Mojave snorkel

[Max-t]

Still prototyping. But it’s functional.
Have the snorkel riser too. Driving in the desert fills my airbox with gravel and the dust clogs the filter. The pre cleaner and not being in the grille should be enough to keep the air filter from clogging.
Why have the riser bouncing around AND a pre cleaner? The cowl is fiberglass and stronger than original, but still. Why push it.
The precleaner is a bit large. But it was cheap.

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[Lunentucker]

https://www.extremeterrain.com/rugged-ridge-jeep-gladiator-amfib-snorkel-ram-inlet-1775637.html

 

[Max-t]

https://www.extremeterrain.com/rugged-ridge-jeep-gladiator-amfib-snorkel-ram-inlet-1775637.html

Yea. I have that thing like I said . Don’t really get the point

 

[Lunentucker]

Yea. I have that thing like I said . Don’t really get the point

The point was I wasn't sure if you knew parts already existed or if you thought your were trailblazing out there.
Granted, snorkel systems are typically for deep water use, but they seem like they'd pretty easy to modify and adapt into a pre-cleaner / sand and rock trap.

 

[Rahkmalla]

Granted, snorkel systems are typically for deep water use

That all depends who you ask. Most OEM "snorkels" are usually called a "desert air intake" or something similar. The old TRD accessory snorkels were called that. The new Trailhunter intake is called "high-mount air intake". I think the first OEM snorkel i ever saw actually called a snorkel was on the Bronco Everglades.

I'm guessing it's some attempt at a legal dodge of making specific claims for fitness of purpose that car manufacturers care about more than SEM manufacturers.

 

[DanW]

Just an interesting note....When I went on a hunting trip in S. Africa more than a decade ago, they had Toyota trucks with snorkels. It was a very dusty environment. I asked them if they had them for water crossings in the wet season and they said no. They had them for intake height to reduce dust ingestion. Same thing when visiting Kenya years later. Interestingly, none of them had a dust separator. Just a scoop.

I've seen some turn the scoop around backward, but I'm not sure that would have any meaningful impact on dust ingestion.

I may one day put a snorkel on my JT and if I do, it will have a cyclonic separator, similar to what AEV uses. You don't have to empty them.

OP's dust collector works, though. I've seen them on the trail and they do fill up with dust/sand.

 

[Max-t]

The point was I wasn't sure if you knew parts already existed or if you thought your were trailblazing out there.
Granted, snorkel systems are typically for deep water use, but they seem like they'd pretty easy to modify and adapt into a pre-cleaner / sand and rock trap.

There are no snorkels made for the Mojave or 392 was the point. It has different hood and cowls. And no. Snorkels are not for high water crossings. I’m sure they help. But they’re more for dirt. You see a hell of a lot of them in the desert. Need a lot more modifications than a snorkel to immerse an engine and drive train. You’ll find dust separators on all construction equipment, farm equipment and logging trucks Those big cans on the side of the hood….

 

[Max-t]

Just an interesting note....When I went on a hunting trip in S. Africa more than a decade ago, they had Toyota trucks with snorkels. It was a very dusty environment. I asked them if they had them for water crossings in the wet season and they said no. They had them for intake height to reduce dust ingestion. Same thing when visiting Kenya years later. Interestingly, none of them had a dust separator. Just a scoop.

I've seen some turn the scoop around backward, but I'm not sure that would have any meaningful impact on dust ingestion.

I may one day put a snorkel on my JT and if I do, it will have a cyclonic separator, similar to what AEV uses. You don't have to empty them.

OP's dust collector works, though. I've seen them on the trail and they do fill up with dust/sand.

Yup. It’s kind of an ugly one. (My brother says it’s for popping corn) But it works. I didn’t want to buy some $200 part and decide against the project. So… $18.

 

[Max-t]

In other news, the amfib intake pipe is TRASH. Way too soft. Propped it open and it works. Felt like I was driving an old th350. Hit the gas and it would very slowly react.
But man. I can’t believe people paying what they want for those new. Got mine free from a friend that sold his truck before installing it. Probably about what it was
Worth
If I was gunna do it again, I think I’d probably just put some 6” drain pipe in the oven at 220f and squish it to fit.

