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Front Air Intake Duct

5.8K views 3 replies 4 participants last post by  TobyB  
#1 ·
Hi all,

I'm about to place my last order with FCP before I start on this car, and I'm wondering about the air intake duct which is a bit perished on this one. It's not too badly damaged, but if you flex bits of it they just want to crumble. I'm going to delete the clutch fan and aux fan in the front, so I'll have to take it out at one point.

I've seen mention of leaving it out, which wouldn't be my first choice unless there was some advantage as a result. I'm also a bit concerned about rocks being able to hit the radiator when I remove the front fan, as it has a bit of a grill built into the fan housing.

Any tips or recommendations regarding this area?



916709
 
#3 ·
I just ordered a replacement for my '02 330ci for my clutch fan and aux fan delete. All of the soft rubber edges were disintegrated which I think may affect air flow through the grille and lower section of the bumper. If you replace yours, order 4 new expanding rivets (51718229003) as they are almost impossible to remove without destruction.
 
#4 ·
As to the debris, if you are really concerned, 3/16" hardware cloth attached to the back side of the grille and bumper intakes is probably your best bet.
1/4" if you live somewhere with huge hordes of mosquitoes.

Somewhere around here I have a picture of a 10x60mm Nissan bolt that made it through the grille (forcibly)
of the E30, and distorted the mesh so much that the bolt was hanging just an inch from the radiator.
But didn't hit it...

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