yes you read it right. the factroy air box is gone. but the crap i was in wasnt deep enough. heres a pic of the stuck (hung up on the rear diff)
[Linked Image]
as you can see its not deep enough for anything to get in. my theory is the small leak in motor allowed the crud to leak in.
now what you last mentioned about the warped head. yeah its possible but there is no evidence of leakage from the head. so im still confused.
it still runs and im confident it will turn out OK i just wanted to see if this kind of nonsense has happened to anyone else before.

89 K5 Blazer,TBI 350, 700R4, 6" lift, 40" groundhawgs,3/4 ton 14 bolt rear, 3/4 ton 10 bolt front, 4.88:1 Gears