DIY Network

Engine Dress-Up, Part 3: Exhaust Shield and Intake Upgrade From "Tricked Out" episode DTRK-106

	The fully dressed engine in our '88 CRX project car. The makeover includes the custom-made exhaust shield, visible at the front of the engine.
	PDF Click here to download a template for the CRX exhaust shield.

In this segment, Andrew Totolos makes a custom exhaust shield for the Honda CRX, replaces the existing intake tube and re-covers hoses and wires to better match the new blue color-scheme under the hood.

Materials:

Sheet aluminum
Cordless drill with step-drill bit
Wire-brush attachment for drill
Shield template
Cardboard
Scissors
Marker
Grease pencil
Tin snips
Hammer
Metal file
Gloves
Round file
Bolts and washers

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Custom Aluminum Exhaust-Shield

Later in this car's makeover, the owner may be replacing the stock exhaust manifold (figure A) with a new one. In the meantime, we opted to dress up the looks by concealing the manifold with a custom-made brushed-aluminum exhaust shield. Here's how we did it.

• To create a template, measure the rough dimensions for size and mounting-hole location when your engine is cold (figure B).

  Figure A

  Figure B

  
  

• Transfer the measurements onto cardboard and cut out the rough template (figure C).

• Shape the template by trimming it with scissors, and test the fit and mounting-hole position as well.

• When you're content with the design, transfer the measurements from your template onto aluminum with a marker (figure D).

  Figure C

  Figure D

  
  

  	Figure E
  	Figure F

• Cut out the design using tin snips.

• Hammer the edges flat, and use a file to smooth out any rough edges (figure E).

• Mark the holes with a center punch.

• Drill 1/8" pilot holes (figure F) before enlarging the openings to the proper size.

• A step drill bit will allow you to make various sized holes depending on your needs. For the template pattern for our particular engine, the mounting holes get enlarged to 7/16" and the dipstick hole to 7/8".

  Tip: Use a washable marker to highlight the proper step for easier viewing while drilling.
  

• Make sure the aluminum is secure by clamping it to your workbench, and use a drill-mounted wire brush to create a custom finish (figure G).

• Because aluminum is fairly pliable, you can make the bend by folding the shield against the edge of the workbench (figure H).

  Figure G

  Figure H

  
  

• To install it, position the shield into place (figure I) then slide a lock washer and a flat washer onto the first bolt. Use another flat washer as a spacer between the shield and the exhaust manifold. Hold the rear washer in place with your fingers as you guide the bolt into the mounting boss.

• Do the same with the other bolt and then tighten the bolts to finish your custom exhaust shield.

• For the final touch, we added a custom dip-stick with a blue handle (figure J).

  Figure I

  Figure J

  
  

The existing intake tube on our CRX was a little too close to the strut-bar tower -- something which could cause wear due to vibration and cost points on the auto-show floor. We opted to replace it with a new chrome intake-tube kit.

Materials:

Replacement air-intake kit, including clamps and connectors
Screwdriver
Black split-loom
Scissors
Wire ties
Wire cutters

The OLD intake tube.

The NEW intake tube.

Steps:

• Pull the oil overflow line, then loosen the main hose clamp (figure K) and swap them out.

• The new intake tube goes in just like the old one came out (figure L).

  Figure K

  Figure L

  
  

• Tighten the clamps at the intake manifold (figure M), replace the overflow tube, and attach the air filter at the other end (figure N).

  Figure M

  Figure N

  
  

  Figure O

The white wires and hoses left on our engine (figure P) weren't visually in keeping with our engine dress-up, so we opted to conceal those wires using black split-loom.

With the split-loom installed and secured with zip-ties, the engine had a more unified look overall (figure Q).

Figure P

Figure Q

• Simply cut black split loom to length of existing hoses and slide it over the hoses.

• Once in proper position, secure it with wire ties.

• Clip the loose ends off the ties with wire cutters.
  

RESOURCES :

Racing Innovations, Inc.
Website: www.racinginnovations.com

Streetglow, Inc.
Website: www.streetglow.com

Vibrant Performance
Website: www.vibrantperformance.com