Snorkel Installation: 2nd Gen SS135MOD & 1st Gen SS170HF

No worries. Dremel?! Damn that's a hell of a job for a dremel, poor thing.

 

Hey all! I'm getting ready to do mine in the next day or so! I'm gonna do some reading first though and hopefully get it right the first time. I think I'm gonna steal the window idea too.

Be ready for some questions and alot of pics...I AM A PIC WHORE!

 

yea...after 7 snorkels installs, cutting off 2 rear fenders, and a ton of home stuff it saw it's last days

That's the "Max window" the above member in my quote was the first I have seen do it so credit is due to him.

 

Abso-fucking-lutely! I have been following Max's build. Awesome pics of wheeling too!

I think I will go with the basic rectangle though, New York seems like a PITA to cut out!

Your straight-shooting in this thread has made alot of sense out of the snorkel install also. Reps to you too!

 

glad my strait shooting is actually doing some good. it usually gets me in trouble in TW

 

I've eaten my shoes here and there, but there is normally no MIS-communication. My wife and daughter (step) will vouch for that!

 

LOL too bad I put the Nevada window backwards.

Good luck with the install and thanks for the compliments!

 

Well, my install is complete. Some ups, some downs. Now that it's done, I think there are a few things I would do differently, but for now it works for me!

Pics are loading to Easy Share as we speak! I won't go through all the details, but just some of the points that stick out in my mind.

I started at noon with a ripping headache. On the verge of some Vicodin and a muscle relaxer, but I'll suffer for now, power tools you know! Finished right at 5:30.

The tabs that hold the inner liner kicked my ass. I have no feeling in my thumb and first two fingers on my left hand. (blew a disc in my neck and impacted my spinal cord better than 50%. disc is replace but now I get pretty good headaches pretty regularly...enough of that, just an expaination, no pity!!!) Anyhow, broke a couple of the tabs that hold the flare on, no problem, the local body shop gave me a couple.

The templates both matched up along with the original install method. I also used XXXX's method of a 4th check with the studs to match the marks, no wax or paint, just visual. All good, center punched all marks and started drilling. I used a 3 1/2" hole saw with the intention of using the cutoff wheels to trim and/or enlarge the main hole, wasn't needed. Checked the fit then drill the stud holes with a unibit. It worked excellent with clean holes, no burrs. Dremeled the edges inside and out, then brushed on primer and used a bottle of touch up paint coat to finish.

While waiting on the paint to dry, went to town and got the flare tabs that I fucked up, freebies are good! Also picked up an extra tube of black RTV. Again, thanks to XXXX!, RTV'ed all the holes and started to mount the snorkel. I did trim the connector to the point it bottomed out on the snorkel, and looking back I should have read further and trimmed some off the snorkel itself. I did end up cutting and rolling back the inside of the quarter to make it fit. I did get it in, and I'm not taking it apart again, but it made for some ugliness. I can live with it.

I may have more RTV on me than the holes in my fender, but I did get everything bolted up inside the fender, what a clusterfuck when you can't feel the nuts threading on! But it is done and tight.

Now for the mess under the hood! I used a conglomeration of PVC and ferncos.(?) I did add the window to the airbox, along with a preoiled K&N I had sitting aside.

THEN...4"x3" pvc coupling RTV'd and screwed to the airbox. I did have to cut off the ring that holds the old line in place for the coupler to fit. It is quite snug and sealed! I did not forget the two holes in the box either. (not bad for a dope smoker!) Next is a short piece of 3" into a 3" street 90* into a 90*fernco over the adapter from the snorkel. It's quite an abortion to look at, but it is sealed well enough to stall the motor when capping the top of the inlet.

Once again, following XXXX's example, I put a bead of RTV around the top adge and front of the snorkel to keep shit out, but left the bottom open for draining any shit that gets in there. I do need to seal the fender opening where I cut-to-fit, but at this point I was feeling the stray drop of rain and watching the clouds roll in.

I may go back and rething the underhood strategy, but for now I'm good with it. Pics coming up.

Feel free to flame away...I've been married twice and I can take it.

I also have all my mileage tracking, but I will put that up in the other thread.

MY GOD, I haven't typed this much since fucking high school!

Work station



new tape and dremel stuff, my supply was low



New template



Old one matches the new one







The shitz!





Great fit





Primed and painted





FUGLY...I should've read further...



New tabs for the flare



Bolted on





Out side is complete





Modding the box...HMMM...nice box







I keep a spare K&N oiled and on hand. BTW, the lexan was a freebie too.



The rest of my under-hood abortion. It's tight!





RTV'd



What I was racing the last 20min. or so!!!







Now to clean up my "shop"



Another look, I'll peel the tape when I'm done with the typing and pic whoring!



