Homemade snorkels anybody?

[sandcruiser]

No doubt I can earn $300 in less time than it takes to build a snorkel.

For me part of the fun of working on the truck is coming up with unique ways to customize it, and sometimes it is just plain fun to try a homemade project, even if the final cost isn't a whole lot less than buying one off of the shelf.

This is, after all, a pretty DIY oriented site.

I don't know what minimum wage is these days, but I suspect if you contacted a temp agency you'd only have to put in 40-50 hours of work to cover the cost of a snorkel - seems like a bargain compared to some of these ideas! That and it would actually look cool. If your 80 is a beater, quit wasting time, run to the closest Home Deopt, grab some flexible downspout tubing, some pipe clamps, a couple tubes of silicone and be done with it!

 

[NLXTACY]

Not quite sure what someone makes has anything to do with the question at hand. Not everyone likes/wants to buy stuff off the shelf, they want to actually make it themselves. Doesn't matter if its a snorkel, a bumper, or complete isolated aux. battery back up system that some nut created.

 

[lx450landcruiser]

Did a little looking on the intronets last night, and looks like acetone will dissolve styrofoam quite readily, but not polyester resin. Not sure if it may weaken the resin thought. Maybe add a coat of resin inside and out afterwards just incase? I've never done any fiberglass work to have first hand knowledge of whether this would be feasible.

Ill try and ask my Plastics professor here as school and see if i can get any recomendations, I already have a snorkel but this sounds like a fun project.

 

[Sc0-]

Could do some cardboard flat/curved molds then just join/seal the panels together to make the structure. Fiberglass horizontal section on the fender than maybe a stainless or aluminum vertical section... Could even do a fiberglass triangular tube type of mold provided it's tapered and the mold is allowed to slide out. (vacuum molding)

Just throwing a few ideas out to kick up more ideas. Fiberglass, kevlar, etc. Fiberglass, Carbon Fiber - Fibre Glast Developments Corp.

 

[Bluetribal]

Il try get a photo of under the bonnet to show the hump hose connection.

Thanks for the replys at first i was worried about the size but now i love it, and its even helped the fuel economy with the better air flow.

Clarkie, Thanks for posting your pics I would really consider this option. It would match my chrome rims .

Still would love to see the under the hoop pic and maybe anything we could possibly see of the body mounts. I understand you can't take it off but there has to be a little bit we could see of how your attached it. And it seems like you only attached it to the pillar and nothing on the fender it self.
On further thought this might be difficult for us in the US with our antenna on that fender.

 

[romey]

Well people do argue that when its facing forwards you get the ram affect cause the air is forced in, but others will say that facing rearwards is the way to go because you dont have to turn the snorkel head around when your out mudding and because 90% of 4wding is at slow speeds(the ram affect is useless) so the motor will suck in as much clean air as it need anyway. If i put a board over the snorkel head sealing it it will stall the curiser because its sealed so well.

I find it works real well for me and its looks tuff so i like it.


If you look up the comp trucks in Aus you will see that nearly all of them use the same snorkel set up as mine, so its proven that its work well if they are using it.

so if the tip was facing forward, and your driving on the highway, is the RAM air effect really working? (and not to mention the ones with donaldson prefilters...certainly no RAM there) it would all depend on how it's facing forwards, but i'd imagin with that first bend at the tip, another one at the windshield, then a 90 degree turn into the airfilter... AND it's actually going backwards ... all that resistance... prolly not a significant RAM air effect...? unlike in a motorcycle where it's at the leading edge of the bike and it's a straight path in... just curious.

saweet snorkel!

 

[sandcruiser]

others have opined that to get the best ram effect, you should point the snorkel sideways at the windshield so that the air bouncing off of the windshield will create a high pressure front

 

[Cj80cruiser]

With it pointing forward how would you keep rain water out of it?

