M35 Stagea intake suction pipe

[Equilibrise]

Hello everyone. 

Since the last stint of turbo upgrades, the intake plumbing from air filter to turbo was made up of sections of ally pipe and silicone bends. This was done as the stock suction pipe was so restrictive, it was noticable on the dyno. The configuration and layout of the m35 engine bay meant that the intake plumbing was too close to the exhaust manifold, even in contact with the heat sheild in one spot. Apart from that i had to use the first section of the stock suction pipe bolted onto the turbo. Although the setup was much better than the stock suction pipe, it still caused some restriction and excesive heat into the incoming air. Its like trying to suck a thickshake through a thin soft drink straw, possible, but you gotta work really hard. Then add the heat...for those that may not know, the hotter the air, the further the oxygen molecules are apart and the less explosive a given area of air is when mixed with fuel, hence, why intercoolers work (compressing air makes the molecules move faster which also generates heat). Water injection and nitrous oxide injection also use the same principle. 

As the M35 Stagea intake and suction pipe options on the market are very very limited, i decided to fabricate my own from the turbo to the filter and include one silicone joiner to allow for engine twist. 

If anyone is interested while I'm in the process, I could manufacture a couple more but you gotta let me know soon.

I'll post some pictures soon.

[iamhe77]

I recall we made a 3" stainless intake from the airbox and to the turbo for my VQ25det way back when. I designed it so that the path was as straight as possible. Scott made the top and bottom section out of stainless (lobster cut which allowed for tiny adjustments, then smooth out the internal walls) and we clocked and connected each to the OEM MAF assembly with cut down silicone joiners to keep the continuity of the internal wall.

Unfortunately I can't supply photos as Photobucket now have them behind a ludicrous paywall.

There was very, very space between the rocker cover, exhaust manifold and the intake, but it was thoroughly wrapped top to bottom so heat was not a massive concern. Just make sure that your air flow sensor is on a straight part of the intake. If it is on a bend, it won't register the airflow properly and will stall.

[GTSBoy]

5 minutes ago, iamhe77 said:

Unfortunately I can't supply photos as Photobucket now have them behind a ludicrous paywall

Just paste photos straight into the post. Click and drag from Explorer, or copy-past from an image viewer.

[Tomelop]

Have you finished making it? Tempting offer if you are still making more, might be worth also posting in the M35 Stagea tuning group on Facebook. 

[iamhe77]

Not easy to find pics from 15 years ago, but here is a partial one. Keep in mind that it curved immediately from the airbox, then kept a straight line for the MAF to read correctly, followed by a 45 degree bend straight down to the turbo. This connection was the most difficult as it had to twist as well as bend to meet the almost vertical straight section of the intake.

Edited September 26 by iamhe77

[Equilibrise]

[Equilibrise]

Challenging mig welding thin Aluminium pipe and trying to fit it in, having to bend and twist, but got there in the end. Fits really well and can easily get a socket wrench in there now to put it on/off.

I'm in the middle of another project, so haven't installed the suction pipe yet. I'll post some pictures and results when i do.

[iamhe77]

On 9/6/2024 at 9:53 AM, GTSBoy said:

Just paste photos straight into the post. Click and drag from Explorer, or copy-past from an image viewer.

Found some from 2009.

The lobster bends were smoothed out on the inside with minimal gaps (perhaps 2mm) where the silicone joiners were used. 

Edited October 2 by iamhe77