you could solve alot of your space and design problems by just runing a cold air box... same idea.. no worry about suckin up water.. and it looks cooler than a CIA or a short ram.
basically remove your stock air box and piping.. the only part you will want to keep in the whole system is the section that goes threw the fender support stuff.. um.. under the relay/fuse box.
you will need to make a air scoop inside the fender infront of the tire and behind the bumper. think this would work best on the 96+ stock front or the invader kit as they have nice openings there to allow plenty of fresh air in.
once you have made your scoop.. which you can get from hardware stores and ect.. (believe Weapon R makes one but its reallly over priced) Or you can use your lower stock airbox... just cut off the front section of it, your gonna need to make your box.. basically it is a surround that encloses the fliter element. Doggy posted a picture of something close.. I will try and link a pic for you guys.
you will need to cut a hole to allow your filter to come into the box.. alot of people cover the top of the box with plexi to keep a eye on things but you can leave the top open also. the air from the scoop has to come into the box or your setup is kinda pointless. you might have to custom some piping to make it work... also don't go too much bigger than stock or you will just create lag in your intake 2.5 piping is MORE than enuf.
I would suggest heat temp tape on the inside of the box.. this will help ALOT with intake temp and it looks kinda cool >

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here is a good site to follow.. his final design isnt the prettiest ive seen but its not bad at all
linkhere is a quick drawing to help the mental imaging impaired >

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