Locating Hood Louvers

PinkFloydEffect · Sep 7, 2013

If you look at my sketch in red, on the left side of the hood. I want a louver pod for each side right there venting heat toward the windshield, also it would help keep the front end down at high speeds. Problem is I can't find them in plastic/fiberglass it would be an odd shape being skinny and long any ideas?? I guess I COULD use metal but eventually I wanted a flat fiberglass hood:

91dak239 · Sep 7, 2013

Well I know this is kind of a common jeep thing to help keep them cool off road at slow speeds. http://www.hoodlouvers.com/jeeps/ Look for what the jeep guys use, personally id just use metal, even if you plan fiberglass who cares you can glass in metal and weight wise it would be negligent.

Though really if you want to reduce front end lift you'll need a lower non-stock air dam and to lower the ride height, the idea is to force air to the sides instead of underneath rather than redirect the air out. My basis for this is taking my own truck to full speed with the AAR fiberglass front bumper (more or less a street scene air dam) and the stock bumper, so i definitely know the difference, it was pretty significant.

PinkFloydEffect · Sep 7, 2013

Great place to start they seem to specialize in it! I got the idea from looking at our 98' Grand Cherokee 5.9L Limited which has factory louvers in these spots but raised and smaller.

They will be more for heat venting then reducing front lift, but I planned on trying to locate a Shelby Dakota bumper skirt which is lower to the ground to help somewhat (plus I don't have drop spindles yet)

hskrRT · Sep 7, 2013

Could always try to find a local hot rod shop that can cut the louvers direct into the hood. Or see where the police get the hoods on their cruisers done.

PinkFloydEffect · Sep 7, 2013

I would have to go a few towns over if I want the bacon to talk to me lol but I do not want them punched into my hood because that is not the look I am after. I want them angled like this so I would have to punch a long rectangle in the hood:

hskrRT · Sep 7, 2013

They could be angled like that being punched directly into the hood.

Rezz · Sep 7, 2013

http://www.hoodlouvers.com/

They seem to have a decent selection. And if you are worried about mounting it and not having the hood overlap like the picture you posted, then mount it from the bottom?

PinkFloydEffect · Sep 7, 2013

But the hood has no thickness how do you angle something withing adding fins for depth?

I went though that website they do not have anything for my use, I need something 6" wide by 24" long (possibly as long as 32")

DrPepper · Sep 7, 2013

Is the support frame in the way?

Not sure what the underside of your hood looks like but removing some of the supports has to be thought about. If you look at the opening as an edge for bending and leave a ~1" piece inside the opening, then fold it down. Cut and bend each louver then pop rivet it into place between the flaps you bent down. It would take some planning and careful hammer work but would look almost exactly like your pix.

just a thought, I like my louvers
DP

9t9-5.2 · Sep 7, 2013

Not the flush from the bottom type but not bad either; http://www.americanmuscle.com/bmc-hood-vents-cf.html

PinkFloydEffect · Sep 8, 2013

DrPepper said:
Not sure what the underside of your hood looks like but removing some of the supports has to be thought about. If you look at the opening as an edge for bending and leave a ~1" piece inside the opening, then fold it down. Cut and bend each louver then pop rivet it into place between the flaps you bent down. It would take some planning and careful hammer work but would look almost exactly like your pix.

just a thought, I like my louvers
DP

Touche! Great idea now I understand by leaving one of the longer sides of the opening on the front side, so a 3 way cut. Deff something to think about but I would hate to put that much work into a steel hood that I do not plan on keeping. I do not have a picture atm of the bottom but I figured anything that had to be done to the supports can be counter supported someway else. I really want to separate the hood skin from the support bracing and make a fiberglass mold of each and fuse them back together so I have a completely fiberglass hood that is flat like the factory (they only make scoop and cowl hoods) which is why I preferred pre-fabricated pods I can drop in openings.

Nice got a photo from the top?

9t9-5.2 said:
Not the flush from the bottom type but not bad either; http://www.americanmuscle.com/bmc-hood-vents-cf.html

YES! Those are very close to what I want and they would fit too! They could be bolted to the bottom and I would be happy with that even if the fin tops do not come completely flush with the hood top the thickness of the hood will not set them down far enough to notice. They are 6-1/4" wide x 13-1/4" long (also says 7-1/8" x 12-3/4" which would not fit) not sure which measurement is which but if the first one was the case 6-1/4" is perfect and they would have to be doubled up @ 13-1/4" for the look I am after so it would be 26-1/2" x 6-1/4" [edit: maybe just a single pair would look fine for $120]

DrPepper · Sep 8, 2013

Actually, I'm thinkin'...

cut the hole smaller by ~ an inch( 4"x20" finished, 2"X 18" rough), with 45* cuts in the corners to the finished size and bend the whole opening down to what you want. Then fab up small pieces of metal 1" x 4" with a tab on each side to pop in between the flange you made out of the hood. I know, clear as mud...LOL

Actually I did have the hood on a 1990 Spirit Turbe 2.5 punched down. Had lots of people do double takes at that car. Wish I had som pix of it.

DP

PinkFloydEffect · Sep 8, 2013

You make 100% sense sounds like a lot of work to get perfect.

Those premade carbon fiber ones are so close that I have faith in finding a drop in pod.

Eh I think your hood kinda looks like the side of an old school heat exchanger radiator cover lol

hskrRT · Sep 8, 2013

You want looks, or function?

PinkFloydEffect · Sep 8, 2013

Both, I don't need super efficient venting but any heat will find it's way to the top and toward the sides.

DrPepper · Sep 8, 2013

LOL - Oh ya it does but...

The ones on the heater are in a square pattern and mine fit the shape of the hood. I thought long and hard about punching them down like the Spirit hood, facing the grill or cab, but decided to go with this set up. Note they are not punched forward, the intension was to let the heat out and cool air thru, this they do very well. At some point I calculated how large the opening would have to be to match my 70 louvers. It's a a little over 70 sq. inches or 3.5" X 20" opening, think big cowl hood. Best of all.... nobody else has them.

By the way, your truck is really looking good, I have followed your build thread from the start and your spot on with the mods you've done. Thanks for posting it.

DrPepper

PinkFloydEffect · Oct 4, 2013

Thanks I appreciate that!

The idea came to me from a combination of the factory 98' Grand Cherokee 5.9L raised hood louvers and the Chevy Vortec hood air dam/vents:

This is what my hood looks like now:

This is a rendering of how I want the hvac cowl shaved and relocated to be linked through the firewall and to part of these pods (maybe delicate 1/4 - 1/3 of each pod to be functional hvac intakes) The one on the right is longer and I favor a set in that length rather than the left side:

Locating Hood Louvers

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Rezz

PinkFloydEffect

DrPepper

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