58 hood question...
10-19-2013, 11:29 PM
#1
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58 hood question...
What was the purpose of the 'ripples' on the hood?
10-19-2013, 11:37 PM
#3
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10-19-2013, 11:56 PM
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They are fake louvers, like other nonfunctional vents, etc other Corvettes have had.
10-20-2013, 12:25 AM
#7
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It was a styling effort which resulted from the REAL louvers on the hood of the 1957 SS. If you're not familiar with the 57 SS, then google to learn more. But the short version is that the 57 SS was a TOTAL engineered/styled car specifically built to compete at the 57 Sebring race. It was an awsome competitive car, but unfortunately dropped out early in the race due to a suspension failure.
http://badboyvettes.com/25
The louvers on the SS hood allowed hot air to escape from the radiator. There was a duct on the back side of the radiator which channeled the air up to the underside of the hood louvers (the radiator leaned FORWARD). The design idea/concept was carried over to the imitation louvers of the 58 hood. One year only. I love the one year only unique features of the 58. Mainly the hood, trunk irons and one year only tach for solid lifter engines.
http://badboyvettes.com/25
The louvers on the SS hood allowed hot air to escape from the radiator. There was a duct on the back side of the radiator which channeled the air up to the underside of the hood louvers (the radiator leaned FORWARD). The design idea/concept was carried over to the imitation louvers of the 58 hood. One year only. I love the one year only unique features of the 58. Mainly the hood, trunk irons and one year only tach for solid lifter engines.
Last edited by DZAUTO; 10-21-2013 at 08:37 AM.
10-20-2013, 10:04 AM
#9
Safety Car
Good info Tom.
BTW, they're back on the C7. Functional like the '57 SS this time, not fake like '58 and '63. The exhaust air travels from front grille through cond/rad then up and out the hood.
I always felt the '63 fakes tried to appear like the functional louvers on the '61-'74 E-Type(XKE).
BTW, they're back on the C7. Functional like the '57 SS this time, not fake like '58 and '63. The exhaust air travels from front grille through cond/rad then up and out the hood.
I always felt the '63 fakes tried to appear like the functional louvers on the '61-'74 E-Type(XKE).
10-20-2013, 06:22 PM
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Aero development usually results in some interesting possibilities, depending on your objective and budget; when we added the functional louvers on the tops of the front fenders on the 1992-2002 Viper to reduce turbulence in the front wheel wells, we picked up 6 mph on the top end (from 188 to 194 mph). 
Last edited by JohnZ; 10-20-2013 at 06:25 PM.
10-20-2013, 07:34 PM
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10-20-2013, 07:50 PM
#13
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I always loved the look of the NACA style hood vents on the GT40, so when I built my SBC Fiero I fabricated some similar vents into the hood. the one thing I hadn't planned on, however, was that all that heat that gets extracted from the radiator would go right down the cowl vents at the base of the windshield. not a good feature in the summer time 
. I'm sure the Vette vent would effectively gulp that hot air right into the cabin also, so hood louvers are better left as a styling cue, rather than functional, on a street car. 
. I'm sure the Vette vent would effectively gulp that hot air right into the cabin also, so hood louvers are better left as a styling cue, rather than functional, on a street car.
Last edited by MrPbody; 10-20-2013 at 10:29 PM. Reason: cuz
10-20-2013, 10:49 PM
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Jim
10-21-2013, 02:02 AM
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10-21-2013, 09:03 AM
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I do the same thing with my '60 fuelie with the thought being that it sheds engine compartment heat but I've noticed what you've noticed.And at low speeds it probably does help engine heat escape..... and that's a good thing.
At hiway speeds, however, do you suppose air flow reverses and cool air actually flows into the engine compartment instead of out? The rear of the hood is, after all, near a high pressure point in the air stream; otherwise the cowl vent wouldn't work.
Jim
10-21-2013, 11:26 AM
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10-21-2013, 11:36 AM
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I do the same thing with my '60 fuelie with the thought being that it sheds engine compartment heat but I've noticed what you've noticed.And at low speeds it probably does help engine heat escape..... and that's a good thing.
At hiway speeds, however, do you suppose air flow reverses and cool air actually flows into the engine compartment instead of out? The rear of the hood is, after all, near a high pressure point in the air stream; otherwise the cowl vent wouldn't work.
Jim
i always figured it was the 'scoop' effect of the cowl vent opening high & wide, closing it down certainly cuts down on the inflow of air through the vent...
the other thing i've noticed about airflow; in the rain, air (water) will flow around the sides of the windshield and over the top; no water enters the car at highway speeds (one reason why rolling down the door windows with the top up/on is kind of useless.. (long live A/C...
)combining those 2 thoughts, i figure when the hood is propped open the engine compartment air flows outward towards the corners of the hood/windshield (especially with the distributor shielding in place) and does not enter into the cowl vent...
Bill