Here are the pics of my snorkel install, I hope PRCruiser doesn't mind me piling onto his thread.
I used the technique advised by Micrad to remove the plastic pins/rivets, a sharp chisel and a bit of force. They were easy to shear off and getting replacements were not that difficult.
Here is the pic of everything marked up and ready to start drilling...
Pic from inside the engine bay with the intake removed...
Pic from inside the fender well with intake removed...
Another view of the same with a bit more in the pic...
Pilot holes drilled, could turn back if I had to...
No turning back now, 105mm hole drilled, easy view into the engine bay...
Major holes finished in the fender, the step drill made these really easy...
Working the burrs off with some 220 grit wet/dry...
Now to apply a bit of the Sun Fusion touch up paint to help hold off the rust...
Plastic nuts installed. This is the one place I would be careful to not round the holes any larger than the spec. Mine went in tight but when I went to install the bracket, they spun in the hole. It took some force to get the to hold, once the screw expanded the plastic enough, they held firm...
A-pillar bracket installed, awaiting snorkel body to be mated with...
AAAHHHH, fits together like a glove, the body installed and mated to the A-pillar bracket...
A couple shots from inside the fender well with everything snugged up...
Time to hack off the intake for the union of the snorkel to the intake. I was careful to not take off too much but found that there is plenty of margin. Due to my paranoia, leaving plenty of material on made for having to really squeeze it back into place. I could have taking off another 1/4-1/2" without any problems...
I chose to hit it with a file to knock off the rough edge and give it a little bevel to make it easier to slip on the rubber union between the snorkel and intake. A few extra minutes made for an easy slip on of the junction...
All done, not bad after all. Can't match the pics of PRCruiser on the beach but it still looks pretty good...
My final assessment of the task is a 3 out of 10 at most. With the right tools, it is a piece of cake. The biggest issue is removing the inner fender liner and using the chisel method makes it easy, you just have to replace the plastic rivets. I bought some from Lowe's home improvement and the did NOT work. They are too big to fit into the holes and when I tried to compress the "legs", the plastic was so brittle, one of the legs would snap off. I'm going to go by the local Autozone to buy the ones there. They are a bunch cheaper than the Lowe's ones (~$1 each) and will follow up with how well they worked out.
The only other hassle is marking the holes for the A-pillar. I did mine alone and it was a bit of a juggle holding trying to get my hand in the right position to mark them with the sharpie. These holes have less tolerance than the fender holes so its important to get them right.
Once all the holes were cut, the actual installation of the snorkel is a quick job. It took me more time to put everything down to take pics than it would have to just put things together. I like the form and fit, it is clearly designed well to fit the FJ Cruiser.
Lastly, don't let the job stop you from doing it yourself. I double checked with my buds on the forum for any last minute advise and everything went as others have posted. The pay off is pretty sweet, I can't believe how much more power it has now...
Re: Another snorkel installed...
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