Homemade Snorkel

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TotalChaos

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Does anyone have a how to guide kind of thing for making a snorkel for a 90ish Bronco? I know that i have seen a few pictures of ppls truck with em. I kind of have an idea of how to do it. My only question is how do you connect it to the TB. The TB on my truck has 2 openings and i'm not sure how to connect the two....

any help would be awesome!!!

 
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TotalChaos

TotalChaos

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AWESOME!!! Thanks a ton for the links... i really like the second one... where they use wire and fiberglass.... it looks like it might be a really good idea.... i might give that one a whirl.....

 

BroncoJoe19

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Yeah, that homemade fiberglass one certainly looks interesting.

The intake on my air intake starts out as a 1.5 inch by 6 inch opening, which is approx 9 square inches. It expands to a 4 inch hose, which is approx 12 square inches.

I am wondering if a 3 in pipe would give sufficient air (that would be approx 7.1 square inches).

The two intake hoses are 2 inches in diameter giving 3 square inches each, for a total of six square inches.

 
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TotalChaos

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yeah... i think that i am going to figure out a way to put the hose in the hole that i cut out of the fender and make the end of the fiberglass snorkel itself taper into the hose, then use hose clamps or something to synch it all up the seal it all with RTV... if i figure it out i will take pictures and post for you... hopefully this will all be happening within the next week or so... well at least trying to get it all started....

 
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BroncoJoe19

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Swampthing mentioned that some have taken their airbox apart and turned the bottom half around so that it faces the fender. I started that little project yesterday, and took some pictures as I went, hopefully it will be helpful for others.

In the mean time I started wondering about snorkeling. IF the alternator goes under water, will it continue to work, or will it short out? Will it be ok after it dries?

 

miesk5

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Joe, alt's bearings and brushes could go bad... but that would be just a little prob compared to all da other bearings and electr connectors; as well as engine and tranny, tc, etc.

A lot are using 3" dia tubing; have seen 4" in some. And think about using stock intake above grille & modding it to pull in air thru snork tubing.

Also consider an 80's Mustang distributor boot. I think there is info in Army Field Manuals; l have some in my site under

Off Road & Winter Driving, US Army Field Manual Source: by US Army via Bill A (BillaVista)

this pc is going bad again.. or it may be Comcast playing access games again.

 
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BroncoJoe19

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Joe, alt's bearings and brushes could go bad... but that would be just a little prob compared to all da other bearings and electr connectors; as well as engine and tranny, tc, etc.
A lot are using 3" dia tubing; have seen 4" in some. And think about using stock intake above grille & modding it to pull in air thru snork tubing.

Also consider an 80's Mustang distributor boot. I think there is info in Army Field Manuals; l have some in my site under

Off Road & Winter Driving, US Army Field Manual Source: by US Army via Bill A (BillaVista)

this pc is going bad again.. or it may be Comcast playing access games again.
Thank you sir :) /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

I put togther a snorkel yesterday by flipping the bottom of the air filter box, runing it out the fender and hooking it up to 3" PVC. My wife hates it!

I took some pictures and will post later. Currently I am waiting for the $9 a quart plastic primer to dry, before I give it a coat of black paint.

I don't plan on being a submariner, certainly not enough to worry about bearings, I just never considered what may happen to an alternater if it was running while under water. Would it blow the diodes?

I read that one should use a sealant around the bottom of the dist cap, raise the vent tubes for the front, and rear diffs, the transfer case, and to use duct tape to seal the trans, and oil dipstick tubes.

What about the power steering box? anything need to be done to that?

I'll look into the mustang dizzy boot.

 

miesk5

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yw joe,

Would it blow the diodes? probably, esp if in seawater, which I was a lot. Find a marine electrical supply site and look thru their marine alternators/starters, distribtors, etc listings and see what they advertise about being sea water friendly.

mustang distr boot pic

What about the power steering box? anything need to be done to that? Prob seal the cap too.

I know I have a Link somewhere in my site that shows a few water-"proofing" techinques.

also, somethAng typical of water problems;

Water Intrusion of Manual Lever Position (MLPS) also called Transmission Range (TR) Sensor TSB 95-2-12 for 89-94; Some vehicles may exhibit a shift concern and/or a harsh engagement concern due to water intrusion into the MLP/TR sensor and vehicle harness. There may also be a number of different DTC's along with those concerns Source: by Ford via miesk5 (Al M) at comcast.net

use dielectric grease on all your connections

swap to electric fans so you can shut them off so they dont sling water

breather tubes - put filter(s) on each end; have to find the Link w/check valves on em too later

Chis B has a pic on it and Brian

found the link;

"For our MX race trucks we do the dieletric grease-in-the-plug wire socket thing and then do the following before every race:

1. completely clean engine and wires with Superclean. Let dry. Spary wires with Wire Drier.

