possible new product. custom road race style hood vents!!

Steve@TF

Authorized Vendor
Authorized Vendor
Premium Member
Joined
Feb 24, 2006
Messages
19,702
Location
So Cal
Possible new product for sale here. These monster hood vents were 100% designed and fabbed up by Dave aka sct2003. dave wanted a way to vent even more hot air from under the hood and dreamed up these bad boys right here. Dave approached me about possibly doing a joint venture on these since im already an authorized vendor on here. Having seen these in person before and the quality of his work, I said sure. Dave has done quite a few DIY mods to his cobra and they are all pretty slick and WORK. He has put a LOT of time and thought into his mods and did a great job fabbing each one up. :thumbsup:

These hood vents are made of sheet metal. They have a thin metal frame on top and just bolt through the hood. Dave added the scoops on the bottom to direct the rain/water away from the motor and into the area where the stock vents would allow the water to go. Theyre optional to run but a good idea. The metal appears thin but I can tell you that they are in NO way ‘chincy” or flimsy. They are quality pieces and unbelievable that they are a one off set that he made himself with the help of a buddy. Dave hand rolled the scoops himself. They look great! :beer:

These monster sized vents WORK. You can really FEEL the hot air coming out the engine bay! And that’s with just regular driving. Dave had road racers in mind for these but they’ll benefit ANY cobra be it drag, road course, or street duty! I don’t recall what he used to cut into the hood but im pretty sure it was nothing super fancy. And it looks CLEAN! And its functional! Many of you guys are always looking for ways to cool down your motors and blowers, well this will definitely help! :burn:

And being that theyre metal, they can be custom finished just like our stock replacement TF hood vents. They can be powdercoated, polished, brushed, black chromed, and paint matched so they’ll blend right in! and im pretty sure we can even add the same mesh under these frames like we use in our TF hood vents! :rockon:

We haven’t even begun to discuss pricing yet as dave and I still need to find out what they’d cost to have made. But we just wanted to get an idea if there is enough interest to do a run of these. I have my cobra for sale but if I end up keeping it for some reason, ill probably add these just for the hell of it. They look that sick! And ill probably add some to my svt contour which I am building for open track! They can easily fit just about any hood. :coolman:

IMG_9922Medium.jpg

IMG_9924Medium.jpg

IMG_9925Medium.jpg

IMG_9926Medium.jpg

IMG_9927Medium.jpg

IMG_9933Medium.jpg

IMG_9934Medium.jpg

IMG_9935Medium.jpg

IMG_9936Medium.jpg

IMG_9937Medium.jpg
 

SCT2003

2012 3.7 & 1986 NOTCH
Established Member
Joined
Nov 5, 2006
Messages
974
Location
Los Angeles
Steve...

Those pictures came out great!!! I decided to go with the satin screens installed and let me tell you...these TF vents are gettin' alot of compliments!!! I'm very happy with the combination of the TF vents with my existing custom vents!!!

:beer:

Later...Dave
 

suaveflooder

500 hp grocery getter
Established Member
Joined
May 29, 2006
Messages
6,669
Location
San Diego
I think I could like it..... Anyway to make them completely flush? I have no clue how, but that's my only complaint and it's not even a huge deal. Other than that, I think that they look great! Nice work Dave :rockon:
 

Steve@TF

Authorized Vendor
Authorized Vendor
Premium Member
Joined
Feb 24, 2006
Messages
19,702
Location
So Cal
I think I could like it..... Anyway to make them completely flush? I have no clue how, but that's my only complaint and it's not even a huge deal. Other than that, I think that they look great! Nice work Dave :rockon:

yeah, i dont think it would be possible to make it flush. not without $100k invested into R&D lol. plus, they look and are functional. they look like they mean business, and they do! :rockon: you could probably get some black bolts or powdercoat these if you wanted them to blend into the frames a little better.

i saw these before they were black too. got any pics dave?? they looked good in bare metal form as well.

you just gotta have BALLS to cut into your hood. but if you really want to extract the heat, this is THE way to do it!

dave, fill us in on how you cut into the hood. :beer:
 

oldmodman

Well-Known Member
Established Member
Joined
Jun 27, 2003
Messages
16,543
Location
West Los Angeles
Those vents look like they would be large enough to actually vent pressure from under the hood. Might be enough to decrease front end lift at really high speeds. Just like we used to louver our hoods back in the sixties to vent them. Plus it looked really "bitchin".
 

SCT2003

2012 3.7 & 1986 NOTCH
Established Member
Joined
Nov 5, 2006
Messages
974
Location
Los Angeles
dave, fill us in on how you cut into the hood. :beer:

First off, I used the aluminum vents as templates and figured out the exact location to place the vents. Very important to measure twice but cut only once!!!

Tools needed for cutting the holes in the hood would be measuring tape/ruler, painter's tape, a magic marker, a power drill and a power saw.

After deciding where to place the holes, I drilled 4 large holes in the area to be cut and played connect the dot with the saw. Once the center of the holes were cut out, I drilled the smaller holes needed for the mounting hardware.

