As a half banana DIY guy (at best), I’m actually pretty happy with the way this turned out:
This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.
- Thread starter
- #2
And in case anyone is interested, here’s the “why’d ya do it?”
Two summers ago, my AC starting cutting out at highway speed right after I installed my new winch, even though the dash gauge said all was well. So my remedy was to remove my IPF lights from the ARB bar to let air get to the radiator since the winch filled in the hole that used to provide some air. Combined with slower highway speeds and tracking with an ODBII scan gauge, it got me through the Summer. The temp would come down at stop lights so it was definitely an aerodynamic problem vs fan clutch (I read NLXTACY’s saga more than a few times). And then last Summer, I was getting close to the edge at 216 degrees again and having just bought one of Magnuson’s newly re-available superchargers, I knew things would not be getting better upon installation so I decided that I had to go the venting route.
Two summers ago, my AC starting cutting out at highway speed right after I installed my new winch, even though the dash gauge said all was well. So my remedy was to remove my IPF lights from the ARB bar to let air get to the radiator since the winch filled in the hole that used to provide some air. Combined with slower highway speeds and tracking with an ODBII scan gauge, it got me through the Summer. The temp would come down at stop lights so it was definitely an aerodynamic problem vs fan clutch (I read NLXTACY’s saga more than a few times). And then last Summer, I was getting close to the edge at 216 degrees again and having just bought one of Magnuson’s newly re-available superchargers, I knew things would not be getting better upon installation so I decided that I had to go the venting route.
I like! I always go to the junk yards and look for older cars with the hood vents. If I don't have any luck I may end up going this route or the louver panel route.
- Thread starter
- #4
Thanks FJ81!
Thought I’d also share the rest of the story since it became a lesson in humility and perseverance.
After researching every last option here on Mud and on the web (GTP, Lumina, Heep, Pullmax, myriad fender vents, buncha big ol’ circular holes drilled in the hood, etc.), and then watching entirely too many shows on the Velocity channel, I decided to shoot for the moon and copy the design of the hood vents from a Brabus Mercedes like this:
Knowing my limitations, I tried desperately to find anyone and I mean ANYONE that I could pay with professional experience to do this instead of me (I spoke with Citadel’s paint/body guy here in Dallas. He said he’d call me back. He didn’t. Smart man.) So I said fawk it and jumped in. They say that if you’re going to fail, you should fail fast so without even trying, I did just that. After 100 or so hours of design work in PowerPoint later to copy the Brabus vents, I had something that would fit the triangle in the 80 hood where everyone had been putting their vents. Drilling the first pilot hole in a perfectly good hood took a few tequila shots (I recommend reposado) so there was no turning back. The next hole would be one of the 3/8” holes on either side of each vent that I would join with jigsaw cuts and/or metal shears. Unfortunately, the drill bit wandered slightly from the pilot hole, throwing the entire design off while also warping the hood metal. It literally looked like a bullet hole where someone shot the hood. So several mid-project, post-bullet-hole design changes later, I pivoted to a DIY solution that I came across online that a guy did to his Honda S2000 and things worked out, only I used wire mesh like the Brabus design instead the perforated aluminum that he used:
DIY: Vented Aluminum Hood - S2KI Honda S2000 Forums
The cost was $12 for a fresh bottle of Lexus 202 touch-up paint, about $20 for some grill scraps from customcargrills.com that already came painted in gloss black, $20 for some new fine-tooth jigsaw blades, $20 for a step bit (lesson learned) to drill the corner holes for the jigsaw, and then $10 or so for the double sided emblem tape.
Compared with the Pontiac GTP or other drop-in vents, the major caveat is that the cuts you make in the hood are visible to God and everyone. Fortunately, more than a few hours with my Dremel allowed me to straighten up the cuts pretty nicely.
Thought I’d also share the rest of the story since it became a lesson in humility and perseverance.
After researching every last option here on Mud and on the web (GTP, Lumina, Heep, Pullmax, myriad fender vents, buncha big ol’ circular holes drilled in the hood, etc.), and then watching entirely too many shows on the Velocity channel, I decided to shoot for the moon and copy the design of the hood vents from a Brabus Mercedes like this:
Knowing my limitations, I tried desperately to find anyone and I mean ANYONE that I could pay with professional experience to do this instead of me (I spoke with Citadel’s paint/body guy here in Dallas. He said he’d call me back. He didn’t. Smart man.) So I said fawk it and jumped in. They say that if you’re going to fail, you should fail fast so without even trying, I did just that. After 100 or so hours of design work in PowerPoint later to copy the Brabus vents, I had something that would fit the triangle in the 80 hood where everyone had been putting their vents. Drilling the first pilot hole in a perfectly good hood took a few tequila shots (I recommend reposado) so there was no turning back. The next hole would be one of the 3/8” holes on either side of each vent that I would join with jigsaw cuts and/or metal shears. Unfortunately, the drill bit wandered slightly from the pilot hole, throwing the entire design off while also warping the hood metal. It literally looked like a bullet hole where someone shot the hood. So several mid-project, post-bullet-hole design changes later, I pivoted to a DIY solution that I came across online that a guy did to his Honda S2000 and things worked out, only I used wire mesh like the Brabus design instead the perforated aluminum that he used:
DIY: Vented Aluminum Hood - S2KI Honda S2000 Forums
The cost was $12 for a fresh bottle of Lexus 202 touch-up paint, about $20 for some grill scraps from customcargrills.com that already came painted in gloss black, $20 for some new fine-tooth jigsaw blades, $20 for a step bit (lesson learned) to drill the corner holes for the jigsaw, and then $10 or so for the double sided emblem tape.