2. Spray wires and connectors etc with multiple coats of 'pure silicon' spray. (NOT WD-40..just aerosol silicone)

3. Spray everything down with CRC Marine Corrosion Guard...several heavy coats, allowing for some drying time in between. The stuff has a waxy tan appearance and is 'not pretty'..but then nothing is pretty after an MX dirt/mud race anyway.

No RTV or other stuff..dizzy covers ..etc required. The above combination of water-proofing prep results in an engine that runs practically underwater without the first misfire..race after race after race. And since nothing is sealed with RTV or the like, its all easily removed and cleaned up.

I should also note that we hang a sheet of fexible plastic under the radiator between the frame rails and just touching the ground, to limit some of the 'splash up' that occurs when blasting through creek crossings and the like...."

by bmc

--

my note on Silicone spray; I used it once on distr before we began sand driving; my O2 sensor went a day later! altho our 92 and up 5.0's and 5.8's, etc. O2 sensors are Supposed to be silicone tolerant...

and by Jim O

"...I see no reason not to RTV the lower distr cap to the distr.

How often does one remove a lower distr cap (never). You can even

use RTV on the upper cap. Smear an even light coating around the

top of the lip where upper cap meets the lower cap. Let it dry (before

putting on upper cap) and it now becomes a lightly pressed RTV gasket.

Many say not to, but I also RTV the vent. It'll vent through the shaft

into the engine if it really needs to and those that say you get

condensation are all wet (checked 100 times in the last 8 years,

always dry)..."

later, enjoy! and let your better half know it's all for safety ... for the family, which we both agree, comes first

 
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BroncoJoe19

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Miesk5,

Thanks a LOT!!! You are the BEST! :)

I really appreaciate you looking out for me.

I read through the thread, and will do a little searching on alternators as you suggest.

Why should I put filters on the various breather tubes? I don't see how that will keep water out, will it?

I was thinking about putting a baggie over them and using a little tape, or rubber bands.

Your link to the MLPS doesn't work. I'll see if I can find it on your site.

Hmmm, I'm thinking that once I get it water proofed, maybe I could find a sticker something like this to put on it.

love_my_submariner.gif

Thanks again.... time to put a coat of paint on the snorkel :)

 

BroncoJoe19

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Here is how I made my snorkel, total cost approx $50

I decided to use the original equipment air filter box.

Take it out, and rotate the bottom half of it so that the air inlet is aimed at the driver's side fender.

Because I wanted to keep the hose as close to the body as possible, I needed to set the filter box closer to the engine than it was orignially located. I needed to cut out the bottom fender side of the bracket a bit to allow the box to sit properly.

Pic 1 remove throttle body air intake hoses

Pic 2 bracket cut out.

snorkel1.jpgsnorkel2.jpg

snorkel3.jpg

Next I cut out the hole in the fender.

The finished hole ended up being 6" by 3 7/8", a little more rounded on the top than the bottom.

I used a combination of hole saw in a drill, a 4" cut off saw, a sawzall, and tin snips. The sawzall was challenging to do with one hand while trying to stabilize the fender with another. When you make the hole, cut it a bit smaller and then bend the edges in so that there are no sharp edges to cut into the plastic air intake that goes through the fender.

snorkel4.jpg

snorkel5.jpg

 

BroncoJoe19

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I added a 2x3 for support, (bolted through the fender and the inside fender wall)

I pushed the original air intake through the fender hole.

snorkel6.jpgsnorkel7.jpg

I used RTV silicone gasket sealant where the air box and the air intake meet.

Also there are two little 3/16th inch holes in the bottom of the box. I sealed each of them with a little nut and bolt, and some sealant.

snorkel8.jpg

I eventually used a sheet metal ***** to ankor the box to the support bracket below. It is that bright white blur in the picture on the right. I didn't position where to drill for the ****** until I had everything mounted together so that I could be sure it was in the right place regarding the alignment of the snorkel to the side of the truck.

snorkelbracket.jpg

I used two three inch straps to hold the snorkel to the wood brace, and a 3/8 in bolt to achor it to the sunvisor.

