What’s Up in the Forums: DIY Wrangler Cold Air Intake for $70

You don’t need to spend big money to help your Wrangler breathe easier.

A cold air intake is one of the most popular aftermarket upgrades for your Jeep Wrangler, but with some kits costing as much as $250-300, the cost exceeds any real world benefit. It always helps if your engine can breathe a little easier, but for the gains made with a cold air intake, they are fairly expensive.

Fortunately, JK Forum member Ryans_JK put together a great DIY showing how to make a true cold air intake for your Jeep Wrangler with just $70 worth of parts, a little elbow grease and simple tools.

Introduction

When the OP first shared his Wrangler cold air intake DIY project with the community, he started by explaining his motivation for the build along with a detailed list of the parts needed to build a true cold air setup.

“Well I’m too cheap to pay $250 bucks for a bent plastic tube, filter and a heat shield……so I decided to build my own.

First I got all of my parts from Home Depot and O’reileys. Not shown in the pictures are some vehicle weather stripping and a 1″ x 1/4″ flat bar.

Parts List:
Black duct tape $4
Black trash can $5
3″ pipe clamps $1.50 ea
3/4″ elbow for the valve cover breather $1.30
3″ (swivel style) duct $7
Cone air filter $19
Self taping screws $1 per bag
Weather striping $3 per bag
Flat bar $7
3″ angle bracket $1
Misc bolts found in garage free

Total $70 — but I already had the flat bar in the garage so for me, it was $63.”

Cold Air Intake Installation

As you can see in the images here, the OP removed the stock air box and a portion of the stock inlet tubing of his Wrangler’s engine. In place of the air box, he constructed a new air intake box from the plastic trash can, using weather stripping to seal the box against the underside of the hood. This system allows the trash can-turned-air box to draw in cool air and keep warm air from the engine bay away from the filter.

In addition to the new air intake box, the OP used the piece of heating duct tubing to connect a portion of the stock intake system to the conical air filter, with the metal tube extending into the new air box.

Finally, black duct take was used to wrap the metal duct tubing, the clamps were used to hold everything together and the extra metal bits – including the flat bar and the angled piece – were used to secure the box tightly in place.

Finished Product

When the OP was finished with his custom true cold air intake system on his Jeep Wrangler, he had eliminated some restriction that came with the stock air box, but he did so in a way that separates the warm engine bay air with the cooler outside air. As a result, the air will flow more smoothly to the engine and the intake air temperatures will be lower than a vehicle drawing air from the engine bay.

While we don’t have any hard numbers, cooler, freer-flowing air is guaranteed to make more power and this DIY shows how to achieve the results of the $250 kit for $70 or less. Click here to check out the DIY for yourself.

Join the JK-Forums now!

Patrick Rall

"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.

"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.

"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.

"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.

"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.

"Being based on Detroit," says Rall, "I never miss the North American International Auto Show, the Woodward Dream Cruise and Roadkill Nights, along with spending plenty of time raising hell on Detroit's Woodward Avenue with the best muscle car crowd in the world.

Rall can be contacted at QuickMirada@Yahoo.com

Facebook   Twitter