Being a believer in the theory that cooler, increased airflow will lead to higher horsepower and lower ET's, we embarked on a mission to install RM Racing's Cold Air Screens in a brand new 2000 C5 Corvette.

The Cold Air Screens are an exact replacement for the existing black plastic insert that surrounds the fog lamps. This car seems to leave the factory designed to breath hot engine air, though 4 quarter sized holes on the filter box. The screens allow fresh, cold air to enter the area behind, which houses the air cleaner assembly.

Upon inspection of the Cold Air Screens, it seems there is nothing magical in their design. They are practicaly identical to the original part (infact they have all the same imprinted writing and everything). They just have a section cut out and a black plastic screen "glued" in from the back.
If you're at all inclined, it seems easy to make these screens yourself, simply by cutting out the back of the current part, and adhereing some screen from the local hardware store. But, for those of us who dont want to make irreversible mods to our cars, buying a second set is required anyway, so why not just get ones that are already made, and save some of the hassle. You're in for a large enough project anyway when you try to install them.

Installation, although time consuming, is not difficult. The majority of the time spent during our install was spent trying to figure out how to remove the original part, not in the install of the new screens. West Coast Corvette did provide instructions with the screens, but we found them to be inadequate, and even after finishing their installation couldn't figure out how those instructions could be for the project we had just completed....

Anyway, here is our attempt at instruction - it is best to do one side at a time:

• Raise Headlights by turning them all the way on, then quickly back to the Parking position. This leaves the headlamps up, but not on.
• Remove the three phillips head screws from the plastic trim around the headlamps, and remove the trim. Notice that the trim has a portion on top that sticks out and into a portion of the headlamp assembly. Knowing how it came out will help you to put it back in correctly at the conclusion of the project.
• Remove the entire air cleaner assembly by unclamping the cleaner from the MAF sensor (the metal thing). Open the the air cleaner box, remove the air filter element, then you should be able to remove the housing buy pulling the box towards the rear of the car. It is retained by two rubber grommets.
• Remove The fog Lamp bracket using a 10 mm socket. The bolt is located underneath the headlamp assembly and can be accessed though the the area that was covered by the trim removed in step one.
  
• This image shows the bolt to be removed. The Fog lamp may remain wired and does not need to be removed, just move it to the side and out of your way.
  
  Now you're ready to start actual removal of the Original trim:
• Remove the 3 bolts around the perimeter of the trim. There is one bolt on the outside lower corner and two bolts on the inside. All bolts will need to be removed blindly. You just need to feel around and find them. Use the replacement Screens as a guide for the bolt locations. ( there are five holes, two are used for mounting wiring retainers). The outer bolt is accessed through the headlamp opening, and the two inner bolts are accessed though the space where the air filter asssembly was located. Even with the cleaner removed, accessing thes bolts requires a somewhat slim forearm, so for you big guys, you may need to get some help from someone here...I was lucky to have my wife volunteer...after some coaxing!
• Remove the original and replace with the new Cold Air Screen...Sounds easy...but this is were the supplied instructions failed miseribly. We found no way to remove the original through the small opening between the inside of the headlamp and the hood. After several attempts and trial and error, we found that it can be easily removed buy unbolting the side air dams underneath the car.
  A 7 mm socket is needed. Once the bolts are removed, the original can be removed, and the new Cold Air Screens installed.
• Click image for a larger view
  
  Now you should be able to reverse the process, rebolt the air dam, bolt in the new Air Screens (dont forget to remount the wiring that was attached to the original), rebolt the fog lamps, finally reinstall the headlamp trim.
  To the left is the screen installed on the drivers side ( the air dam and headlight trim have not yet been reinstalled).
• Click image for a larger view
  
  

Complete same process on the other side, then reinstall the air cleaner, and the project is complete!

It is doubtful that this mod alone will result in any type of performance gains. It is recomended by some that the air cleaner and MAF sensor both be modified or replaced as well, inorder to make the most of the cold air screens.