I recently installed one on my 2.8, the hood w/ the single bulge....it was an open element facing the windshield, but I know a friends' Formula has this area blocked off....I'm just curious if 1) These hoods ALL came blocked off, and why...? (Possibly water in the compartment?) 2) If any were ever open from the factory...? Mine came equipped open with a honeycomb style grill over the opening, but it looks quite stock...


Help!

 

They were functional for TA's from 82-84. The hood came with a functional solenoid that opened at a certain throttle position and allowed air into special ducting which guided it into the air cleaner.

 

My 91 cowl was blocked from the factory and was just for looks...until I took out the panel. :lala:

 

88 formula, mine is blocked off with a white piece of something

 

this post gave me a kick *** idea. when i get my Ram Air hood, i'm not having them do the cut outs. instead i'm going to install two butterflys(like the kind on a roots blower tophat) that i can operate from inside the car, or hook it up so at like 3/4 throttle they will open, something like that. (I think i'll stick with the in-car operating setup, in case of rain.) sound cool?

 

You gonna custom make the butterflys out of aluminum or something? Use a solenoid to pull them open or mechanical linkage? Seem like a lot of trouble. I think I would probably bend and rivot an aluminum airbox designed like the factory ram air birds to stop the rain. Then, you'd have the cold air/ram air effect at all times.

 

hmmm, definately mechanical, and i like the butterflies just because it would be a custom thing no one else has. thanks for the idea though, it is a pretty good call on your part. i'll wait until i get the hood(no time soon) and figure it out, but also, i'm going to see if someone sells the butterflies first, or just cut some

 

I just bought an OEM replacement screen for an 82-84 TA(one of the last ones available in the US..my dealer did a search) and screwed it in...it fits right where the block off plate did.

Now if I had a carb or TBI, I'd get the 82-84 TA cold air setup and bolt it in...I've seen them on Ebay.

 

Not all 82-84's had this. My '82 Carbed LG4(8/9/82) does'nt have it. My '83 carbed LG4 (6/29/83) has it. I have both build sheets, the '83 says air cleaner RL. The '82 says air cleaner GC. FWIW.

If anyone gets one, forget about using the factory selonoid for anything other than the factory installation. If the seloniod is "on" (butterfly open) for more than a few seconds, (WOT) it gets really hot. It's sprung to shut. I un-hooked the selonoid linkage and zip-tied mine open all the time. I rarely drive/park it in the rain, and besides, a little water injection never hurt.

 

My '83 has the solenoid too....i'm going to rip it all out once I get my house/garage next month. Leaks like a b**ch.

 

seems like my mechanical idea is good

 

I converted my solenoid-operated air flap to one operated by a power door lock motor. The how-to is on my site (link below).
Rob

 

:hail: :hail: dude, i read your website, that is awesome!!! it really helped my idea along, big time. was it a huge PITA hooking up the lock motor? seems like it would be, but i've been browsing in my wolesale electronics catalogue, and found plenty of motors of all types for anywhere from $0.59-$21.95. think i can make one work? lol. btw, the anniversary car, love it, i don't care if it's a replica, looks awesome IMHO

 

The hardest part was running the wires thru the dash. It was a real easy project. I used an $8 power door lock motor I got off Ebay. I figured they were designed to be run full one way then the other.
Good luck on your project!
Rob

 

82 TRANS AM........at least im not the only one that did that to the flap to keep it open.....btw....i keep mine open all the time and i wash my car,drive & park it in rain, and etc......i opened the hood after i washed my car one day and there was only a little bit of water on the air cleaner assembly.....nothing inside.......

 

Hey Matt, i moved mine from my 83 to my 82 and decided i was'nt going to drill holes in my firewall to put in the vacume switch. I did'nt want to tear out the selonoid, because i was'nt sure how i wanted to hook it up. I tried a simple switch, but after a few moments being "on" it was red hot from fighting the spring. This way, it 's not messed up in any way, and could be returned to stock working order, in a second.