Wow, AgentOrange! You just blew me away!
That's what I love about talking to people on these forums, you find out there are some REALLY bright people out there!
First, your question - do I think the end that is inserted into the fender wall could be heated and formed? Yes - but I'd rather do it by some molding process. The ABS pipe is just a cheap homemade thing. To really do it right, it needs to be the same kind of plastic that is used in the original intake, which allows a thin, rigid structure. And that brings me back to my original concern. If this is all that is needed, why didn't Ford engineers give us a 3" intake in the first place? I still think there's a reason for the choked down intake. If I knew what it was, I'd feel better about defeating it. My very uneducated guess remains - they don't want you abusing the engines at WOT and high RPMs, so they limit the potential there to avoid warranty claims from people who drive that way all the time.
The "Y" IS going to bring in more air, no doubt about it. But, you get turbulence from the two intersecting sources and that COULD be a problem, or maybe not. I can't tell just from looking and I'm not smart enough to figure out a way to test for this. I'm interested that you removed and capped the resonator inlets. What led you to this approach? And, I haven't looked at your album yet, but if it's a "T", rather than a "Y" leading into the filter inlet, you could be working against yourself as ram air effect increases. But I suspect you wouldn't call it a "Y" if it wasn't.
And maybe, just maybe, your "Y" intake gets rid of harmonics that cause noise, so you don't need the resonators at all.
I just don't know. Your creation has all the hallmarks of an "invention".
As far as the filter goes - I'm skeptical about these things. If the device filters dirt out to a specific micron size, it has to restrict the flow somewhat. The only way you can overcome that restriction is to increase the filter area and the "cone" filters look like they might do that. But, as the filters start to build up crud, they actually filter better but pass less air. So, no matter what filter you use, you need to keep it clean to keep the airflow. I honestly think the stock filters do a pretty good job of compromise - size vs performance.
Oh and crap! You've got an engine compartment that looks like a surgeon's operating theater - like jbrew's. What's wrong with a little dirt - like John Madden's idea of
real football?
- Jack