Can I be proud?



Thanks for all the help you guys! I wouldn't have had the balls to cut into my truck without it!

I gotta give the glory and honor to my Lord also! Couldn't have done it without His help either!

 

Thanks! I do need to seal off the fender now. I gotta see what that flashing is you guys used.

 

Looks good John!

I just used single sided black window flashing from a big box store and cleaned all the metal with alcohol before installing it so it got a good clean grip on the paint.

Keep an eye on your fittings after you put a couple miles on the truck and check to make sure everything is tight and didn't loosen. If you getting to much vibration through the pvc try a 3" - 4" rubber fernco to attach the PVC to the OE intake.

If you want to check and see if you got a good seal at your connections you can block off the fan with some cardboard and put a smoke pen to it and see if it sucks the smoke in.

 

Gotta say reading that gave me a smile. Nice work. Good thing you added a window, that looks like a PITA to pull the filter


I used Gorilla tape FWIW, stuff is incredibly strong and sticky. Put it on both sides, still there and I'm not running fender liners.

 

Thanks you guys!

Removal of the filter isn't too bad. The furncos make it pretty easy. The whole assembly is removable at the rubber 90*.

If I keep it the way it is, I'll glue all the PVC and get it painted.

Gotta get to work now!

Oh, I also gotta redo the RTV around the outside, I peeled the tape too early last night an frigged it up. It didn't set well in the wet and cold.

 

love all the pics. Im starting to think it might be easy enough to try sometime soon

 

That was just what I needed, I've got a few weeks until I do mine. Always nice to see it over, and over, and over, and over again. . . Boosts the confidence

That being said, 2012 fenders are cheap right ?? haha

 

Using a holesaw can be a bitch on a non-flat surface! Broken pilot bits happen when an edge grabs, then the saw wants to walk all over the surface. BE CAREFUL and maybe use a drill you can stall if need be. I used my 18v Dewalt. I drill alot of holes in vinyl and aluminum siding pretty regularly so I am familiar with what my drill will do if it grabs...Drilling my fender still scared the shit out of me.

Measure a bunch of times and make the cut once. Read the whole thread and your underhood work will look much better than mine and you won't have to trim the inside of the fender like I did!

 

Well,

Here's my story...

I installed my snorkel some months ago, the problem I had, as a lot of us, is that there were a lot of bends... Lots of bends =Bad air flow = poor mileage...

So I decided to end with that... I had the same idea as GeoTaco and really went for something similar POST...

First I did some research to "glue" this type of plastics... There is no glue for polyethilene, so the best way is plastic soldering (youtube has a lot of tutorials)...

Before any "new cuts"


I got my dremel and started cutting the last part of the snorkel...


Then I thought that if there were two cuts, I was going to be able to bend the bottom part and seal it with the sides...


But the problem was that The plastic was getting weak, so I decided to cut off that part and started playing with the plastic and "soldering" the plastic that I cutted before (no pics, sorry..)

Here is the finished product:



After that, I had to make another hole... I know, many of you think it's wrong because it was designed for a crash... But my ARB bumper wasn't in the original design of our trucks...

So this is the new cut:




I forgot to take a picture with the snorkel installed... But I'll post it tomorrow!

 

Nice^ I'm assuming a straight pipe from there? Let us know if there's any difference.

 

Waiting for XXXX to chime in...

 

Some "trimming" yes...... "another hole"

lol...having a heavy ass ARB hanging off the front is even more reason not to cut the supports. It also has absolutely no grounds in regards to the debate besides being a negative due to the added weight.

The issue is it's an engineered crumple zone. It has to take stress while at the same time being able to crumple. I sure hope you didn't cut that much.

Here is why I am TOTALLY AGAINST CUTTING SUPPORTS....

This crumple zone is totally cracked through with NO cutting done to it and this is not a race truck. It's a regular Tacoma DCSB with Icons and 33's.
This crack is also the drivers side which is stronger and has zero holes.




In the end they are your guys trucks so hack away for all I care. All I can do is offer advise based on what I have seen and others experiences. I just don't want anyone to be bitching 1-5 years from know about their bracing cracking.


I highly doubt any mods are required or effective when this snorkel has been engineered by professionals at Safari and installed on Tacomas for over 5 years while also having been real world tested for millions of miles without anyone having an issue. These snorkels were designed for the Hilux and last I checked their V6 was sucking more air then ours....and the diesel Hilux is very picky about proper air flow as all diesels are.

Good luck and I hope 1/2 your beam doesn't crack because if it does, your looking at MAJOR money to fix it.

Please.........anyone reading this stay away from cutting structure out of your vehicle unless you have the sense and engineering know how to brace it back properly.












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See... 5 Hours and 19 min.