My New/Custom AirBox!!! Come. Look!!

[Brauap]

My dad asked his buddy, Rick, if you could make me an Alum. Air box (he owns a shop with all the tools, awesome!) but he asked for an aluminum air box, but he was soo nice, he got some diamond plate. Now it looks 100% better! I bought the prefilter and had it put in the lid (with my dads help) and we found an aluminum hinge, and riveted it on, so now I don't have to worry about loosing the lid, and I only have to undo 2 bolts and just lift it up!! As for the battery, Rick made me a separate box for it, the goes where the grab bar is. It sounds stupid, but when I go out I will get pictures, it looks awesome!! Overall, I am extremely happy with the outcome! Tell me what you think!

Side:
http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa283/braaup/100_1911.jpg

Front:
http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa283/braaup/100_1912.jpg

Top:
http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa283/braaup/100_1913.jpg

Top w/ lid closed:
http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa283/braaup/100_1915.jpg

Vid: (I sound all "funky" because I am sick.. :scary:
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[Brauap]

Anyone? :(

[Maxboost]

looks nice dude!, where du you get the pre filter? the one that your are using in the lid?

[97WarriorRider]

Looks really heavy..usually the goal is to go stronger and lighter..

[Honda#4]

Looks great, looks heavy though, have you weighed it?

Sorry bout ur cold?

[Pipeless416]

Originally posted by 97WarriorRider
Looks really heavy..usually the goal is to go stronger and lighter..

its aluminum? :huh now mine is heavy.. steel and bigger. looks cool brauap.

[Brauap]

Originally posted by Honda#4
Looks great, looks heavy though, have you weighed it?

Sorry bout ur cold?


I just weighed it, it weighs only 8 lbs, thats not bad is it? Well, I dont care about weight that much. But thanks!

[Brauap]

Originally posted by Maxboost
looks nice dude!, where du you get the pre filter? the one that your are using in the lid?

http://www.ehsracing.com/catalog/in...?cPath=21_28_29

[Pipeless416]

Originally posted by Brauap
I just weighed it, it weighs only 8 lbs, thats not bad is it? Well, I dont care about weight that much. But thanks!

hm, heavier than i thought.. my steel airbox thats bigger weighs 9.3 lbs... mine doesn't have a lid on it though. i wanna see your battery box. look how much longer it is.

actually 8LBS is extremely heavy for an airbox. Most aftermarket full system exhaust only weigh around 7LBS. I have a brilliant idea with a whole line of super light and strong parts for a 400ex. I'm still perfecting and finishing the site but hopefully I can get everything out there by the beginning of summer.

[Brauap]

Originally posted by FoxHondaRider
actually 8LBS is extremely heavy for an airbox. Most aftermarket full system exhaust only weigh around 7LBS. I have a brilliant idea with a whole line of super light and strong parts for a 400ex. I'm still perfecting and finishing the site but hopefully I can get everything out there by the beginning of summer.

Can't Wait!! Make sure to tell me! I'll be your first visitor! And may just be your first customer!! :devil: :eek2:

[Brauap]

Originally posted by Pipeless416
hm, heavier than i thought.. my steel airbox thats bigger weighs 9.3 lbs... mine doesn't have a lid on it though. i wanna see your battery box. look how much longer it is.

oohh.. looking good!! Love the black! But, I dont really care.. who cares if the airbox is 1lb heavier? What? is it going to slow you down .0003 mph?! lol

[Honda#4]

I would try to build a box outta CF of something. 8lbs doesn't seem to heavy but i've never compared air box weights before so idk.

[Pipeless416]

Originally posted by Brauap
oohh.. looking good!! Love the black! But, I dont really care.. who cares if the airbox is 1lb heavier? What? is it going to slow you down .0003 mph?! lol

thats what im saying.. we don't race, so no big deal. i'd rather have a little bit heavier quad with custom parts, than spend a fortune making it just like everybody elses and keeping it light.

[Ruby Soho]

does 1lb really matter that much...?

[Gatekeeper]

Nice work, Looks good braup.

