Yeah, all the original ducting is removed on that side. It actually leaves a pretty good sized hole beside the radiator. I have to pick bugs out of the filter all the time. I have it turned down and centered right in front of it, like stock. I never really bothered to make a heat shield or anything because I doubt I'd see any noticeable gains from it. The reason I keep the filter in the engine bay is it rains and floods here in Florida and I don't want to have to worry about driving extra slow in the rain and being paranoid of standing water. It's easier to access and change the filter, etc.