Once all the holes were cut, a few different shapes of files and various grits of sandpaper were used to help smooth out any rough edges. A dremal can be used to speed up the process but it's very easy to take too much material out by mistake.

If you are meticulous and have all the right tools, I guess it's possible to get away with just using some touch up paint on the exposed fiberglass edges??? I on the other hand, felt it was a good time to professionally repaint under the hood. The paint under there was faded and missing in some spots anyways.

Remember that the design of the vents does a great job of hiding any minor imperfections from cutting the hood. Also keep in mind that a skilled body man can easily accomplish this mod if your skills are not up to it. It takes some care, skill and paitence considering you are working with fiberglass.

Don't forget to wear a face mask, cover the engine compartment and frequently clean up the work area...fiberglass dust will be all over the place and you don't want that in your lungs.

:beer:

Later...Dave
 

suaveflooder

500 hp grocery getter
Established Member
Joined
May 29, 2006
Messages
6,669
Location
San Diego
yeah, i dont think it would be possible to make it flush. not without $100k invested into R&D lol. plus, they look and are functional. they look like they mean business, and they do! :rockon: you could probably get some black bolts or powdercoat these if you wanted them to blend into the frames a little better.

i saw these before they were black too. got any pics dave?? they looked good in bare metal form as well.

you just gotta have BALLS to cut into your hood. but if you really want to extract the heat, this is THE way to do it!

dave, fill us in on how you cut into the hood. :beer:

:beer: Ahhh...like I mentioned, not that big of a deal anyway. I think it looks good :rockon:
 

SCT2003

2012 3.7 & 1986 NOTCH
Established Member
Joined
Nov 5, 2006
Messages
974
Location
Los Angeles
Those vents look like they would be large enough to actually vent pressure from under the hood. Might be enough to decrease front end lift at really high speeds. Just like we used to louver our hoods back in the sixties to vent them. Plus it looked really "bitchin".

Agreed...the whole purpose of the stock heat extractor vents is to release unwanted heat and air trapped under the hood. The size and placement of these custom vents allows more air to flow in the same manner...which brings down engine temps and also allows for better aerodynamics. After installing these vents, I immediately noticed a drop in engine temperatures and the car feels more surefooted at speed.

:beer:

Later...Dave
 

suaveflooder

500 hp grocery getter
Established Member
Joined
May 29, 2006
Messages
6,669
Location
San Diego
Agreed...the whole purpose of the stock heat extractor vents is to release unwanted heat and air trapped under the hood. The size and placement of these custom vents allows more air to flow in the same manner...which brings down engine temps and also allows for better aerodynamics. After installing these vents, I immediately noticed a drop in engine temperatures and the car feels more surefooted at speed.

:beer:

Later...Dave

so......when will they be available? :thumbsup:
 

SCT2003

2012 3.7 & 1986 NOTCH
Established Member
Joined
Nov 5, 2006
Messages
974
Location
Los Angeles
Dave, I think it's about time you shared this with the rest of the SVTP community! :beer:

And that combo does look wicked! :rockon:

Rick...

I know, I know...I've been using these for over a year now but I guess it's better late than never huh???

Thanks for the props BTW!!!

:beer:

Later...Dave
 

SCT2003

2012 3.7 & 1986 NOTCH
Established Member
Joined
Nov 5, 2006
Messages
974
Location
Los Angeles
Put me down for a set when you start producing them.. Maybe you need some beta testers...?? I'll gladly provide input on them before, during and after installation.

so......when will they be available? :thumbsup:

Thanks for the interest fellas...we are currently working out all the details!!!

:beer:

Later...Dave
 

HEMIHUNTER

Well-Known Member
Established Member
Joined
Mar 6, 2008
Messages
7,202
Location
florida
The only issue I see is where the water would go, It looks like it would be a bit further back than the stock vents. Other than that I think you have a winner on your hands. Fabrication shouldn't be that bad. Have you done any research on making them out of aluminum?or would that not be cost effective? Are the scoops sheet metal as well and what guage are they made out of? Could you make them [ the scoops] out of a high impact/heat plastic?
I'll stop now. lol...good luck guys I think it's a good idea and who cares if its not flush they look good.

almost forgot would they be delivered raw or at least primered I would suggest primed. G/L
 
Last edited:

nighthawk756

Who? Me??
Established Member
Joined
Aug 25, 2007
Messages
1,591
Location
Alabama
Very nice!! I may end up with a set of these. I just have to get over butchering my hood first. Hmmm, wonder if I could find a used hood for track days??

Anyway, this looks like a great design to get rid of that baking hot air on track days. :beer:
 

CobraBob

Authorized Vendor
Established Member
Premium Member
Single Barrel Sirs
Joined
Nov 17, 2002
Messages
105,529
Location
Cheshire, CT
Very interesting mod! Nice work. Obviously you'd want to avoid driving in the rain, but those who order them likely never allow rain to touch their paint. Now all you need is an inexpensive molded cover to lay over the vents when you're going to wash the car. :)
 

Users who are viewing this thread



Top