project: scoop

Purpose:
To feed air to a short ram intake on a 1988 Honda Prelude 2.0Si.

Supplies:
-Socket set and screwdrivers for hood removal
-Dremel 395 variable speed tool for cutting and drilling
-Primer and OEM red paint for scoop appearance
-Hood Scoop (I used a 300zx scoop from eBay)

 

Step 1 : Test fitting of the scoop

For ideal results, the scoop must be placed over the area where the RAM intake filter will sit. As seen in pictures 1.1 and 1.2, this is to the left of the hood. You will also notice the scoop is sitting raised above the hood... This is because the mounting bolts are sticking out and no holes have been drilled yet. The actual scoop is angled slightly so it is not fully horizontal. I don't foresee this becoming a problem, though I will sand down one side if it looks weird.

Picture 1.1 - click to enlarge

Picture 1.2 - click to enlarge

 

Step 2 : Preparation of work

Before removing the hood, mark down the mount location of the scoop. My scoop uses 4 bolts so I put small pieces of tape on the hood to mark it (as seen in 2.1). Tape is recommended since you may end up moving the scoop once more exact measurements are performed. You continue this phase by removing the hood. You may find this is a good time to replace the hood hinges if they are in questionable condition. Incidentally my hinges fell into pieces as I was lifting the hood. Once the hood is removed, you'll need to locate the mount points on the underside of the hood. This is easily accomplished with a measuring tape. In my case, three of the mounts were in open space but the fourth would require cutting some of the hood support. You can see my progress so far in 2.2. In 2.3, I have applied primer and paint to the scoop to match my vehicle's exact color.

Picture 2.1 - click to enlarge

Picture 2.2 - click to enlarge

Picture 2.3 - click to enlarge

 

Step 3 : The drilling

This is where the Dremel 395 with metal drill bit comes into play. This is my first time using the Dremel so I kept it on the first and second speed setting while doing the drilling. First thing I did was make a small dent where the mount holes will go to assist with drill accuracy. Now with the drilling... Always wear protective eye gear too! For the first hole (seen in 3.1) I managed to make a nice round drill, with the exception of not holding the Dremel hard enough and having it spin off and mark the hood.... Easy fix though. After I completed the four holes, I began to fit the scoop on. Of course the holes didn't line up so I ended up doing more Dremel work. In pictures 3.2 and 3.3 I've got the front of the scoop mounted in the new holes. Finishing the drilling is fairly straightforward.

Picture 3.1 - click to enlarge

Picture 3.2 - click to enlarge

Picture 3.3 - click to enlarge

 

Step 4 : The cutting

The Dremel 395 came to shine here too. For the cutting I set the Dremel at a couple below the fastest setting as they do not recommend cutting metal at the full 35,000 rpm. First I cut the area on the top side of the hood. Once that was complete, the hood supports underneath had to be cut away (seen in 4.1 and 4.2). Due to the angles, my cutting was not completely straight but nevertheless the job was completed. In 4.3 you see the complete work after the cutting. You can also sand down the sides and even it out a bit too but I'm lazy.

Picture 4.1 - click to enlarge

Picture 4.2 - click to enlarge

Picture 4.3 - click to enlarge

 

Step 5 : The final product

In this stage I secured the scoop onto the hood using the bolts and then installed the hood on the car again. The angle the scoop sits at doesn't really bother me but I will keep sanding one side down as an option. The scoop feeds air into the bay beside the distributor where the short RAM intake sits. In 5.1, 5.2 and 5.3, you see the final product on the car.

Picture 5.1 - click to enlarge

Picture 5.2 - click to enlarge

Picture 5.3 - click to enlarge

 

Total time to complete: 1 day
Total fingers lost: zero

Questions can be forwarded to [email protected]