 

[Max-t]

Got out to the desert. Works like a charm. Air box still clean. centripetal cleaner full of dust and dirt. Seems this should be standard equipment for a mojave, vs unavailable. Probably my imagination, but it seems the MPG went up a touch. No noticeable wind noise. But when you're under power you can hear the engine a bit. Can also hear it gulp air if you feather the gas.

Love this truck... which of course means I've probably got to give it up in a couple months. Just decided to move over seas. Seems easier to maintain a land cruiser or defender in europe than bring a gladiator.

 

[mx5red]

Can you post some details on how you did this? I have a rubicon so I’d probably just modify a RR/ebay kit, but… I’m curious

 

[Max-t]

If you’ve got a rubicon, you can just buy the parts. Mojave doesn’t have any options due to the hood and cowls being different.

If you wanted something much stronger than the amazon kit and considerably stronger than the Amfib. Buy a jeep cowl and cut a hole in it. Then it’s just a matter of fiberglass and finishing. I used the Amfib dimensions because I happened to have most of the parts for that. But the cowl itself is far too weak.

Tips would be that fiberglass doesn’t stick to plastic. And nothing really sticks to abs. So when you’re laying your fiberglass cloth you have to adhere it to the plastic with some plastic epoxy. I think I used a gorilla 2 part thing. After you get the edges affixed you can go in with regular poly resin and more glass. If you have to attach to abs. Encase the whole thing. Or glass what you want… then pull it off like a mold and glue it down with something like automotive goop. A couple rivets never hurt anything as well.
People telling you that fiberglass will stick to roughed up plastic aren’t wrong. But it’s pretty weak.

It’s not hard, it if you’ve never done bodywork you’ll struggle a bit. Feathering is an art. You don’t sand the edge, you sand just behind the edge… stuff like that.

If you really want to DIY and do the whole thing in fiberglass you can glass the entire outside of the cowl, peel it out and then glass the inside with some release agent applied.

To fix the flat soft ducts, just cut a piece of hard plastic or 1/4” plywood or sheet metal to length and slightly taller than the tube. Put some double stick or auto goop on it and wedge it in the middle of the tube. Props open nice.


I think it’s worth the desert snorkel if you’re in a dusty area. It is around here. And cutting your hood? I’m not a fan. But if you think it’s gunna make your electronics waterproof… it ain’t.
Have about 1000 miles on the thing and the mpg and noise seem to be the same as before other than some intake noise. Seems like maybe a bit better mpg, but probably my imagination. Have to avoid watching all the bits and bugs spinning around while you’re driving down the road

And as far as the hat goes. The amfib has a 3” opening. I got a 3.5”hat and just used a chunk of 3” abs pipe with a slit in it to space it out. (Od is 3.5). I thought it could use a little bracing and 3.5 was cheapest.

 

[rafael004]

I saw an account in Instagram that have a lot of Mojave with the aev snorkel . Some body know what it’s needed to adapt the snorkel to the Mojave

 

[Max-t]

Yea. A cowl and some skill. The high low adapter nonsense of the amfib is stupid. Why bother. It’s weak and has no benefit. I thought about it, but then when I actually went to do it, it was a big black ugly nonsensical thing so I just ripped out the intake “pipe” from the inside of the amfib cowl and glued it to the inside of a factory mojave cowl. Cut a hole in it and fiberglassed the cowl to match the riser. Included Rivnut type inserts in my fiberglass.
Keep in mind you have to fiberglass onto the plastic, peel it off when cured and glue it on. No amount of roughing sticks fiberglass to plastic well.

Use whatever skills you might have to make it work. It’s not a cut and paste. You need some sort of crafting ability.
If you go with making your own mount. Skip the amfib and go with the Chinese one.
Also the name brand or not, the intake pipe collapses on acceleration and needs bracing. You can figure that out.

 

[Viper501]

Saw this recently parked at a hotel. Was always curious what it would look like if someone put the snorkel on a Mojave without worrying about the cowl difference. Now I know. Not for me for sure but to each his own.

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