K&N CAI (thinking of painting tube)

[1mpg]

So I picked up this thing last night used but in very good condition ($130) and after taking it home and cleaning it all up I thought of painting the intake tube. I know it sounds kinda ricey but I thought that maybe it won't look bad at all to see some color when you open up the hood. Has anyone done this before? Also I hope there is no difference on the 57-2575 & 63 (this one is a 63) series other than the 63 series isn't smog legal in CA right?

This will be her 1st mod......she's still a virgin and the one popping that cherry

 

[FordandPolaris]

I've seen a couple that were powder coated to match the color of the truck. Look pretty nice. I don't think the tube gets too hot, so any paint approved for plastic should work fine. Run your truck to operating temp and check the current intake to see if it gets hot in spots, just don't burn your hand while doing so on something else.

 

[1mpg]

After seeing a few painted cai tubes I think I changed my mind on painting the k&n tube since it looks like there will be too much of the same color when you open up the hood. I did see some pics of the intake shield being painted to match the exterior paint on car and this did look good so I'll think about doing that instead. I have an old g-tech pro somewhere that I'm trying to look for since I can't remember where was the last place i saw it so that I can do a before and after 0-60 run when I attempt to break the sound barrier. Seriously I'm not expecting to make this thing faster but I'd like to get a little sound out of it and gain another mpg or two.

I have a question... I know the filter will sit up high in the engine compartment but what are the chances of it getting wet when I blast the truck with water at DIY car wash? Would a hydroshield be something to look into for the future?