the larger hole cut in the bottom half it should improve induction without a doubt . The "whine" is twice as noticeable and encourages holliganism .

 
#16 ·
I’m in need of an air box, as I bought my R50 last year and if came with the K&N fitted, but air box was gone!!

It’s only recently that I’ve found, having the airbox is better than not having it, so I’m would anyone here have an old spare I can clean up and use the bottom half of please?

Auto part Engine Vehicle Fuel line Car



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top