Compared with the Pontiac GTP or other drop-in vents, the major caveat is that the cuts you make in the hood are visible to God and everyone. Fortunately, more than a few hours with my Dremel allowed me to straighten up the cuts pretty nicely.
2KCruiser
Everything 2KRacing, practically live here
F the vents! let me see the rest of that paint job
- Thread starter
- #7
Thanks koifish!
I only did the passenger side so there's nothing under this side that's affected by water. The driver side is another story but plenty of folks here on Mud have done both sides without problems.
Of course, the original hood liner was a delaminated mess so I installed a new OEM one from the local dealer and cut it to match the new vent opening and unfortunately, it's already started to separate a little bit where I cut it. I tried to trim the opening in the liner with rubber door edge trim but the hood liner isn’t substantial enough for the glue that comes embedded in the trim to grab and hold so I'm going to try some kind of metal tape.
I only did the passenger side so there's nothing under this side that's affected by water. The driver side is another story but plenty of folks here on Mud have done both sides without problems.
Of course, the original hood liner was a delaminated mess so I installed a new OEM one from the local dealer and cut it to match the new vent opening and unfortunately, it's already started to separate a little bit where I cut it. I tried to trim the opening in the liner with rubber door edge trim but the hood liner isn’t substantial enough for the glue that comes embedded in the trim to grab and hold so I'm going to try some kind of metal tape.
2KCruiser
Everything 2KRacing, practically live here
Looks nice and clean, but really... lets see some pictures of the whole rig along with a shot of the underside of the hood to see mounting of the vents.
- Thread starter
- #9
Nice catch 2KCruiser. After nearly two decades of daily freeway driving, the whole front end looked like someone had sandblasted it with BBs so I had the hood resprayed last year by the dealer. The rest of it is original and has held up nicely thanks to yearly applications of Meguiar's NXT.
Looks VERY nice! How much does it help the temps? I'm thinking of doing this also.
I like it! Does the insulation "hole" have smaller dimensions than the hole in the hood? It appears as though rain/snow could get exposed directly to the insulation--but it might just be the photo. I'm guessing if that insulation gets wet it would become a soggy, saggy, mess...but maybe not? Either way, I like it! It definitely looks pro!
- Thread starter
- #13
Thanks guys.
When the temps in Dallas start getting into the high 90s and 100s, I'm planning to tape the cutout chunk of insulation from the hood liner back in place and then put a magnetic cover over the vent to block things off and try to get an accurate "before and after" with the vent being the only variable. I'm already going to be using the scan gauge to watch the engine temp like a hawk now that the new Magnuson's installed. And after seeing this question on temp difference asked so many times and trying to find this same data myself for several years now, I'm hoping to be able to finally contribute. Looking' like mid 80s this weekend so might just do a test sooner than later.
And 2 E L O, you're right that the freshly cut edges of the insulation are exposed to rain and water which is causing it to now separate. I did cut the hood liner to match the vent opening but thinking I might just hack off the whole area around the vent like others have since the underhood temps by the vent shouldn't get hot enough to affect the paint above with all that heat escaping, right?
And then, as requested, here are some of the underhood pics:
remnants of the failed attempt to use self-adhesive door edge trim to protect the liner cuts
Whole lotta double sided emblem tape to hold the mesh grill in place. If you read through the Honda S2000 write-up I included above, he mentions using sheet metal clips as a physical safeguard so I decided to use two at either end of the grill, simply wedging them in under the hood supports. I actually cut the wire mesh a lot bigger than the opening so that I could stuff some of it under the hood supports as well.
My litmus test on any mods is "can it withstand an automatic car wash?" and the answer so far has been YES.
When the temps in Dallas start getting into the high 90s and 100s, I'm planning to tape the cutout chunk of insulation from the hood liner back in place and then put a magnetic cover over the vent to block things off and try to get an accurate "before and after" with the vent being the only variable. I'm already going to be using the scan gauge to watch the engine temp like a hawk now that the new Magnuson's installed. And after seeing this question on temp difference asked so many times and trying to find this same data myself for several years now, I'm hoping to be able to finally contribute. Looking' like mid 80s this weekend so might just do a test sooner than later.
And 2 E L O, you're right that the freshly cut edges of the insulation are exposed to rain and water which is causing it to now separate. I did cut the hood liner to match the vent opening but thinking I might just hack off the whole area around the vent like others have since the underhood temps by the vent shouldn't get hot enough to affect the paint above with all that heat escaping, right?
And then, as requested, here are some of the underhood pics:
remnants of the failed attempt to use self-adhesive door edge trim to protect the liner cuts
Whole lotta double sided emblem tape to hold the mesh grill in place. If you read through the Honda S2000 write-up I included above, he mentions using sheet metal clips as a physical safeguard so I decided to use two at either end of the grill, simply wedging them in under the hood supports. I actually cut the wire mesh a lot bigger than the opening so that I could stuff some of it under the hood supports as well.
My litmus test on any mods is "can it withstand an automatic car wash?" and the answer so far has been YES.
Looks good. You should make a matching painted magnetic cover for when it is raining. Here in New England you would need one for the winter....that whole engine bay would be filled with snow.
I'm not sure, nor do I care, where you got your degree from, but you sure as he#* don't know jack about hood vents. I've been putting vents like this in for years, and this will work fine. And, this vent doesn't allow as much rain in as one would think.
