Hood-vented oil cooler, seeking opinions

[Chuck Moreland]

My '73 project car is getting a shot of 'roids. A new motor is going that will produce a lot more heat. Consequently I'm fitting a monster center mounted oil cooler to tame the beast.

The monster cooler will be vented through the hood not unlike ratlsnak's beautifully executed example. Though I am quite impressed with ratlsnak's results, I may want something that is a bit less intrusive to the original lines.

So I did a little photochoping of ratlsnak's ride. Which one looks best?


Pic1 - ratler's ride

Pic2

Pic3


This is a discussion of aesthetics, I believe I can get adequate cooling performance with all.

[ZCAT3]

Chuck - why wouldn't you vent it under the car? My track car has a nicely executed vent under the front pan. There is a plate that goes from the lip of the spoiler back to about the front of the wheel well. Integrated into this aluminum under panel is a very nice duct similar to what you are showing above. It works great.

[lateapex911]

Well, since you asked...

The stock cut lines leading to the cowl vent are parallel to the centerline of the car, and thats fine aesthetically because they are short and relatively far away from the sides of the tapering (in plan view) hood. But the single item that I questioned in Snakes version was the "square" look of the final result, which, to me, seems a bit at odds with it's surroundings. So...less is more in this case...unless there is a bit of a redesign done to make it appear more factory like.

If you were to do that, I might be temped to explore "disconnecting" the two elements.... or building in a sympathetic taper as viewed in plan.

[Yellowbird RS]

I like the pic.#3

[A Quiet Boom]

I think option 3 looks the best and most likely is in a lower pressure zone than the first two. When I see cars like this I often wonder how much extra downforce can be produced if the tunnel is shaped right.

[Chuck Moreland]

Bill, the idea is to reduce the amount of airflow under the car. And to do something unusual. I would be interested in pics of your setup though.

Christian, intuitively I would think you are right about the pressure delta. But I note that the 996 cup cars exhaust the air very far forward, just aft of the bumper cap. In fact those cup cars look like the air takes a very abrupt path, straight up. On the other hand, those waser pumpers may be less demanding of oil cooling capacity and the venting may be compromise for other considerations.

If required, I will put a small lip at the front of the opening to further reduce pressure.

[masraum]

Personally I prefer the looks of option 1 and 3. They seem at odds with each other, but, to me, the middle shot looks the least "right".

[Chuck Moreland]

Here is another try, with the length of the hood vent very close to stock.

[island911]

lateapex911 has some good ideas. . . disconnect the elements. Maybe drop a few NACA Ducts in there . .. something else.

[911pcars]

Chuck,
Can you show the vent to show it discontinuous from the factory hood lines for outside air? In other words, treat them as two separate design elements. You may have to move the exit box forward; more like pic 1 or 2.

I'd also like to see an adjustable lip on the leading edge of the exit passage to produce a little more negative pressure, but that's something you can add on later if required.

my $.02,
Sherwood

[Jack Olsen]

I think the hood vent fits into the 'looks cool' camp more than it does into the 'simply looks good' camp. Does that make sense? It's like a center-fill cap. I like it because it evokes Porsche's racing history -- even though I know a non-Porsche person would say it doesn't add to the beauty of the car.

That said, the shorter vent preserves more of the hood line. I think a great way to both emphasize and mask (is that possible?) the hood vent is to have a nice big center stripe running up the hood. Gulf Orange with a black hairline on the edges -- like the gray-with-orange-pinstripe on this awesome 911R clone:

[dickster]

chuck,

looks wise i like all three, number 1 perhaps more purposeful looking.

but how much clearance is there under the hood? the cutouts you have shown are much smaller than ratler's - are they big enough?

[safe]

I think the line of the centerpart looks a little goofy.
I would consider somthing more like this:


Im not an artist but you get my point i hope....

[Ray 911s]

I like the first one. There is no mistake; that duct is there for a reason. The others tend to look a little like after-market add-ons. If all versions provide the desired level of cooling, then number is the most appealing to me.

[len911]

Chuck, check my front oil cooler install here...
Homemade front brake cooling kit

Page down a bit... Right next to PolyBronze bushings
Lou

[}{arlequin]

shouldn't the lines of the vent narrow down towards the nose, parallel to the lines of the hood?

[Wil Ferch]

How 'bout a fourth option..something that doesn't quite "merge" the longitudinals of the air vent exit and the normal depression/inlet?

A dead zone between the two...

MUST have a frontal-lip ( upflip) that has "sails" running toward the rear along the sides of the upflip.....know what I mean ??

Wil

[rattlsnak]

I personally like the first one..

And someone please photoshop another headlamp on there!!!

[Jays72T]

#3, just looks cleaner to me.

[Joeaksa]

Not a big fan of the way the duct looks at all, but if its got to be there, then #3.

JoeA