 

[sandcruiser]

the safari snorkel elbow has little drain holes

I like the discovery (land rover) style, "mushroom cap" top. No rain issues, no small animals making nests...

and I like the look

my next snorkel will probably include a Caterpillar pre-cleaner. I like clean air in my motor.

 

[shermantank55]

Sherman's Snorkel

Instead of fiberglass, I did plastic welding. Pretty happy how it turned out:

https://forum.ih8mud.com/fj55-iron-pig-preservation-society/261779-shermans-snorkel-phase-i.html

 

[Boone]

did you make that yourself? That looks sweet.

 

[badmuthatrucka]

I like the use of the quick fist clamps! Was that even $100 US? Ah, ingenuity!

 

[dafun1]

Just finished mine this evening. I removed the antenna because it wasn't working last week and thought, why not just use the hole that is already there for a snorkel exit point? So I did. I will get a hidden antenna later.

I just couldn't justify around $500 for a safari snorkel, when I made one my self for $60. I have sealed and created a breather system for my distributor and extended my diff breather hoses, but the intake on the 80 is so high I really didn't see the need for a snorkel, but since I'll be mud dragging here in Guam every 2-3 months, I decided why not have the extra piece of mind. I could see diving nose first into the water/mud pit and creating enough fill to get something in the stock intake. I know the starter and alternator and so many other electronics are vulnerable, but I've always liked the idea of snorkel. Anyway, here is what I used:

 

[dafun1]

Simple 2.5" shop vac hose...here is the box it came in:

 

[dafun1]

And here is what it looks like now:

 

[dafun1]

Photos are obviously in the dark and are not the best quality. The top of the snorkel is just a shop vac attachment. I'm sure most of you figured that out quickly. So it just looks like I have a shop vac under the hood! I put my hand up there to make sure air was moving and it was moving well.

The top is attached to the body of the vehicle by velcro. I will be placing one black zip tie around the tubing at the very top of the quarter panel. I'll just tuck it under the metal there and around the tubing.

So here is the price rundown:
1. 3" to 2" flexible rubber plumbing connector- $7.29
2. 2.5" RIGID shop vac hose- $22.99
3. Shop vac attachment for the top of the snorkel- $6.99
4. Velcro, adhesive tape, and dremmel cut off wheels to cut the hole in the quarter panel- $22 (You don't need the adhesive tape, just get velcro that has a strong adhesive backing)

After you take off the factory air intake, the air filter canister opening is 80mm in diameter. The 3" fit great as did the 2" side even though the shap vac hose was 2.5".

This job took me all day, but half of that was running around Guam finding the parts. I'll post some better pics in the daylight once I zip tie. I might open the hole in the quarter a bit more towards the back so the tubing lays flatter on the quarter panel. We'll see. I was gonna roll a gallon of black herculiner on that I bought, but it was raining off and on today, so I went with the snorkel plan.

 

[Boone]

That fitting on top looks really small and i doubt you're getting enough air flow. Not trying to be an ass, you have a great idea, just hoping to help you out.

 

[Doc]

I'm glad you like it.

You don't have a large enough air inlet. And, I seriously doubt that the tubing is large enough.

 

[hawaiicruz]

Instead of fiberglass, I did plastic welding. Pretty happy how it turned out:

https://forum.ih8mud.com/fj55-iron-pig-preservation-society/261779-shermans-snorkel-phase-i.html

Yes! 3" ABS is the ticket, the only problem I see, is that it gets brittle and bends in the sun. Maybe 3" PVC and pressure fittings, although, without painting, it would only look good on a white truck

 

[Ebag333]

That fitting on top looks really small and i doubt you're getting enough air flow. Not trying to be an ass, you have a great idea, just hoping to help you out.

I'm glad you like it.

You don't have a large enough air inlet. And, I seriously doubt that the tubing is large enough.

What they said.

I'd also be concerned the first time it gets hung up on a tree branch. Looks like it might get ripped right off.