NISMO808

iTrader: (2)

Well my cai arrived today and i'm off to home depot to pick up some tools. Anyone know which hole saw drill bit brand is better than the other in terms of strength. I don't want a bit breaking on me. Thanks in advance.

ajaffee

They should all be fine. Even the top-of-the-line bits shouldn't be too expensive though. I've never had a holesaw break on me. Look for one with carbide tipped teeth.

NickStam

iTrader: (3)

Takes pics and write up a How-2 on it It can't hurt to have more than one.

BIGMAX

The bit don't matter.
The drill does. My drill kept over heating and took forever to saw through.

Llfe

iTrader: (5)

umm...there was only one brand at my home depot with the size of 3 1/2, that costed $15 and the middle bit to connect from the hole saw to the drill was $15...i think i got jipped

BIGMAX

I don't knowhow much they cost,
I borrowed my friends 3 1/2 that had a bit attached.

MaineI30

Wear safety goggles.

When I cut my hole for my CAI in my old Max, I ended up in the Maine Eye Center's Emergency Room.

Don't chance it. I got lucky.

1MAX2NV

iTrader: (5)

Good point. I wear my eyeglasses when I do car work. I know they are not as impact resistance as safety goggles, but they saved me quite a few times. All my safety goggles are so scratched up that I can't see through them anymore.

NISMO808

iTrader: (2)

Finished the install guys. (sorry no pics) Overall the install went smoothly and quickly. I did notice that my battery must have been leaking cause the battery plate was all corrosive and it was very dirty in the engine bay once everything was out. I will have to go back in and clean it at a later date. Anyhow, the hardest part turned out to be aligning the cai piping so that everything fit nice and snug and was in the correct position. I had to play with the length a lil around the rubber seals. Also putting on the filter through the wheel wheel was sort of a pain as well. So much of a pain that I was contemplating taking off the front bumper. I ended up having to hold the screwdriver end flush against the head of the screw while my friend tightened the screw. There has got to be an easier way. AT one point i was thinking of just taking off the front bumper. I'm sorta dreading the day I have to take the filter off to clean it.

Final thoughts on the install which took about 3 hours is that it wasn't as difficult as I had expected. Definitely have a friend handy to help you and also get a long extension for your 10mm socket cause some of the bolts were a pain to get to. Also on my 97 i noticed that there was a smaller resonator piping underneath the bigger piping closest to the front. Currently its not connected to anything. I was just wondering what it is.

took the car out for a lil spin and at first i took it pretty slowly and barely noticed the intake noise however after i opened it up i noticed the car redlined very quickly in first and second not to mention it was loud! My only qualm is that I didn't feel as much pull on the top end around 60 and up to 80. Do you guys have similar performance?

NISMO808

iTrader: (2)

Also when drilling take it slow and don't push too hard. I was using a dewalt drill which is pretty heavy duty but even then I still managed to get stuck cause I got over zealous and pushed hard. Thus take it slow even though it doesn't seem like anything is cutting when in fact it is cutting. Also have a friend help hold the drill against the side of the car where the fuse box used to be to help stabalize the drill when it kicks.

bullseye

That bit in the middle is called a mandrel. That is the core element to a holesaw. You should definitely use a hole saw cutter with carbide tips when you are cutting metal. If you try to use the cheapest hole saw cutter you can find, you will discover it doesn't cut steel. (The cheapies are designed to cut wood and soft metals, like copper, brass, and aluminum.) If you have a good, sharp cutter and take your time, the drill should not over heat. Maybe a couple drops of 3-in-1 oil on the cut will help...? Good luck.