4200 & GS induction system development

2b1ask1

Special case
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20,221
I've been told I need a dedicated thread for this development, the rationale is that Ferrari did their level best to choke the engine in every way possible so that it was not faster than the Fezzers of the day. The Manifolds, cats and exhaust squishes are well documented and sadly many 4200/GS units have been lost due to hydrolock incidences.

As we all know the OEM induction pulls the air through the left hand bottom bumper opening only! This is frankly a stupid location for several reasons:

Firstly because it is so low the air is influenced by ground effect, the slightest puddle gets sucked in and positioned at the end of the bumper there is no ram effect in fact the opposite happens at speed because the air is moving sideway past the opening being deflected around the bumper.

Hydrolock - enough said!

Snow - Well if you want to laugh your backside off try and drive one of these in the snow! If you do you stand a damned good chance of clogging the intake with anything more than 75mm of snow on the ground!

Soaked and rotting air filter / Lack of serviceability... We have all seen the pictures dealers try to claim are 1 year old filters as rotten as a pear - Frankly I only believes the independents actually change them and even that I'd question.

Disintegrating air boxes; I'll guarantee your air box is in a bad way and the rubber mounts will be failing or will have failed.

RESTRICTIONS = This is the biggy, if you measure the internal diameter of the throttle body you will get a potential induction requirement or capability, look at the opening in the bumper and you will find a V shaped water deflector, measure the areas either side and add them you will find physical restriction No.1, look at how the V also influences the airflow and you will see that a speed this will also restrict itself by blocking!

The paper cartridge itself if replaced is actually a good size but a cleanable cotton one will breath much better.

Moving up the air box takes the air and squeezes it into a flattened tube under the headlight and through the wing, totally necessary! This is just stupid design and built in restriction again to less than 2/3 the area of the induction and over a longer length.

The many direction changes and shape changes have by now got the air swirling all over the place so the MAF (Mass Air Flow sensor) has a set of cross bar meshes on it to 'straighten the air' so the reader can get a reading, between the MAF and the throttle body is the real rub, a bent hose that has a set of ripples in it that serve no purpose other than to cause chaos to the airflow by creating standing waves. They would claim that these are to allow movement of the engine 'strain relief' well I have yet to see my engine rock more than a couple of mm.

So if you believe all that then we can see how much we can liberate the engine... I have inly a part built system so far but already I can assure you it has freed the engine, it sounds awesome and is louder coming towards you on song than it is going away from you with the X-pipe :D Folks on the track side in Modena commented not only on the howl but also an induction 'whistle'!!!!

As I develop the rest of the system I'll update on here but I have a company in Bedfordshire waiting to see my creation and then to take it, improve it and produce it with a minimum 20 unit order :)

The same company will also complete the development of the silicone cooling hoses started last year.

I presently have a very large K&N cylinder cleanable filter which is mounted in the wing with the airbox removed completely and a straight silicone hose feeding directly to the MAF, with stated improvements.

The K&N is of such proportions that it will fit through the bumper opening with the grille removed with just 3mm of clearance! the intention is to mount it to the left side behind the grille between the aircon moisture trap and the radiator and grille.

An uninterrupted U-bend of silicone will then reach around the side of the radiator (with a small (insignificant) body modification) to a slightly altered MAF location. At this time I have no intention of changing the MAF but it should be possible to replace this with one with no mesh. Then a single piece silicone hose from the MAF to the Throttle body incorporating the crank breather.

Today I made an aluminium pipe with a crank breather T welded into it so I can put a silicone straight before and after from throttle body to MAF.

I have never welded any aluminium before and to start on 1.6mm thick was brave, to ARC weld it probably foolish but I had a practice with half a rod to find the correct power for it and nailed it in one!!! So here you go:

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More as it progresses :D
 

2b1ask1

Special case
Messages
20,221
Not bad for stick welding even if I do say so myself!

It is really hard to get and hold an arc as the rod burns SO fast you are chasing it down, no time for crater watching or weaving and the slag is as hard as glass! Very little inclusion or porosity and for thin material I didn't blow any holes which was my fear... It is a lovely strong joint and gas tight which is all it needs to be! I did consider silver soldering but I couldn't say for sure if that would hold together in the location and I didn't want to risk anything getting sucked into the engine!
 

philw696

Member
Messages
25,120
Good man you will be a expert by the time you relocate to your Man Cave in the West Country mate.
 

jayblue

Member
Messages
452
I will be interested to see how this develops and to test one out on my GS when the time comes.
 

2b1ask1

Special case
Messages
20,221
Happy to Gerry rig the old system upside down on the car on a rolling road when it is done as I have kept the airbox so it should be entirely practical to demonstrate the difference. To be honest Id be happy with just the sound :)
 
G

Guest 1678

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Newton - we are blessed to have you. If you need any help with pipe work my brother owns his own orbital welding business. he is able to weld anything - small pig to a telegraph pole. The boy is an artist. I am also convincing him to step away from 6 cylinder beetles and head for trident country.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 

BennyD

Sea Urchin Pate
Messages
14,994
Happy to Gerry rig the old system upside down on the car on a rolling road when it is done as I have kept the airbox so it should be entirely practical to demonstrate the difference. To be honest Id be happy with just the sound :)

Yours is the first 4200 ever that makes more noise breathing in than it does breathing out!
 

2b1ask1

Special case
Messages
20,221
Yours is the first 4200 ever that makes more noise breathing in than it does breathing out!

I'm ok with that...

I will have some sort of valve on the rear boxes one day but I'll be sorting the manifolds and cats first.
 

Steve GS

Member
Messages
1,526
Hi so this system you've created will stop water tracking into the air flow hence stoping a two inch puddle destroying my car. ( I just own a GS wish I could work on it and understand a bit more). If so I'm very interested.