Here are some pics of my Kinetix plenum install. I had already spent the past week sanding the inside of the plenum to smooth out areas that had rough casting. I used 60, 600, and 2000 grit sandpaper. This afternoon was spent installing the plenum.

I also polished the lower plenum runners and the top part of the intake manifold. For the intake manifold, I just used a lint free cloth and some 3M polishing compound. I didn't want to have metal debris or other crap fall into the valve area. For the lower plenum I used the sandpaper. The aluminum is soft enough so that the sandpaper will clean up the metal. I wish that I had more time to polish everything, but I had to put everything together before my wife got home.

For the 4 short screws that fill the holes in the lower plenum, I installed them upside down from the outside, so that if they ever fall out, they'll just fall onto the engine, and not into the intake tract. I got that idea from someone on my350z.com.

I have a 350z carbon fiber engine cover that's supposed to be shipped out tomorrow.





250233-kinetixplenum1a.jpg

 

intake manifold before



250234-intakemanifoldbeforea.jpg

 

and after



250236-intakemanifoldafter1a.jpg

 

lower plenum before



250237-lowerplenumbeforea.jpg

 

and after, I wish that I had more time to polish more.

The lighting doesn't bring out the shine in all the tracts. It just looks like only 2 of them are polished, but all of them look the same.


<P ID="edit"><FONT class="small"><EM>Edited by E_K on 05/09/04 09:50 PM.</EM></FONT></P>

250238-lowerplenumaftera.jpg

 

Very nice indeed! Let us know what you think of the gains in power and/or feel..............[img]/w3timages/icons/cool.gif[/img]

TC
[img]/w3timages/icons/cool.gif[/img]

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E_K,

That's actually not a bad idea about installing the 4 bolts from the bottoms incase they fall out. The best idea that I've come up with would be for the Plenum guys to supply bolts, that if they did back out, they would be too long to come out. This seems to be the most logical fix that I can come up with.

I've always wondered if there was room for longer bolts, but your being able to access the holes from the bottom side confirms that there is ample room for longer bolts.

Does anyone remember the size of the 4 bolts (length and # of threads per inch)?

300bhp??? We'll see... 5-22-2004

 

Is your plenum aluminum? If so how? I thought all Kinetix plenums were plastic. If it's not, how did you get it to look like aluminum? Lot's of questions here.

Lou

 

The only way I was able to access the bottom of the plenum was to take everything apart. That's not a bad idea to use longer bolts, but I'm not sure if the bolts will hit the intake manifold once everything is put back together.

Lowrider, I painted the plenum. Kinetix plenums are all plastic. I just used some hi temp primer, metallic silver paint, and some hi temp enamel.

 

If that's the case, then they could have provided some custom made "spacers with holes in them" and some longer bolts to keep the head of bolts near the top of the plenum. If the bolts began to back out, the thread engagement would be near 1/2 of an inch and the clearance between the bolt head and the top of the plenum could be 1/8 to 1/4 of an inch. Make sense??? Bolts could come loose, but would stay captive because the plenum would be in the way of them completely backing out.

300bhp??? We'll see... 5-22-2004

 

Yes, I knew that Kinetix Plenums werre all plastic, that's why, when I saw yours, I was so puzzled. I didn't know if they made you a special one or what. So, if I have this correct, you took a plastic piece and painted it to look like aluminum. It looks very nice, but I guess I don't understand why you would do this.

Lou

 

Cause it looks so cool! I like the red highlights.

2004.5 Coupe/5AT/Ivory/Everything but chin spoiler/Z Tube-Popcharger/Crawford V5 Plenum on the way

 

Lou, he did it for the same reason you cut your your engine cover and put it back on. He likes the way it looks.

300bhp??? We'll see... 5-22-2004

 

Oh.

Lou

 

Why does the Kinetix plenum seem to be more restrictive than the crawford plenum? Are they putting up the same numbers?

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