2011 fitment for aFe intake (and probably others)

apparently the two intakes i have (Volant and aFe) both re-use the two 12mm bolts that hold the OE intake tube to the fender well. they relocate the bolts to one unused inner hole, and reuse an outer hole. well, i don't know if 2011 changed or what, but my inner hole is half as deep as the other one - there is something screwed in on the other side, under the fender or something, which ends up taking up half of the total depth available for the bolt they want you to reuse. this means you CAN NOT reuse both of the 12mm bolts, only one. the aFe intake also reuses the stock bushings and sleeves for these bolts, and those were included during my installation, so that isn't the issue. the hole simply isn't deep enough.

luckily i have an excessive collection of japanese vehicle bolts and was able to find a new bolt about half the length of the OE bolt as well as a new washer.

i can't tell you how long the bolt needs to be because i didn't measure it, however the hole is exposed even with the stock intake on, so your best bet if you don't have a bunch of import bolts is to remove one of the stock bolts, go to a hardware store, get one that is about half as long, take it out to the truck, and screw it in the inner hole. it should bottom out with less than a few mm left between the bolt head and fender surface, because you have to account for the bushing sleeve and box material.

yes, you could always grind down the factory bolt, and it would work, but i'd rather just have the right bolt.

also, another tip- with the aFe intake, position the intake tube loosely in the couplers and put the engine cover back on. make sure the stud you took from the OE intake box lines up properly with the engine cover hole, and also is "straight up". you might have to finagle the tube. with the cover still one, tighten the big end of the tube to the filter box. this technique will assure the intake tube is not only centered but also positioned properly overall in relation to the engine cover.

in my anal craziness i used purple loctite on all threaded things during installtion, even the MAF screws. this stuff is the weakest loctite and prevents things from loosening under vibration. i used to use it for RC car screws.