Po' Boy's Cold Air Induction
Greg Wentz - gwentz@rt66.com
Objective
This kit is intended to give your Turbo Regal a real boost of cool air for your air cleaner system and provide cool air for the engine compartment. I fabricated a dual air induction system utilizing the original air dams (deflectors), two 90 degree home air register ducts (4"X10"), and 5" aluminum flexible hose. On my 87 Turbo Regal I used a 5" to 4" reducer and used 4" aluminum flexible hose for the ducting to the OEM air cleaner system.
You Will Need
The parts are shown here ( Air Dam (Deflectors), Register, Aluminum Ducting )

The construction of the cold air dams requires the following tools and materials.

  • Single edge razor blade
  • 2 Vise grips
  • Small vise
  • Ruler / straight edge
  • Pop rivet set
  • 1/8" x 1/4" pop rivets
  • 1/8" pop rivet washers
  • 1/8" drill bit
  • 3/8" drill bit
  • Small electric hand drill
  • Duct tape
  • Flat Black paint
  • 1" bolt with washer and nut
  • 4"X10" 90 degree register duct
  • 3' length of 5" aluminum hose that is expandable to 8'
Procedure
  1. One must remove the original air dams (deflectors). Remove all bolts (3) securing air dam to bumper and the two (10mm) end bolts. The following instructions will be for the construction of a passenger side air dam.

  2. Take register and place lower edge of opening on bottom lip of air dam with outside register edge about 1 1/2" from outside corner of air dam. You now need to mark the register's side height to match the air dams height on both sides.

  3. Modify the height of register opening by removing original fasteners which helped form the original 4" height. For a passenger side air dam the register opening size should be approximately 3 5/8" on the left side and 3" on the right side which is closest to the intercooler opening area. This modification will cause the upper portion of the duct to be inset 1/4" back from the three other sides.

  4. Pop rivet the register together so that the register opening remains with the dimensions of 3 5/8" X10" X3"X10". The register opening should now be able to fit in between the top and bottom lips of the backside of the air dam.

  5. Place the register between the top and bottom lips of the backside of the air dam.

  6. Place the register's left side located about 1 1/2" from the outside corner of the air dam. Mark the air dam where the vertical sides of the register are located. The distance between the register sides should be the original 10" dimension.

  7. Scribe two vertical lines on the air dam to indicate where the register sides will be located.

  8. You will now have to scribe lines on the air dam to indicate how you are going cut the opening for the register opening.

  9. Using the previous scribed vertical lines you must draw 4 lines which are at a 45 degree angle towards the center of your opening. See diagram with lines in red. These 45 degree lines need to be about 1" in length. Draw a horizontal line between the bottom two 45 degree lines.

  10. Draw a vertical line on both the left and right sides of where the 45 degree lines end.
  11. You can now slit the air dam on the 45 degree lines and the one line that goes horizontally between them and the two vertical lines that go between the other 45 degree lines. These lines are the red lines on the diagram. The idea is not to cut out any material but to have it cut such that you may bend the 4 flaps backwards.



  12. The next step takes a little time and involves you bending the top and bottom flaps backwards until they meet with the top and bottom lips of the air dam. This is where you need to first bend the flaps by hand and then use vise grips or a small vise to do the final forming. The two side flaps only have to be bent 90 degrees from the air dams front surface.

  13. Once they have been shaped into place you can now start pop riveting the bottom edge of the air dam to the bottom edge of the register. I started my first rivets near the center of the register. Use vise grips to hold the folded air dam onto the register's bottom lip. Two vise grips work well.

  14. Drill and pop rivet each hole as you work your way to the outside edges. Use washers as the rivets will pull through the plastic without them. Space rivets about 1 inch apart.



  15. Fold both side flaps backwards , so that they will rest on the outside surfaces of the register sides as you rotate the register inward, so that you can pop rivet the top lip. The two side flaps are not pop riveted, just held in place by force.

  16. Now pop rivet the top lip of the air dam to the top edge of the register. Use same procedure as you did for the bottom edge.



  17. With the register securely fastened you can attach your 5" aluminum hose to the register. It should slip over the top of the register and then you can secure it with duct tape. The length of hose needed can be determined by holding the air dam in place on the bumper and measuring the distance you need. The hose is flexible and expandable in length



  18. You now need to drill a 3/8" hole in the upper lip of the dam, where the outer most original bumper bolt was located. You need to replace the original bolt with a 1" bolt with lockwasher and nut. You may want to loosely install the air dam to verify where this hole is to be drilled.

  19. If all fits well, take loosely installed dam off and prepare register surface to be painted. Paint register with flat black paint.

  20. Install air dam and route aluminum hose up behind headlight and into cutout area leading into engine compartment.

  21. Expand aluminum hose to conform to oval shaped hole located in front of battery for passenger side air dam. Route drivers side air dam hose through oval cutout area and continue to inlet hole opening for air cleaner.

  22. Driver's side dam is constructed in the same manner as the passenger side dam. I recommend that you do both sides for both ascetic and functional reasons.
I made two sets of dams for my two Turbo Regals for under $50.00. I hope this helps those of you who want cold air induction at a very reasonable price. By the way if you really screw up your dams or need new ones, Zak can get new replacments for under $18 apiece for the 86 & 87 air deflectors. Zak 1-800-837-4345
  • passenger side 2552590 $17.82
  • driver side 2552590 $17.82


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