Side Duct Air Deflectors
Revising the side air ducts was another item on the B List. As the car sets, one looks inside the ducts and sees the rear tire. Not very original.
The duct should be divided horizontally with most of the air directed to the brakes and the rest directed into the engine compartment. Brake cooling is not really an issue for us, since street use is our primary goal. Directing air into the engine area, however, is important. Moving in slow traffic on a hot day is a good reason to address this issue.
A simple deflector was fabricated with the aid of our usual patterns. Our goal was to (1) direct air into the engine compartment, (2) add the horizontal divider, as seen on the original cars, and (3) block the view of the rear tire one would otherwise see when peering into the vent.
After the patterns were made, sixteenth inch modeler’s plywood was cut to shape. The thin ply was cut to provide a close fit, leaving about an eighth inch from the outer body panel. There is really no need for an airtight seal. All surfaces were then covered with a layer of fiberglass cloth, resulting in a very rigid, strong structure. A coat of engine black, semi gloss, was sprayed and it was ready to install.
The vents were held in place with two screws and lock nuts on opposite sides of the opening into the engine compartment.
The opening into the engine compartment is a round hole, 3 ¼” inches in diameter. The hole had been drilled before the car was painted.
The horizontal divider was finished off with a length of Edge Grip from McMaster- Carr (similar to what is used for weather stripping but without the bulb).
This is a simple approach that adds a touch of authenticity and functionality. If one wants to add brake ducting, it could be easily added by extending the inner panel upward and adding a horizontal top section then adding the opening for the conneting duct.
Revising the side air ducts was another item on the B List. As the car sets, one looks inside the ducts and sees the rear tire. Not very original.
The duct should be divided horizontally with most of the air directed to the brakes and the rest directed into the engine compartment. Brake cooling is not really an issue for us, since street use is our primary goal. Directing air into the engine area, however, is important. Moving in slow traffic on a hot day is a good reason to address this issue.
A simple deflector was fabricated with the aid of our usual patterns. Our goal was to (1) direct air into the engine compartment, (2) add the horizontal divider, as seen on the original cars, and (3) block the view of the rear tire one would otherwise see when peering into the vent.
After the patterns were made, sixteenth inch modeler’s plywood was cut to shape. The thin ply was cut to provide a close fit, leaving about an eighth inch from the outer body panel. There is really no need for an airtight seal. All surfaces were then covered with a layer of fiberglass cloth, resulting in a very rigid, strong structure. A coat of engine black, semi gloss, was sprayed and it was ready to install.
The vents were held in place with two screws and lock nuts on opposite sides of the opening into the engine compartment.
The opening into the engine compartment is a round hole, 3 ¼” inches in diameter. The hole had been drilled before the car was painted.
The horizontal divider was finished off with a length of Edge Grip from McMaster- Carr (similar to what is used for weather stripping but without the bulb).
This is a simple approach that adds a touch of authenticity and functionality. If one wants to add brake ducting, it could be easily added by extending the inner panel upward and adding a horizontal top section then adding the opening for the conneting duct.