Functional hood vents finally done!

[4u33er]

The hardest part was removing the stock plastic louvers. I guess the previous owner went in for the recall and it was silicone glued the hell out off it. The rest was max 20 min for everything.

The hood louver was won from an ebay auction sale going on. It came with instructions and the box said Zmag on it.

Here are the results:

The chrome is a little to bling for me but I'll just leave it for now as it matches the grill little bit.

The only concern I have is the driver side vent sits pretty close to the Alternator. Not sure how safe that will be when it rains.

Also the new piece is heavy and now the hood will not stay opened. I will have to look into heavy duty struts for the hood.

 

[joshua]

Whooo!!! Thanks for the pics and the post! :thumbs: I am about to do mine as well. What did you use to cut the hood? My ride is completely de-blinged but I do think the chrome grill and louver look pretty hot on the black.

 

[ReconH3]

Well done. This is one of those mods I've been wanting to for a long time. No worries on the alternator. I've submerged many in river crossings and the only thing that affects it is the sediment in the river water. It makes the brushes get stuck and lose contact. Rain will never do anything of the sort.


"Ex Umbris Venimus"

Sent from my iPhone

 

[joshua]

Now you just need to figure out how to modify the windshield wiper fluid squirter to shoot water on the exhaust manifold so you can get a nice puff of steam to come out of your hood when you push the button

 

[Hans3T]

Looking good! What'd you use to get the plastic one off? Did it break?

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[4u33er]

First you drill a small hole enough to be able to put a metal saw blade in. Then you saw off from underneath following the lines of the underneath braces.

The shop used an air powered saw that looked like this http://www.harborfreight.com/high-speed-metal-saw-91753.html

Seriously it cuts through very easily, no mess and burns or etc.

To removed the plastic 3 guys had to just keep on pushing up without denting the hood. Then has to use a blade attached to a long flat stick to go in between to slice the silicone.

So now that I know the alternator will be okay, how about my coilpacks?

 

[JoshuaL]

Looks Bad Ass. I'm just waiting for mine to get back from powder coating and then the cutting begins for me.

 

[JoshuaL]

Hey man I would paint those edges so they don't rust. Just a thought.

 

[4u33er]

The white lines you see on the cut out is me with a grey primer, I brushed them on.

Now does anyone want to buy this?

 

[SolidusJ]

Only seen this on the V8, let us know how the first down pour works out!!!

 

[4speedfunk]

So what are you doing to keep water out of the plug wells?

This is a well-known issue with 5-cly. H3's (and Colorado/Canyons). On the H3...the mounting holes in the hood (for the stock plastic louver) allow water to drain right down on top of the #1 & #2 plugs. In fact...the hood itself is "dished" and it actually collects rain water and drains it right down in worst possible spot. Eventually the plug-wells fill up with rust, and shorts out the ignition coils. While the problem isn't exclusively tied to the holes in the hood...it can't help the situation by allowing even more water into the engine bay. I'm all about ventilation but, there are quite a few moisture-sensitive parts under the hood...let us know how it holds up over the long run. I'm going the other way with mine...welding up the stock holes to try and prevent as much moisture seepage as possible, especially from overhead.

GM issued a recall for H3 hood-louvers...allegedly to keep them from flying-off. I've noticed that their high-tech fix is to glob a bunch sealant on them. I suspect the real issue may have more to do with sealing the holes in the hood, than fixing loose louvers.

 

[58Bisc]

GM issued a recall for H3 hood-louvers...allegedly to keep them from flying-off. I've noticed that their high-tech fix is to glob a bunch sealant on them. I suspect the real issue may have more to do with sealing the holes in the hood, than fixing loose louvers.

Although GM may have had multiple reasons to recall the hood vent, I can attest to the fact that they fly off at high speed. The dam thing almost killed me and a few other people in cars that were behind me. No warning what so ever. Just there one minute, hitting my windshield the next, then stright up in the air and bouncing off a couple of other cars... Trust me when I say they glued the **** out of them for a reason.

 

[4u33er]

Maybe I will get this and tape it up to prevent from water build up? http://www.designengineering.com/category/catalog/dei-cycle/insulating-materials/cool-tape

 

[IndyHummers]

Is there any kind of a screen to prevent large debris from going in your engine bay like in H1's? Something to consider.

 

[4u33er]

No but I guess that's a good idea.