Almost finished!

snorkel9.jpgsnorkel10.jpgsnorkel11.jpg

So the parts list to get this far was

19 1/2 inches 3 inch pipe

35 inches 3 inch pipe

1 three inch hose clamp (2 inches wide)

1 three inch PVC to drain hose adapter

1- 45 degree three inch PVC

2 - hanger straps

1 - 4 1/2 inch 3/8in bolt

16 inches of wood 2X3

a couple four or five inch bolts.

a couple of small bolts to seal the bottom of the air box

sealant

Oh... I had to cut and shorten (about 4 inches) the pvc tubing that goes from the bottom of the air box to the bottom of the oil fillter tube, so I had to get a short rubber tubing to connect it.

1- sheet metal ***** to attach the air box to the bracket

2 screws to hold the bracket/supports to the wood on the fender.

 
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BroncoJoe19

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Now the question is...

how should I finish the top?

I am thinking that it would be good to have the air come in the front especially at high way speeds, but to be able to protect it from having water forced in during a rain storm, so I am thinkning it would be good to be able to reverse the intake like this.

snorkel12.jpgsnorkel13.jpgsnorkel14.jpg

 
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TotalChaos

TotalChaos

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Now the question is...how should I finish the top?

I am thinking that it would be good to have the air come in the front especially at high way speeds, but to be able to protect it from having water forced in during a rain storm, so I am thinkning it would be good to be able to reverse the intake like this.

View attachment 6960View attachment 6961View attachment 6962
I like it... you deff are going to want to be able to spin it if it does rain... the only suggestion i have is, if it is at all possible I would try to shorten it up a bit so it doesn't sit so high about the top of th truck... also are you planning on trying to do anything to hide the rest of the hole in the fender?

 

BroncoJoe19

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I like it... you deff are going to want to be able to spin it if it does rain... the only suggestion i have is, if it is at all possible I would try to shorten it up a bit so it doesn't sit so high about the top of th truck... also are you planning on trying to do anything to hide the rest of the hole in the fender?
Thanks,

Yeah, I am looking for alternate solutions, because the way I have it mounted to the fiberglass sunvisor I really can't make it much shorter. I agree that I don't really like the way it looks forward facing. Rearward facing would be ok for going through trails with overhanging tree branches, unless they are really thick.

I also need to mount a drain plug of sorts in the bottom of the air filter box, in case some water does get into (like I forget to turn it in a rain storm, or it rains at night with no cover on it.)

Regarding the hole in the fender: I really hadn't given it much thought, that fender is pretty beat anyway, but one could use some paintable caulking compound and then paint it to match, OR one may see if he could find a door edge body moulding to lie in there.

 

Rednek

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Broncojoe your so cool.

honestly

ya just get right after it and saw a hole in the side of your bronco.

that would be badass rollin down the highway lol.

check out some pics like google images look for snorkel.. people have a deal like its a plastic filter with a little cowl over it its good for rain.....

thats awesome.....

i could even make ya one..... 3 in pipe... i could weld up a little cowl that turns forward with a metal grating type deal (like on a grill) and a steel cowl over it... pm me if ya want me to?

 

Rednek

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exhaust snorkeys would be 10x harder. ya gotta bring all kinds of things into mind (legal,heat,etc.) one time i gott my Kawasaki mule 3010 stuck and it shut down on me... i pulled it out with the tractor.. and turned it right over all kinds of water and mud came blasting out the exhaust... then it fired right up! i was like HOLY !@#$ it has ran fine ever since.... so idk about truck exhaust.... i think its okay since you rarely stop and turn it off while the rear pipes are under water and the truck is tilted forward......

 
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BroncoJoe19

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Our members have made a total of 73,216 posts

The F*** word is in only about 20 of them. Please edit this post and remove it.

Edit... thanks Rednek for editing your post.

When I was a kid, if anyone uttered a foul word on the CB radio, eveyone would jump all over the offender. Now the language is often so obscene, that I won't turn it on with kids in the car. Let's not go down that path.

Regarding exhaust snorkels, I agree with Rednek, I don't think they are necessary for water. Some guys do turn them to the side so that they don't fill up with mud if they back up, so snorkeling for that purpose may be a good idea. I personally do not have alot of mudding experience so I can't give a definitive answer.

Regarding muddridder's dual exhaust question. All I can say is... huh????

 
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