Generating more power and performance out of an engine is something that speed enthusiasts strive for every time their toolbox is opened and the hood is lifted. Any true custom automotive enthusiast with gasoline in their veins desires more and more performance when the acceleration pedal is planted, and most want to do it without breaking the bank.
A performance exhaust system is a great place to start, but increasing the airflow into the engine will also help get those horsepower numbers up-to-snuff and get you moving down the road quicker. On late-model vehicles which need to pass strict emissions requirements, a huge huffer with dual carbs poking through the hood is not the most viable option.
The key to balancing performance and reliability is determining your truck's use, and gearing the engine modifications to it. For a weekend cruiser show truck, a blown and injected Rat motor might be the answer. On the other hand, for the truck owners who use their truck daily and tow toys with it on the weekends, simpler and emissions-legal modifications make the most sense. A good set of headers and exhaust can yield great performance gains, but as mentioned earlier, getting more air into the engine is paramount to jumpstarting a performance enhancement.
The folks at AEM (Advanced Engine Management) take the task of increasing performance very seriously, and offer a simple and affordable solution to updating the power and performance of your late-model pickup with the company's Brute Force line of performance air intakes. Recently, we suggested to the folks at AEM that they develop an intake system for the popular '88-'95 Chevy trucks equipped with the throttle-body injected 5.0/5.7L V-8s. The company developed an intake for the '96-and-later fuel-injected Chevy pickups, but had not addressed the throttle-body-equipped haulers. Last year, they got the ball rolling and began tooling up an intake for one of the most popular trucks on the road.
Here in Southern California, you cannot drive more than a few blocks without seeing this body-style pickup either lifted to the sky or slammed to the ground, and if these owners are tweaking the suspensions, you know they are toying with the powerplant as well.
To give AEM a base to work with for development, our project 5.7L '95 Chevy spent some time at its Hawthorne, California, facility serving as a test truck for the new intake system. After months of development and testing, this hot new product is ready for the aftermarket, and Truckin' got a front-row seat at experiencing the eye-opening throttle response and horsepower gains recognized by installing it. Follow along as we add some additional ponies to our '95 Chevy Silverado using AEM's latest Brute Force air intake unit.
Our project '95 Chevy C1500 spent quite a bit of time at R&D Dyno, where AEM's Tyler Harra perfected the Brute Force intake kit. Once the intake was installed, our Chevy netted an 11.4hp gain over stock at 4,250 rpm. The peak horsepower was 163.9.
Here is a shot of the AEM Brute Force kit for the '88-'95 TBI 5.0L- and 5.7L-equipped Chevy/GMC truck. The kit features everything needed for installation, including the intake tube, throttle-body hat, air filter, throttle-body spacer and gaskets, a heat shield, and all of the necessary mounting brackets and hardware.
The installation and dyno work was conducted over at R&D Dyno Service in Gardena, California, where Hara expertly installed the intake, and operated the truck to achieve our impressive dyno results. First, the original air cleaner assembly and factory airbox were removed.
The throttle-body mounting bolts were loosened and removed in order to lift the throttle-body unit up for the supplied AEM throttle-body spacer.
The throttle-body spacer with new gaskets was slipped between the intake manifold and throttle body as shown. | 
The throttle body was bolted back down before the throttle-body hat was slipped over the new mounting studs. |
Here, Hara installed the new AEM throttle-body hat over the new studs before bolting the unit in place. | 
The throttle-body hat was secured into place using the supplied hardware, a socket, and drive. |
The hose coupler sealing the space between the intake tube and throttle-body hat was tightened by cranking down the hose clamp on the throttle-body hat side. | 
Hara lowered the supplied AEM heat shield into position over the passenger side inner fender and began to secure it by finger-tightening the unit. |
A socket, extension, and drive were used to firmly secure the heat shield to the inner fenderwell. | 
A rubber soft mount was used to provide support for the AEM Brute Force polished intake tube once it was installed. It mounted inconspicuously off the side of the heat shield as shown. |
Here is a shot of the heat shield installed with all the necessary hardware and brackets. | 
The top of the heat shield was finished off with supplied strips of rubber molding to give it a cleaner look. |
The AEM Brute Force intake tube was slipped into the hose coupler, and the clamps were cinched up to ensure it would stay in place. | 
The unit was situated inside the heat shield, and the supplied air filter was coupled to the end of the intake tube. The intake support soft mount shown in step 12 was tightened to give the AEM Brute Force intake some extra rigidity. |
Here is a finished shot of our AEM Brute Force intake for the '88-'95 5.0/5.7L-equipped trucks installed. The upgrade looks good under our '95's hood, and provided 11.4 additional horsepower at 4,250 rpm. Not bad for a performance product that installs in less than an hour. |  |
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