Ive got an outerwear cover on my cut stock lid. Mines totally redneck tho. Old outerwear cut then rtv'd to the stock lid. Looks junkyard but you can lay the garden hose to it and not get a drop of water in the box.

[400sEXridr]

thats what im saying.. we don't race, so no big deal. i'd rather have a little bit heavier quad with custom parts, than spend a fortune making it just like everybody elses and keeping it light.

while i do love this attitude of customization, the ideal would be to have custom parts that are also lighter than what everyone else has! this is what has driven that atv market in the past few years. just something to strive for

braup, is there any reason you chose that thick of plate? aftermarket aluminum airboxes are much thinner than that and this could help with weight savings. also, why did you(or your fabricator) grind down the welds? a properly done TIG weld will look much more aesthetically pleasing than a ground weld

to all of the guys out there saying that saving one pound of weight on an airbox isnt a big deal, while i agree with you on this part, think of the big picture. taking one pound out of an eight pound airbox is cutting the weight by 12.5%. and if you bump up to 9 lbs you increase by the same percent. many parts are designed very efficiently, however others are not. if you were able to build a custom bike(or extensively modify your bike) with aftermarket mods, managing to cut weight by even 10% would save a total weight of almost 40 pounds on the whole bike. this may not seem like a whole lot, but next time you go riding, after a long hard day when you go to load your quad in the truck, try throwing an extra 40 lbs on the quad. it will make a big difference, as well as not make you fatigue as fast.

anyone can make a custom part, but a custom part that is an improvement on an existing design is something to brag about

[Pipeless416]

Originally posted by 400sEXridr
while i do love this attitude of customization, the ideal would be to have custom parts that are also lighter than what everyone else has! this is what has driven that atv market in the past few years. just something to strive for

braup, is there any reason you chose that thick of plate? aftermarket aluminum airboxes are much thinner than that and this could help with weight savings. also, why did you(or your fabricator) grind down the welds? a properly done TIG weld will look much more aesthetically pleasing than a ground weld

to all of the guys out there saying that saving one pound of weight on an airbox isnt a big deal, while i agree with you on this part, think of the big picture. taking one pound out of an eight pound airbox is cutting the weight by 12.5%. and if you bump up to 9 lbs you increase by the same percent. many parts are designed very efficiently, however others are not. if you were able to build a custom bike(or extensively modify your bike) with aftermarket mods, managing to cut weight by even 10% would save a total weight of almost 40 pounds on the whole bike. this may not seem like a whole lot, but next time you go riding, after a long hard day when you go to load your quad in the truck, try throwing an extra 40 lbs on the quad. it will make a big difference, as well as not make you fatigue as fast.

anyone can make a custom part, but a custom part that is an improvement on an existing design is something to brag about

thats the thing though. 10% of 400 lbs is not relevant to 12.5% of 8 lbs. yes, it all adds up, but cutting 40 lbs on a 400ex is very difficult. having a better appearance and better functionality (ie- getting rid of the battery from the side of the subframe) is worth the extra weight for me and most other trail riders. adding a couple pounds won't hurt anything, but like you said, adding 40 lbs will. the weight of these airboxes are still minimal.. i'll just go on a diet or something. :scary:

[400sEXridr]

i'll just go on a diet or something.

haha thats another option

while i agree that it is hard to shave 40 pounds off a 400ex, it is possible. chromoly, while slightly more expensive, is a reasonable alternative to building parts out of steel. i am designing a new swingarm for my quad right now in ProE and using FEA to do stress testing on it. a stock swingarm is ~11 lbs. right now mines at a little over 7. im continuing to try to cut weight while maintaining strength till im right around 6.5 lbs. using this approx. 4 lbs im one tenth of the way there

[Brauap]

The reason I ground down the weld is, because it was too larger, and still it a little, but its down enough where you can get it in, with a few HARD hits.. lol

I dont care about the look of the weld, only because you dont see it when it is on. Also, I didn't choose the aluminum, it was chosen for me. But I am happy with it.

