I've also got an air-to-water IC setup, with the washer fluid tank as the reservoir. The water returns to the tank ice cold after going through an old AC condenser in the grill, so that stuff isn't too exotic to consider.
And in terms of stock parts being good enough for ??? Horsepower, they are. For dyno sessions. With whatever injectables are present.
There's probably nothing wrong with the stock inlet, but of you're able to make one yourself then go for it. Or find an upgrade for cheap somewhere. Just because they're good enough doesn't mean you need to settle for them. How much $$/time you spend on making one is up to you, but if you've got the means I see no reason to stick with a stock inlet.