 

[ReconH3]

Why don't you make removable panels that you bolt on from below in the rainy season? You only need it open for when it gets hot outside.


"Ex Umbris Venimus"

Sent from my iPhone

 

[4speedfunk]

Why don't you make removable panels that you bolt on from below in the rainy season? You only need it open for when it gets hot outside.

Or find an old Mopar and rob the "air-grabber" idea. It was a cable-operated trap door that made the scoop functional.

 

[alrock]

Nice job with the mod and the pics

Sent from my VS910 4G using Tapatalk 2

 

[4u33er]

Here are some solutions I've though of and will try to execute over the weekend.

1. To address the "issue" of water collecting by the coil packs I will put a 2" weatherstrip underneath the hood, so when the hood shuts, the weathertrip will be wedged in between prevent from "excess" amount of water. Again this to to prevent high volumes of water, not trying to make things completely waterproof.

2. I will be putting screen to prevent any large debris and foreign object from entering. Mostly to prevent it from hitting the fan.

3. For RAINY seasons and winter snow, I'm planning on adding a slider mechanism which I can slide a door from underneath. Not sure how much room I have under there but will give it a try. Worse comes to worse I can just block its off with something but not really worried about it. Or I can add another small louver panel going the opposite direction so when the water falls through it will go flow down to the front.

As for the sliding mechanism it would be something like this: http://www.homedepot.com/Tools-Hardware-Hardware-Cabinet-Furniture-Hardware-Drawer-Hardware-Rollers-Slides/h_d1/N-5yc1vZc2bq/R-202200643/h_d2/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10053&langId=-1&storeId=10051

 

[Bigunit]

:corn: Great ideas & looking forward to your updates.

 

[Portager]

Seams overly complex to me. Keep think about it and I believe you'll find a simpler solution.

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[Portager]

I don't like saying there should be a better way without offering what I believe is a better solution. So here is my concept for a rain proof hood louver. I'd start with the hood louver you have and keep the base plate. I'd replace what I call the end plates (some people might call them the handles) and the louvers in the center. Here is a sketch.

I'd replace the end caps with new NC machines aluminum plates. These plates would have grooves machined into them for the new louvers. The louvers would be arranged in two rows, a top row and a bottom row. The end plates would have holes drilled through at the bottom corners of each louver on the bottom row for drainage. Note: the two end plates would be identical so they can be machines with only one set-up fee.

Here is a sketch of the louver concept.

The louvers are made out of aluminum sheet metal with the edges bent to form a "U" shape. All the louvers are identical to reduce production cost. The top row of louvers would have the "U" pointing down and the bottom row would have the "U" pointing up. By offsetting the bottom row relative to the top row, the bottom row will catch any rain water that goes through the top row of louvers. The water that is trapped in the bottom row of louvers will drain to the side and out the drain holes in the end plates that I mentioned above.

There would be two additional sheet metal pieces, one at the front and one at the back to close the gap between the first and last louver and the base plate.

For finish, the aluminum could be sanded and left bare if you like the looks of aluminum or it could be painted. I'd go with the bare aluminum since it is low cost and easy to maintain.

 

[Mr_Rich]

Interesting... I've also had an idea about actually louvering the hood like an old hot rodders trick. Create a box underneath with a drain system and a weather seal so it could be closed up in winter. I think an outfit like West Coast Customs could build the hood I'm thinking of. I've got a grander idea to replace the plastic hood louver than a simple add-on.
I like to keep my engine compartment clean and opening it up would be a real pain to maintain, IMO. I remember seeing a cop car in Orange Co. last summer with a louvered hood. It was one of those things I thought, "Hmmm...never saw that before....", but it made sense with a vehicle that spends time idling in hot weather.

 

[fatkatsupra]

bad idea

I put a hood with slots on my supra and ruined the crank pulley, alternator and sped up some corrosion under the hood.

 

[Portager]

I put a hood with slots on my supra and ruined the crank pulley, alternator and sped up some corrosion under the hood.

I agree, unless it is water tight. My design is based on louvers that I have seen used on boats, so I'm confident it would work. On the other hand, I'm not going to fix that which isn't broken. I've been keeping a close eye on my thermostat and it hasn't ventured above normal yet. Not even in 107F heat of the way back from Bishop with the AC running. I'm not cutting a hole in my hood until I have a need for more cooling.