Cowl Hood For a Bird
Thread Starter
Supreme Member
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 1,951
Likes: 13
From: Ottawa, ONT
Car: 1987 Firebird
Engine: 355
Transmission: T56
Cowl Hood For a Bird
New ones are too expensive so im making my own. Anyone done this before?
Im using a trans am hood i got for $10. With nostrils and the two side vent things. I want to get the advantage of ram air and cowl (venting) more than induction. Heres what i did. pix to come...
If the nostrils look out of place, i may weld in some peices to make the nostrils smaller. However if i keep them how they are, i could make the inserts removable.
-measured where the center of the air cleaner is. Im using a 14x4. By taping various strings around the cleaner to form a square.
- marked it on the hood.
- Since the air cleaner is not centered on the hood, extended the cowl width so it looks symmetrical.
-Essentailly the cowl's two edges are on the outer most "corners" of the nostrils.
-Used a cutoff wheel, with alot of markings, to VERY carefully cut straight lines from one end of the hood to just past the nostrils.
-Scraped off all the putty glue things and eventually lifted the top peice of sheet metal.
This is where is stopped.
I still need to cut out a "hole" for the air cleaner to stick up through the hood's frame.
I still need to cut the "sides" of the cowl from sheet metal and weld in.
Problems:
- When you cut out the internal web framing of the hood, it is obviously weaker. However, theres a huge chunk of it missing on the formy hood, so is it really that big of a deal? If so, i was thinking of welding in a "square" made of 4 strips of metal. The square will be large enough to accomodate a 14" filter, and will be welded to all points on the web that were cut off. To reinforce it.
- Second problem, how do i cut the strips of metal for the sides of the cowl? What type of metal should i use.
Hardest part is to follow the contour of the hood, and the "point" that happens at the end.
Any input appreciated.
Im using a trans am hood i got for $10. With nostrils and the two side vent things. I want to get the advantage of ram air and cowl (venting) more than induction. Heres what i did. pix to come...
If the nostrils look out of place, i may weld in some peices to make the nostrils smaller. However if i keep them how they are, i could make the inserts removable.
-measured where the center of the air cleaner is. Im using a 14x4. By taping various strings around the cleaner to form a square.
- marked it on the hood.
- Since the air cleaner is not centered on the hood, extended the cowl width so it looks symmetrical.
-Essentailly the cowl's two edges are on the outer most "corners" of the nostrils.
-Used a cutoff wheel, with alot of markings, to VERY carefully cut straight lines from one end of the hood to just past the nostrils.
-Scraped off all the putty glue things and eventually lifted the top peice of sheet metal.
This is where is stopped.
I still need to cut out a "hole" for the air cleaner to stick up through the hood's frame.
I still need to cut the "sides" of the cowl from sheet metal and weld in.
Problems:
- When you cut out the internal web framing of the hood, it is obviously weaker. However, theres a huge chunk of it missing on the formy hood, so is it really that big of a deal? If so, i was thinking of welding in a "square" made of 4 strips of metal. The square will be large enough to accomodate a 14" filter, and will be welded to all points on the web that were cut off. To reinforce it.
- Second problem, how do i cut the strips of metal for the sides of the cowl? What type of metal should i use.
Hardest part is to follow the contour of the hood, and the "point" that happens at the end.
Any input appreciated.
Re: Cowl Hood For a Bird
Look at the underside of aftermarket cowl hoods
There is a reinforcement bar at the rear
Its not that big of a deal anyways
Use similar thickness steel for ease of welding
If you have access to a junk car then just cut pieces of flat panel off it to use
The vents will look out of place on a cowl hood, mock them up once you get the bulge on then decide for yourself whether to delete them
Good luck and post pics of your progress
There is a reinforcement bar at the rear
Its not that big of a deal anyways
Use similar thickness steel for ease of welding
If you have access to a junk car then just cut pieces of flat panel off it to use
The vents will look out of place on a cowl hood, mock them up once you get the bulge on then decide for yourself whether to delete them
Good luck and post pics of your progress
Thread Starter
Supreme Member
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 1,951
Likes: 13
From: Ottawa, ONT
Car: 1987 Firebird
Engine: 355
Transmission: T56
Re: Cowl Hood For a Bird
Look at the underside of aftermarket cowl hoods
There is a reinforcement bar at the rear
Its not that big of a deal anyways
Use similar thickness steel for ease of welding
If you have access to a junk car then just cut pieces of flat panel off it to use
The vents will look out of place on a cowl hood, mock them up once you get the bulge on then decide for yourself whether to delete them
Good luck and post pics of your progress
There is a reinforcement bar at the rear
Its not that big of a deal anyways
Use similar thickness steel for ease of welding
If you have access to a junk car then just cut pieces of flat panel off it to use
The vents will look out of place on a cowl hood, mock them up once you get the bulge on then decide for yourself whether to delete them
Good luck and post pics of your progress
Im also now thinking maybe its a good idea to get hood pins.
The nostrils is not a big deal, i agree they will look out of place, but that can be fixed easily.
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