Does anyone know how to remove the hood louvers on an '85-90 IROC Z-28? I want to remove them without damaging them so I can repaint them...Thanks...Joe

 

I believe you just take off the sheetmetal nuts on the underside of the hood and carefully push the louvers out. If you push a little on the underneath studs in the front then in the back and so forth they should eventually pop loose. There's a little sealer on the studs that might want to hold them in, or someone might have painted them without removing them which will make them stick to the hood, so it pays to have some patience doing this, You definitely don't want to try to pry them loose from the topside.

 

Thanks TAGuy16, The cold air inlet/air filters are located at the front of the top radiator, so the hood louvers are just for show. I've seen aftermarket cold air inlet louvers advertised, but why would you want them if the air filters & housing are located on the top of the radiator???

 

The functional louvers aren’t really about getting cold air into the engine as much as they are a big aero improvement of getting air out of the engine compartment. When you get up to higher speeds-(120+) the air comes thru the grill or under the front bumper depending on the car and literally pushes up on the engine compartment side of the hood causing lift. If you’ve ever had one of these cars up to a high speed and get real light in the front, this is the main reason why. Removing the rear hood seal helps a lot but but the functional louvers are more useful because as the air comes out of the engine compartment and thru the louvers it actually helps generate downforce to plant the front end. This why the 14-15 5th Gen and 6th Gen Camaros, amongst many others have the functional louvers from the factory.