Guys, I have read where on sunny days, with the hood open, a chrome air cleaner cover might reflect the sun onto the underside of the open hood and ruin the paint. I have been entering some outdoor shows since I bought my '65 last November. This would ruin my day if it happened to me. Is this true for outdoor shows? I have seen temporary elasticized covers for the air cleaner in Corvette parts books, but these are certainly not stock looking. What gives? -Clark

 

I haven't any personal experience with this but this subject came up a couple of years ago here and there were a couple personal tragedies to cars that board members related. So yes, they provided testimony that it can happen under the right circumstances.

Dan

 

Clark:

A hot August or September outdoor show in Texas, with a lot of bright sun, can/will cause this hood burn problem. It might not even have to be a hot summer day.

Suggest getting a cover made, or bring along a light colored towel, to put over your chrome air cleaner lid.

Larry

 

I just find that incredible. I believe you but still find it incredible. Paragon shows a cover protector for this problem:

http://www.corvette-paragon.com/p-34...4-316-dia.aspx

Has anyone bought and used this item and would you recommend it for outdoor shows? -Clark

 

I saw it happen to Barrys car years ago and someone said it wasnt possible, believe me it is. You can put a towel on it or they sell a cover that looks pretty good but the last thing you wants is a blistered hood.

 

If the Suns on the engine, cover the air cleaner, or close the hood. Bill.

 

Yep I carry a tan towel to cover mine if the sun is right. It can and will happen if you don't cover your air cleaner...

Dave

 

I do the same while in the sun at shows...

 

Yes I have one (with a vette logo on it) and yes I use it (and did so just this Sunday at the Wonderful World of Corvettes show). There was a post here a few months back where an air cleaner reflection caused a paint blister on the hood of a C2 - it does happen...

 

I know a guy locally who had that happen to his '59. He showed me the bubble. Better safe than 1000 poorer.

 

yep, take my word for it, it can...happen!!

use the air cleaner cover and save yourself a lot of heartache (and expense of at least a hood repaint - I ended up going with a brand new paint job for the entire car).
Others will say that it's a myth. I have the bill from my paint job that proves it's not a myth.

 

Hmmm, a "Pro" reason to buy one of those K&N air filters.

 

so is a flat black lid for the 396 cars

 

Tan seems to be a popular towel color, that's what this fella was using at Daytona over Thanksgiving....

 

Believe it, it happened to me! Howerver it did not bubble the paint on the outside of the hood, just scored the inside....I've since gotten a cover.

 

I never even heard of this happening until just after I joined these forums. A couple of days later there was a picture of a hole clean through the hood. Blew my mind.

 

The problem arises from flat or concave chrome covers,as a flat cover tightened just slightly too tight will go concave.

Once the cover is concave, it acts as a focusing mirror, just like those solar ovens or solar water boilers and concentrates a couple hundred square inches of sunlight onto a few square inches of the underside of your hood if the focal length is right.

A convex, domed or conical cover will disperse the reflected light and not create a problem, but any concave features on a conical cover can create small focal concentrations.

The factory original style 1961 flat top cover (especially if chromed) tends to go concave and can most definitely focus intense heat on the underside of the hood. The new cover I currently have disperses the reflected light well, though I have to watch the transition area between the flat outer ring and the cone, as that can focus some light in the right situation.

Doug

 

It's true! It happened to a friend of mine on his freshly retored 66 BB convt.

 

It does happen, and the covers work great...problem with putting towel over air cleaner, if there is a breeze it can blow the towel off. I recommend the cover...I have one, inexpensive and does the job just fine. I saw one guy used a shower cap...

 

I looked at this as a potential problem solver: I installed a mirror on the underside of my hood to burn people who are standing too close to my car