Project Nissan Nismo Frontier Snorkel Install

A snorkel provides a direct route for clean air near the vehicle's roofline to feed the factory airbox. This benefits your rig because air flowing from a lower point in the airstream is usually much dirtier, clogging up air filters with ease. Factory air inlets are also frequently prone to water intrusion due to their location (e.g., inside the fenderwell, behind the grille). A snorkel, when properly installed, typically negates any chance of water finding its way into the combustion chamber. Watch as we demonstrate how easy it is to equip a rig with a new Airtec Snorkel from TJM of Australia. A special thanks to our friends at Triple-X Traction of Seaside, California, who took on this task with our Nismo Frontier.

This is the complete Airtec snorkel kit supplied by TJM. The setup is designed to fit both four-cylinder and V-6 applications. A simple cut-and-bolt-on approach makes this kit super-easy to install. TJM offers snorkels for a wide range of popular 4WD makes and models. All Airtec snorkels are designed to provide the correct volume of air to the engine.	1. This is the back side of the Airtec snorkel. Notice how the UV-resistant polyethylene plastic is formed to the shape of the Frontier's fender. This ensures a clean-looking, tight fit. Six zinc-plated studs with Nylock nuts provide plenty of clamping force to keep the snorkel attached to the fender permanently.	2. Getting started, we first attached the supplied paper template to the driver-side front fender. We liked this approach because it took out all the guesswork, and cutting into a perfectly good fender requires a lot of confidence. Next, the factory airbox was removed from the vehicle.
3. Triple-X Traction owner, Toby Lavender, used a trick optical center-punch tool to mark precisely where each of the seven holes had to be drilled. This tool simplified the job a lot. First, Toby located it over the template. Next, he adjusted it until he could see that the optical pilot was centered over the hole location. Then, he replaced the optical pilot with the punch insert; a quick tap with a hammer made the indent exactly where the directions called for it. We looked around online and found these tools for about $45.	4. Next, Toby drilled each of the six mounting stud holes in the fender. A larger opening was also cut for the air passage using a holesaw blade. With all fender perforations completed, Toby attached the snorkel to the truck. The upright portion was secured to the A-pillar using two small Phillips sheetmetal screws and a small powdercoated bracket (included).	5. The directions call for the removal of about 1/4 inch of plastic material from the factory airbox inlet ducting. We used Toby's bandsaw to do this. Be sure to remove excess shavings with a blade prior to installation.
6. This shot shows the transition between the factory airbox and the Airtec snorkel inner fender ducting. Aside from the snorkel bolted on the outside of the fender, this install appears to be factory.	7. The Airtec's intake design separates rain and moisture from the airstream before it enters the engine. Check out the contour-matched fitment that TJM engineered right into its snorkel. We especially liked the way this looked on the truck.