[STUNTIN400EX]

GREAT JOB BRAUP!!! keep modding and you will have an awesome quad in no time flat!

"while i agree that it is hard to shave 40 pounds off a 400ex, it is possible. chromoly, while slightly more expensive, is a reasonable alternative to building parts out of steel. i am designing a new swingarm for my quad right now in ProE and using FEA to do stress testing on it. a stock swingarm is ~11 lbs. right now mines at a little over 7. im continuing to try to cut weight while maintaining strength till im right around 6.5 lbs. using this approx. 4 lbs im one tenth of the way there"

400exridr lets not forget that someone else did braup the favor of ALL the forming and welding work as well as braup is a teenager and doesn't have a limitless amount of money to spend! i am sheet metal worker and i know forst hand how expansive materials and labor can cost. where i work at it is $75 an hour for shop rate not including the hourly wage of the operator.

[Brauap]

Originally posted by STUNTIN400EX
GREAT JOB BRAUP!!! keep modding and you will have an awesome quad in no time flat!

"while i agree that it is hard to shave 40 pounds off a 400ex, it is possible. chromoly, while slightly more expensive, is a reasonable alternative to building parts out of steel. i am designing a new swingarm for my quad right now in ProE and using FEA to do stress testing on it. a stock swingarm is ~11 lbs. right now mines at a little over 7. im continuing to try to cut weight while maintaining strength till im right around 6.5 lbs. using this approx. 4 lbs im one tenth of the way there"

400exridr lets not forget that someone else did braup the favor of ALL the forming and welding work as well as braup is a teenager and doesn't have a limitless amount of money to spend! i am sheet metal worker and i know forst hand how expansive materials and labor can cost. where i work at it is $75 an hour for shop rate not including the hourly wage of the operator.

thanks, aton! once i get my black hood;) ill post pictures! (I found my shock covers, so it looks even better! :devil: )

[400sEXridr]

i am a teenager as well(and a college student) so i definitely dont have limitless funds. Braup, in the future, if someone does something like this for you, ask if you can sit around and watch. learning skills like this are invaluable when it comes to fabricating/welding/machining. you can learn a lot just by watching! like stuntin said, labor is expensive, and if you can learn how to do these things, you just saved yourself a lot of money. also, you seem to like customizing braup. while it is a good feeling to put custom parts on your quad, it is a much better feeling to put on a custom part that YOU designed and built yourself. nothing like the american can-do spirit!

[rcatvrider]

Pretty cool! I would have gone with something thinner but that thing will never break at least!

I have a ton of 1/8" aluminum sheet, and can't wait to make some stuff for my next quad. Only problem is I don't have a welder. I was thinking of trying jb weld and/or angle aluminum riveted on at all the joints.

[Brauap]

Originally posted by 400sEXridr
i am a teenager as well(and a college student) so i definitely dont have limitless funds. Braup, in the future, if someone does something like this for you, ask if you can sit around and watch. learning skills like this are invaluable when it comes to fabricating/welding/machining. you can learn a lot just by watching! like stuntin said, labor is expensive, and if you can learn how to do these things, you just saved yourself a lot of money. also, you seem to like customizing braup. while it is a good feeling to put custom parts on your quad, it is a much better feeling to put on a custom part that YOU designed and built yourself. nothing like the american can-do spirit!

Good idea, I would love to be able to customize my own stuff, but he has a WHOLE SHOP FULL of stuff, just for that.. special lazer cutters, water cutters, special benders, and the whole 9 yards..

[400sEXridr]

depending on how close of a family friend he is, ask if you can come in on a saturday (if he works weekends) or after school and just watch him work. you will be amazed what you can learn just by sitting back and watching a professional work. that being said, there is no substitute for experience. so if he lets you come in to watch, offer to help. start with little stuff like sweeping the floor or cleaning up a machine after hes done with it. if you stay on his good side, maybe eventually sweeping the floor will turn into welding a part for him! you never know. just dont piss him off lol

I think I cut maybe 5LBS off from stock but with skid plates that probally added 10LBS more. So i'm probally 5LBS heavier than stock.