Do you feel your truck needs more air?
Are you not willing to pay $250 or more for a “cold” air intake for your ‘97-‘03 F-150?
Are you afraid of “cold air” intakes sucking in too much hot air from your engine bay?
Do you think drilling or cutting up your factory air filter assembly looks too tacky?
Are you afraid of permanent modifications to your truck?
Do you already have an aftermarket drop in filter?
Do you want to keep running paper filters?
Do you prefer the look of your factory intake?

If you answered YES to any of the questions above; then look no farther than this simple easy modification to your factory intake that will be 100% reversible at anytime if you are ever unhappy with the results.


NOTE: Something to Consider: at the time this was written up Troyer Performance (TP a great source in F-150 performance and custom tuning) has data logged and has dyno tested all of the aftermarket intakes available for the F150 and has thoroughly documented the results. TP has found that the stock intake runs the second coolest only beaten by the Airforce-1 which TP lists for $239 on thier website. With this modification you are getting a lot colder air into your engine than most of the aftermarket intake kits on the market today. It could potentially be colder as well but we wont know for certain until someone data logs the IAT with both intakes.






Tools and items needed to complete this modification:

1 - Straight screwdriver
2 - Sander, dremel tool, file, grinder or some kind of sanding device
3 - A 3-inch pipe flexible coupling (preferably black) inside diameter will be around 3 ½ inches to accommodate the outside diameter of the PCV pipe.
4 - a 3 inch diameter PCV pipe (black is preferred but color doesn’t really matter)
5 - 2 hose clamps (the pipe coupler should come with 2)
6 - 8mm wrench or socket
* Now you are ready to begin. First things first go lift your hood and look where your factory inlet tube meets your drivers’ side fender. Yes this tube right here:



This is the cause of your trucks lack of performance at higher RPMs because this factory piece is literally choking your truck. Look at the tape measure and see for yourself.







As you can see this is why the factory piece has less than a 2-inch diameter inlet tube and you are about to give your truck a true 3-inch diameter inlet tube that doesn’t suck in hot air from the engine compartment. This intake modification still draws in ambient air temperature thru the fender well just like the factory designed.



1. Start by disconnecting your negative battery cable (to reset your computers strategy for the extra air coming soon from the modified intake) needs a 8mm wrench or socket.



2. Undo this clamp right here with a straight screwdriver:



Remove your entire air filter housing assembly (the large “bucket” where you change air filter all the way to the fender snorkel. (The snorkel will just pull out of the inlet hole)
*On my truck the Previous Owner has bent the metal clasp so I had to remove the entire assembly as I have to have the whole housing out of the truck in order to close it properly*

OR

Just take your air box apart like you are changing air filters and just remove the piece that goes into the fender



3. Use a straight screw driver to undo the snorkel cone:



There are 2 points inside the tube just press the ends with a screwdriver and they release



4. Cut off a 4-5 inch section of pipe:

 

5. Use a sander or file to make the round pipe oblong since the hole in the fender is 3 ½ inches wide by 3 and 1/16 inches tall and the outside pipe diameter is 3 ½ inches and you will need to force the pipe at least 2 inches into the fender hole.






6. Once your pipe will fit into the hole nice and snug attach the PCV pipe to the air filter housing via the 3-inch pipe flexible coupler. Like this



7. Insert the PCV pipe into the fender hole, Now that that is done reinstall the air filter assembly by slipping the soft coupling over the open end of the air filter housing and tighten down the last clamp after you push the legs into their carrying holes. And re install the tube going to the throttle body. There you are all done. Your truck will enjoy the increased ambient air (especially when passing) your finished product will look similar to this: As you can see no matter what color PCV pipe you use it will not be visible once you put your intake back together



this vehicle has piece of white pipe



and this vehicle used a piece of black pipe




8. Don’t forget to reconnect your battery before you try to restart your truck and enjoy.





Final thoughts. Remember you can go back to stock at anytime but I don’t think you will want to. This works for both 5.4 and 4.6 liter 2 valve engines (and the 4.2 V-6 truck's) in both the '97-'03 and '04-newer pickups and SUV's (some early model vehicles have to upgrade to a newer air box in order to have the removable snorkel)

Also if you remove the silencer from the intake tube your throttle response will also be improved; but you may experience some unwanted noise.

“Gotts2Bme” and “tarajerame” are both willing to help anyone doing this modification either PM or email either one of us and we will be glad to help you out

as of 4 March 2008 this write up had 13,824 hits on it's posting over on f150.net where the write up was first posted but it belongs right here on f150online

Original idea by: Gotts2BMe seconded and submitted by: tarajerame

Original thread link here: https://www.f150online.com/forums/ex...take-pics.html



original thread photos submitted by Gotts and STOFFER aka (tarajerame)

 

here are some pics of the gotts intake mod on a new body style truck with a 4.6

 

Thanks Terajame I was waiting for something like this with more pics. Will do this soon.
So all I need is a flexible coupler, 3 inch and those 2 straps that tighten with screw?
I have 3" pipes around here so I won't need to be buying any.