what do y'all think about this idea? cutting essentially a vent in the front of a power bulge hood. Has this ever been done before?

 

Not getting into the aesthetics of it, but just the function...it would look like sort of a 1/2 of a NACA duct, and those are quite effective. The principle seems sounds to me.

 

thanks for the reply. my hood is also an 82-84 so the back of it is also open. probably be good for cooling.

 

especially since I will be running a turbo.

 

 

Finding a really clean way to make the opening look good would be the biggest challenge.

 

Can't see it being of any practical value, and don't think it'd look good either.

Pretty sure they make all kinds of hoods with funky scoops, and all kinds of add-on scoops that can be added to a stock flat hood. I sure wouldn't much up a power bulge hood for some fever dream vision.

Take a look at the functional hoods that the big three and other manufacturers have used. Many are used to pick up air to cool intercoolers, or for ram air... Not many are used to extract heat. Ask a lot of the people who have cars with functional hoods and they'll tell you the scoops are of limited value in the real world. Kind of like spoilers and wings on cars that aren't moving 200mph.

 

Kind of like spoilers and wings on cars that aren't moving 200mph.

Shhh! You don't want the RICERS to hear that!

 

Uh, thats a nope from me. Looks like it would do more harm than good...

 

Sounds like you want to create a ram air, SS-style hood, using the factory hood's offset bulge, retaining 3rdgen Firebird lines, unlike other ram air hoods, which don't look like they were created for 3rdgens(because they weren't). Hawk's offers a fiberglass Super Duty hood for 3rdgen Firebirds, like an SS hood, but taller(too tall, unfortunately, IMO).

But for ram air purposes, functionality would be limited to carb or TBI because of the location of a TPI throttle body in relation to the opening in the hood. However, Chevy did offer an air intake assembly specifically-designed for the 97 Camaro SS LT1, where the air cleaner sat atop the LT1 plenum, and its duct wrapped around to the throttle body. It hid most of the LT1, but since there was nothing especially attractive about the LT1, the assembly looked cool. But the 3rdgen TPI plenum and runners are too attractive to cover-up with such an air cleaner, IMO. Not sure it would fit over the long tube runners or under a 3rdgen hood, but if so inclined, that air cleaner assembly is available, new-aftermarket and used-OEM.

As for heat extraction, you already have that. With the rear of the bulge open on a non-functional Power Bulge hood, the hood effectively extracts heat.

Heat extractor hoods have always been popular. The IROC hood with functional louvers would be a heat extractor hood. The 91-92 Z28 hood with functional blisters would be a heat extractor hood. The 85-92 TA hood has functional heat extractors. The insanely-popular Japanese Carbon Fiber Camaro hood is a heat extractor hood. Most of the VFN fiberglass hoods for Firebirds(4thgens) are heat extractor hoods. Carbon Creations offers a heat extractor hood with ZL1-style louvers for both, 3rdgen Camaros and Firebirds, in both, fiberglass and carbon fiber. And there's a new fiberglass heat extractor hood for 3rdgen Camaros called the Stingray Z hood.

It might be interesting, and simplest, to adapt a driver's side IROC functional louver, or a driver's side Z28 functional blister, both of which are available and are similar in size and shape to the Firebird's hood bulge. It would turn a Power Bulge hood into a true heat extractor hood, yet the hood would still look like a Power Bulge hood. Could make for an awesome looking hood. The hood bulge decal for 82-84 Firebirds presented such a "louvered" appearance, so it would be sort-of like taking that, and making it real.

 

I like that idea LA