Thanks Bill

Sam

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Sam....I can see the functionality in those louvers, in the place you're mounting them.
I don't agree with other's assessment as to thier appearance. Louvers are more appropriate on a 30's-50's vintage hot rod or custom, and they had gone out of style by the late 60's. I suspect that you're going to hear that from more than me, so don't take it personal.
Again, they will probably work quite well for what you want from them, as the airflow over the hood will produce a low pressure area on the trailing edge/opening, and should pull quite a bit of heat out of that engine bay. I just think they look out of place on a '69 Dart, but that may fade once the hood gets painted.

In the final analysis though, you're building the car for you, not for me, and it's not for me to judge.

Just a semi-objective opinion from........Roger

SOme of those rubber parts may be available from Metro Moulded Rubber Products.
http://www.metrommp.com/

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David Kight
'62 Valiant Signet, White
'98 Dodge Dakota
'06 Jeep Liberty

Growing older is unavoidable but growing up is strictly optional.

Those vents make exactly the statement I was going for. That of "function trumping style correctness". If it works, I want it, and style be damned. There were not air dams on 60's cars either. Or EFI, or 5 spd manuals in most cars. In the end this car is a wonderful place to express my own brand of creativity, and I don't care what others think looks right or wrong. This is my creation, and it is the process that is the most fun. Particular styles don;t concern me as much as more universal artistic considerations of balance, and the flow of form and color across the length and width of the car. And, just for the record, the hood is painted. It is painted black. Exactly as I wanted it.

I just came in from working on the car this evening, and I had a ball. I will sleep better, and go to work happier because I have this project to express my creativity. And I will look forward to coming home and working on it some more.

However, here is the good news for you: this car, with all its idiosyncrasies, also serves to clarify for you what you do not like. So that is it's gift to you. We both win. It is entirely appropriate for you not to like it, and for me to like it. That is why there is more than one of us.

If I saw your car, I might see things that were not my first choice either. Which for me simply means that is not the way I would do it. However, I am almost certain I would keep my preferences to myself, unless you begged me for it, simply because for me, I would see the personal satisfaction you derive from your creative process as being more important than the final product. But that is my opinion. Not all share it. Have fun, and don't worry about what another thinks.


Sam

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I'm curious if the set up would actually work better if the vents were assymetrical. Appearances aside, everything else in the engine bay is "off-center", would it be more beneficial to have the vent only on the hot side or only on the cool side? Presuming the vent area was preserved of course. Obviously it's too late to try this on your hood, but you could cover one vent and then the other to see if it prefers left or right.

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-Christopher

"Gray Ghost"-1970 Dart.
"Frederick II"-1994 Geo Metro.

The driver's side vent is directly over the turbo, and the passenger's side is over the center of the valve cover. The turbo emits the bulk of the heat. I suspect that you could get 80% of the benefit from just the one on the driver's side. But,they are sold in pairs, and I think I would have gone for symmetrical in any event. I know some cars with turbos have just one bulge, and or vent.

Roger, I want to assure you I am not upset by your comments. It presented an opportunity to express my philosophy. I would enjoy further exploration of the playoff between style and creativity in the car hobby (and business for that matter). It is something I have thought about for years, and could go deeper into. This time we are entering now in the automotive world is the most free of style restrictions of any time I can remember. When I was a kid, all cars were essentially the same. Front wheel drive? Forget it. Electric? Forget it. Less than 8 cylinders? Oh my gosh! Small? Never. Foreign manufacturer? You had to be a real trail blazer to buy one.

But, styles do get broken down. And sociologists have been studying this phenomenon for awhile now. How does this happen, and who sets new trends in style? And why do folks start following the new trend. The technical term for a new idea that spreads rapidly is a Meem. This is a made up word created in the mid 70's by a guy whose name escapes me. It is interesting stuff.

Twenty years ago most of the guys in the car hobby were slavishly trying to duplicate the exact factory look down to the finish on the bolts, and QC marks on the underside of the car. Now that fetish has run its course and many are putting EFI, 5 and 6 speed trannys, IRS and rack and pinion steering in old cars. But the first guys to do this were breaking new ground. Now it is common, and the magazines are full of articles about how to. So, I don;t get too stuck on style ideas. I don't mean car styles, I mean what is in style to do in the hobby.

Sam

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Here are a couple of photos of the heat shield that is mated with the hood vents. This shield starts over the block, comes under the fuel rail, and takes a bend up on the far side of the TB and rises to separate the turbo heat entirely from the engine and fuel rails. The exhaust manifold heat must flow over and up on the far side of the heat shield as well. It works perfectly. When you put your hand over the vents, you feel tons of turbo heat rising up through the vents over the turbo, and the engine side is much cooler. I could not be happier with the result.




This is from the engine side. It is made from .060 aluminum, and all done by hand cut out with a hand held jig saw with a metal cutting blade. It is four pieces, held together with sheet metal screws.



I hope you guys don;t end up sorry I learned how to post photos. I have quite a backlog I have been promising for years now. I promised a photo of the underside of the hood, and I will post that tomorrow.

Sam

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That car succeeds in it's goals for sure. I feel the same way about trends in the car hobby. I also feel that if somebody didn't like it you probably wouldn't be doing anything interesting.

For me there are two areas of interest in this car thing- making it go and making it look bad. Meaning good. As with most things mechanical the best statements usually follow function. Eg big rotors and calipers are sexy because they stop awesomely- not because they resemble breasts or fit in a golden rectangle.

It is definitely in this line of thinking to put a nasty turbo in a car. If I built a turbo car I would probably do a 360 or something so I could run tens and drive it to work but to build a turbo 225 takes bravery and dedication. That is making a statement. The hood is a logical modification. The double sided tape autozone carbon fiber non functional hood scoop is the one that's
offensive to me. This one is making a statement, which is backed up by the motor, clean lines, and paint.

So yeah I dig it! Does it sound different? What kind of paint is that? Is it satin? It doesn't look like organisol- you're ruining the value of that car- don't you watch Barrett Jackson?
rdr

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madam im adam

Thanks for the nice words of encouragement. I honestly don't know what kind of paint it is. It is a semi gloss. You can wax it without it looking bad, but it does not shine bright. I paid a local paint shop to paint it. They painted the plastic one, and I said just put the same kind of paint on it, and he did.

The paint guy went on and on about how cool the car was, and get this, it was sitting next to a 69 GTO convertible, one of the Cadillac/Corvette clones, a late model Corvette, and an uber expensive Ferrari. He asked me to bring it back when I had it all together, and I have not done it yet.

Actually, I feel kind of humble about the car personally. I am no genius, and ask for help all the time from this forum. Sometimes I know I exasperate other members with the stupidity of my questions.

It is just a personal expression of creativity and the process is the point. It gives me great joy to be in the midst of one of these "improvements". This one worked out so well I just had to share it.

It is the solution process that is fun. I have a 5 year old granddaughter, and when she says, "I got an idea" with her youthful, joy filled enthusiasm, it reminds me of the way I feel when working on my car. "I got an idea". It is what keeps mankind going in my opinion. Does it always work out? No. But it can be fun if you are willing to start over when things don't work out. And sometimes they don't. The plastic hood was one example of that. So, I took a deep breath, spent a fair amount of time, and some money, and came up with a solution that does work.

Sam

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Looks Great Sam, can't wait to see/hear/feel the ride in it... LOL

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65 Coronet, 4 bbl, .060 over, mild cam.
66 Valiant, Black, 3spd, Hyperpak, headers.
works in progress...

Sorry I got your PM too late to set up something for last week end. Try again.

Sam

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