okay, time for a new post
dropped in an ebay intake the other day, but before i get to those, ill go into a few other things ive already done
This is my headunit, its a refurb from crispdeals.com, got it for 119 shipped. i wanted a double din, that illuminated green, with expansion options, and no touchscreen. i dont know, i just prefer buttons on a stereo, i like some tactile feedback. anyways, this is whats powering those kickers, no amp yet.
You probably noticed the ultragauge sitting there on the right, it blocks the headunits usb port, but i never use that anyway.
the gauge is held on by one of those cell-phone clip buttons, the little hanger was glued to the bezel by the previous owner. some doublestick foam tape holds the button to the gauge, but its been peeling, and ill be rigging it slightly differently soon
the wire is run through the dash behind the bezel, down to the obdII port. there is only a few inches of wire out to allow the gauge to be taken out of the hanger, or to allow me to reach the buttons on the back.
I used to drive a ranger, and i loved the console ir had under the dash, those two cupholders with the rising rings that held a can just right. since i dont really want a full length console, and that cubby was not doing it (and since i didnt really have a useful cupholder:
http://i804.photobucket.com/albums/yy328/gibsondale/2011-03-16_18-40-52_463.jpg) i figured id see if i could put one of the ranger style ones in there. what i needed was the console, the mounting plate, the little quarter-turn clips, and two self tapping screws. after removing the little cubby hole, those two screws went in the back holes (towards the dash) and the holes line up perfectly. the self tappers went in the front, just so there wouldnt be a gap under the console when it was installed. install the console with the clips, put the liners and rings in, and done. it looks stock, and with my cell phone mount in one of the cupholders, i still have three useable ones.
now i kept the bag console. a lot of people dont like it, but i do. what i didnt like was the flippy-cup-cupholder that was on the front of it. especially because the previous owner cut a hole in it to mount his satellite radio controller
the hole was ugly, and i wanted more cupholders, and someplace to put change. so i decided one one of these cupholders, from an older explorer, and its exactly what i wanted.
now forgive the mess, but there it is. a very easy install. the only problem i had was that the rear screwholes next to the change organizer had no brace below them to screw into. i secured it with those two screws on the backside (its not pretty, i know, it wont stay that way) screwed into the console body.
And now, some pictures of my new intake. i got it for 34+12 shipping, and installed it with spare bolts i had, but wasnt happy with the breather hose config (as pictured, i didnt cut it short because i wanted to be sure it was secure, and see if i needed to juryrig it.
Just the intake, from the right side of the trac
the engine bay, from the left side
the engine bay from the front
Just the intake, from the front
please note that the breather hose touches the alternator, and is only slipped inside the breather elbow. it holds by itself pretty well, but i made it sturdier today with some hose fittings, in pretty odd fashion. and as a temporary way to stop the hose from touching the alternator, (still havent cut it) ive run it under the maf wires because i havent found an elbow that would work yet. Im very happy with the kit though, it looks and sounds good, and at an unbeatable price. i plan on painting the piping black, and replacing the couplers with black ones as well. then i may try to build my own custom heat shield, because its definitely nor a "cold-air" intake. the tb cover will go back on eventually, but i like access to the throttle when im showing off from under the hood.
anyways, theres a little more about my trac, at least how it sits now, ill mention that the previous owner installed a magnaflow exhaust sysem (cat-back) and a truxedo low-pro soft tonneau cover. ive also installed a line-of-fire type led tailgate strip, and ventvisors on the four doors.
now as far as i can remember, thats all thats been done to my truck, dont know for sure what my next project will be but i hope it'll be soon.
ill try to post pics of my intake tomorrow, of how ive solved the "problems" ive had.
oh yeah, and can anyone tell me what this black box is? i want to remove that rusted part, then either sand and paint it, or remove it altogether if it wont hurt the filter in its absence, but i cant seem to pry the box off.
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