A!
B, and C are a bit much IMO. A is the most aerodynamic, its clean and could be made to work better with first gen lines.

 

are these going to be carbon fiber? how much are you planning on charging for them?

 

' A ' what size openings, vents are you planning
H x W or leave to the customer to open up ? will the cowl be split down the middle ? and how tall will the front cowl be ?

 

most definately A!!!!

 

as posted in the previous thread, these hoods will be available in 3 later fibreglass or 1 layer CF, 2 layers fibreglass for the CF look with glass price.

The vents will be about 2 inches high, running the width of the hood between the raised bevels (center section only) - and yes, there will be a split down the middle.

Because of the shape of our cars, and the resulting aerodynamics, a front ridge is not only unneccessary but does not match the lines of the car.

 

Now I saw the pic, I'd say A is what I'd prefer. Not that my opinion matters: shipping a hood to Belgium (europe) would cost more then having a custom one made here by some very expensive firm
Anyway, those rain guys obviously haven't seen too many TVR's or Marcos' cars. Those hoods are more vent then hood, so I guess it's a no-issue discussion.

 

When will they be available? BTW ---A---

 

and in britian

 

Ok, now for the big question on the size of the vents.

What about those of us with Strut bars? My Cusco rubs a bit on the hood as it is, but my Mazdatrix one clears, what issues will there be with clearance?

 

I'm keeping the vents fairly shallow (2" opening height, as posted above) to minimize such clearance issues. With different models of strut brace available I can't say it will clear all of them.

Remember, with sub-structure our hoods are already a couple of inches thick.

 

is this what you had in mind for "C"?

 

I like A

 

A. Could you do the CF on the inside?

 

Sort of, yes.

And yeah I could do CF on the inside but it increases the cost. That would mean cost of CF cloth for 2 layers instead of 1, and clearcoating both layers.

 

Ok, since i'd be painting the outside, could we do a fiber on the inside and 2 layers of FG on the outside?

 

Make me the one nobody else picks.

 

Am i to understand that the vents are recessed below
the outer 'skin', so if i'm looking at the car from the side
the hood lines are un-broken by a bevel or cowl. a couple of inches thick ??? isn't that getting heavy ??
I still say 'A' , regardless.

 

Not at all. We're making two separate molds. One of the modified outer hood, one of the modified inner 'substructure'. The outer skin is 1 layer CF, 1 layer FRP and the inner 'substructure' - made in the second mold, is single-layer FRP. This second piece has reinforced areas with metal inserts for hood hinge attachment and hood latch catches.

The two are then bonded together for a strong 3D shape. And for those that plan to paint, there'll be an all-fibreglass version, since the single layer of clearcoated CF is cosmetic. As I said in the previous thread the benefit of this hood is the vent, not any marginal weight savings. The stock hood is fairly light as-is.

 

this is heavy heavy stuff...congrads mantis for stepping up t the pleate, it looke like you will be the first to back up his words by actions. you have got me all excited...

where in sask are you? i would love to stop by this summer on my way to canmore and take a look at the operation.

 

I vote "C" if it looks like that last pic.

 

I vote for option "C" as well.

 

Some people don't drive their 7's in the rain, they are second cars or track cars.

 

Yea, but there's only so many variations he can do and still make his marginal profit off of this. The less variation, the less time his guys take setting up molds and scrubbing and they'll get faster as they get to "know" the curves of the the single mold, to boot.

Whoa! Whoa! Hold on, hoss! That ridge would not be out of place on our curvy RX-7s as much as straight cuts (Think bangle design) would be. That ridge also kicks the air up, so that the whole mess coming from below blends and then follows the hood to the cowl. Without it, the air is going to want to "curl" into the opening and collide with the air coming up...please reconsider the air dam ridge, that's one of the parts I liked the best about that 3rdgen hood, very 427'ish and all...

 

I agree with you mario, i don't think it would take away from the line(s). i think there trying a 'new' design. would have to see how it looks without the front bevel
on a finished hood.. D'arcy bonding together the 2 sections will be very strong,your right. full blown production in the works ? very proffesional work ethics,
well done !! .

 

Why couldn't you build "A", then just cut out two areas for seperate vented inserts, thus creating "C"...

You'd have to have provisions built into the substructure, of course...

Just a thought. I have 4 cents in this discussion now...