I've seen a few links on here about cutting the hood louvers--I'm planning on doing it while I'm doing some repairs... I am however worried about high pressure/low pressure and trying to move air properly. I don't want to create a 'swirling' effect of air under the car and I would like to move hot air off of the motor/away from the rad/condensor. I've got the standard Procharger input which sits above the drivers side header so I'd like to get some cool air there..

I had a bearing go out on the Procharger tensioner and it chewed up the belt. Not only did it ruin those items, belt tore up my brand new $100 hoodliner... I figured w/the low pressure near the rear of the hood it would be best to only open up the first 4-5 vents on the front edge of the hood? Anybody have an opinions/input?

 

The IROC-series cars had open louvers & the only TGO member/public person to have done it too (that i know of) is Andris to his TT Camaro.

http://www.skulte.com/gallery/view_p...louver_outside

 

I made mine functional too, but I completely fabbed a pair from aluminum. I bet if you searched under my name you'd find the thread pretty easy since I don't post much.

 

townaj, was this the link you were referring to? http://www.flickr.com/photos/camaro8...7606917040057/

 

has anyone done this with the 85 and up Trans Am hoods? I was considering it but wanted some input first

 

Yup thats the one! Wow my car has changed soo much since I bought it. I still have the louvers though and they work great. I lost a TON of underhood heat. And you can see the heat waves radiating out from them, especially with my headers. I lost about 10 to 20 degrees from my engine temp too so I'm glad i did them, it definitely helps.

 

Since the stock inserts are open anyways & just blocked by the inner hood structure....We just cut the inner structure out of the way, to allow air flow.

 

thats true, however, in all reality i dont think its going to prove much. They are such small openings, and they open to the top of the radiator support.

 

Correct. It's not much airflow, but at least it is some increase. Small things eventually add up into something. And since it is "free" (labor only), why not?

 

Then the rain came down!

 

And? I've seen several here on TGO. I know of none that had problems & ended up blocking them back off.

 

well if you would read the gm tech manuals maybe you would understand why gm quit making them functional???

 

The GTA/TA faux vents never were functional. And the Formula/SS/SLP/WS6 ones were induction openings, not used for venting underhood air. My hod to cowl rubber seal was pulled off the day I got my GTA, yet I have had zero water problems since. Same goes for the underhood insulation. I pulled mine off at the same time, yet my hood paint is just as good as before.

Considering the difference between GM having to warranty hundreds of thousands of cars & an individual possibly having to fix his ONE car? And the many individuals here on TGO that have done it with zero problems? I'll take my chances.

 

me 2 i like taking chances where the odds are in my favor haha

 

I lived in washington state (rain almost all year) for two years with my car louvers like this. It was never garage kept and I drove in the rain constantly. No problems what so ever. Even with the 383 it had no problems. So rain=no problem

 

Why is there a low pressure zone near the rear of the hood? I would think since the windshield slows down the air near its base that would be a higher pressure zone. The faster the moving air the lower its pressure.

 

I've done that mod....so far so good!
Also, I just got a stock looking Carbon hood. I will be cutting out
the middle sections and doing the same mods as below.

 

Thats sick man. Looks amazing

 

makes you wonder why they didn't just do that in the first place doesn't it?

 

at Mr. IROC-Z

are those the plastic louvers that came with the hood...they look really good.

how hard was it to do?

 

They are the stock louvers. Cutting them is a PITA! I messed up several times and some cuts are really crappy. I broke each louver a couple times where the cuts got too thin. After cutting, I used plastic filler to go over all the rough cuts. I then sanded the filler and repainted the louvers.
It can be done, but just take your time.
If I had to do it over again, i'd go slower.

 

That's a gorgeous hood

 

Nice looking hood thats the best look Ive seen so far.
Have you got under hood pictures would like to see how it looks

 

@ 5.7iroc-02ws6:

You can probably get away with doing it all because of the flat part of the hood behind the louvers but definitely the front 2/3 of the louvers. If you want to know for sure, just do a string test.


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My hood is dented and my louvers are still undamaged but looking bad so I'll probably do this next winter since I don't really have anything to lose. I need to get my pyrometer out once my car is on the road and do some testing.

 

Absolutely great job. This is what I'm going to try and do. I've been looking at the hood wondering how I was going to make functional louvers and this is perfect. Any pointers. Did you make a template once you got the right cut you were looking for?

 

Did you notice any lose of hood rigity after you removed the metal? Any underhood pics would be wonderful. Great job.

 

Hi There,
Here is a picture from the initial work. Notice that I didn't cut the metal completely. I left the cross sections that are covered by the louvers. This will give the louvers something to sit on while also providing some rigidity to the hood.

 

That looks so mean and functional!
My question is... Isnt there fumes and such coming from the engine bay, and the seal strip between hood and firewall. I was under the impression this(seal) is a safety feature to prevent the accumulation of noxious fumes and gasses in the passenger compartment.

 

nope, this has nothing to do with that, the seal between the hood and firewall keeps crap from getting under the hood, but it goes between the engine bay and the outside of the car.

 

Update...anyone interested in buying this hood? I just purchases a stock looking carbon Fiber hood and will be doing the same mods to it. I no longer need this steel hood. It's a shame because we just finished painting it...it hasn't even been on the road!

The hood will come with the cut louvers just as you see in the picture.
Make me an offer. Due to the size and weight of the hood, I prefer local sales.
Thanks

 

Where did you find a stock looking carbon fiber hood? Cost?

 

Best idea for a hood that I have seen,Mr Iroc. I will be researching this more, I would love for mine to look like that.

 

I'm fairly local, only about 2 hour drive max. I've got Paypal and cash now/ Here's my direct email neagan@sonic.netand I can pop you my phone number if needed!!

 

Mr.Iroc Do you have any problem with rain getting into engine compartment? I noticed you cut the bottom flat side of louver and the post that Steven showed the vertical part was cut out. I was just thinking which way is more functional ?

 

I sent you a PM asking to purchase the hood and havn't heard back from you. Did you get the message and do you take cash????
Nitro-Nicky

 

Thats crazy!!! Sparks my intrest in doing it again, I wonder how hard it would be to make then from scratch, I guess it couldnt be any harder than carving them out huh??. I work at a machine/weld shop so I have everything i need to do it. Just depends on which is the easiest to do. Suggestions??

 

If you decide to make them, I'll be glad to share my experiences. Its not hard, just time consuming.

 

Townaj what it that around the edge? And still wondering as far about the rain when your car is just setting still does it get in the carb?

 

What price do you want for the hood? $200/$300/$400?????
Nitro-Nicky

 

The stuff around the edge is the same stuff they put on the edges of car doors so they don't ding another car when you open them. Thats probably not a good explanation but idk how else to say it lol. I got a whole roll of it from Napa. The water doesn't get in the carb at all. I have a 14 inch filter so what little water gets in just rolls off the edge of it. And it will only get in if its parked, while driving nothing gets in them. I also haven't noticed any increase in debris that gets in the engine bay either.

 

Thanks for info townaj I got some more plastic studs glued on my louvers today so I might get to cut them out this week. Or I might just build some like yours if I can find some metal.

 

No problem. I think cutting the stock louvers would be cleaner looking. I just didn't have the ***** to try and do that lol. Post up results of what you do!

 

What about a nice shotgun or pistola?