Does anybody have any ideas on how to keep rain out of an engine compartment that topped by a louvered hood?
The idea with louvers is to cool down the engine! If you put something underneath the louvers you'll also loose the cooling affect! I don't think it matters if your engine gets wet, just think of all the hot rods without hoods!! Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
Yep, I made a catch tray once for a showcar. After I made it, it was chromed. It looked clean and sanitary, and all. But it changed a functional Hot Rod thing into a non functioning visual thing only. If it is that important to keep water off the engine, I'd just not louver the hood... ( I've driven one of my own cars through deep enough puddles, in AZ monsoon rain, that the water was forced through the louvers in the hood and hitting the windshield... It was parked outside in those monsoon rains, too.)
QUOTE=TomBrooklyn;9203491]Does anybody have any ideas on how to keep rain out of an engine compartment that topped by a louvered hood?[/QUOTE] The best way would be ....Don't drive it in the rain.....sorry couldn't help myself. But seriously, perhaps louvers may not be the best idea if you are concerned about water getting in. Kind of defeats the purpose, like previously mentioned. Now if you were talking louvers in the roof - different story.
To answer the guy's question, one way would be to fabricate a tray that attaches to the underside of the hood and has a drain tube running down under the engine. If that don't sound like brain surgery, it ain't.
You could attatch a tray with openings at front and rear, or on sides to let air out. Put a break down the center(like a roof) to let water run off to the side. Another popular option is magnetic sign sheet to put up when washing or parking in the rain, just put it under the hood to close off the louvers.
It would defeat the purpose of the louvers. You'd be better off with a solid hood if a lot of rain is a proven problem for you. Also, a friend bent a con rod once when his engine took on a lot of water in a big storm (open-sided air cleaners with foam or paper filters won't stop a soaking rain). I know he'll never do another vented hood. I've just build a temp plug for my hood scoop, too, as my engine seems to misfire now and then on the interstate in the rain. Could be my imagination, but... Perhaps it's time for someone to invent a new hood treatment that becomes a popular trend but still looks "racy" and doesn't involve a lot of holes? Gary
Metalshapes is right...........engines can get really wet and still have no problems at all. I have driven my roadster through some torrential rain storms (one time for 5 hours straight where I couldn't see the cars in front of me ) and the car never missed a beat. The motor must have ingested gallons of water, and the distributor was soaked, but it kept on going. Just this past Sunday I drove my car to work and on the way home got caught in a really bad rainstorm.............motor never knew it was raining , but I sure did ! But, yes, louvers are going to cause you to maintain the motor a little more to keep dirt off and to keep things from rusting, especially your chrome goodies. But louvers sure look cool. Don
Are you talking about while the car is parked in the rain or while you are driving it in the rain? Two separate issues. I made a tray out of a cookie sheet (with very short sides) with a hole in the middle attached to a funnel that routed water down past the engine. I only have a small set of louvers that can be completely covered by a cookie tray. I also only use this on the rare occasions that the car must be left out in the rain (which is almost never). For use while driving, rear facing louvers (they are rear facing, correct?) should not collect much water while you're moving. If you do a lot of stop and go driving in the rain, then I would use that idea of the magnetic sheet available at any home store/hardware store.
If it looks like rain, duct tape them shut from the under side ! One time I was in my roadster & it was really hot, I duct taped the ones on top shut, to keep them from dumping more hot air into the cowl vent.
I am amazed at how many people think that if a drop of water hits their engine it will cause immediate and catastrophic failure! I get it everyday. I have been driving the Plymouth with it's hood punched full for 20 years and well over 200,000 miles in all weather from 122 degrees, to snow in Cleveland and back with nary a water related failure ever. That includes finding the normally dry Gila river one night during a monsoon storm at speed with water shooting back out of the louvers at me! The stick on sign material is really the best dodge you have in this circumstance. They are small and light and can be rolled up and slid under the seat to be pulled out when it rains... Simple.
Magnetic louvers....is that kinda like those magnetic "bullet holes" that were all the rage a few years ago?
When your engine is running along at 3,000 rpms in a downpour, it is like a huge vacuum cleaner, water IS going to go down the carb(s). But that still doesn't seem to be an issue because mine certainly has had it's full share of water sucked down it's throat over the years and it never caused any issues. Maybe it even steam cleans the inside of the cylinders a little. As I mentioned, in Florida we get SERIOUS rainstorms and I have driven in ones where I fully expected the engine to quit at any moment, but it never has happened. Don
Isnt pouring water down the carb a old trick to clean carbon out? Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
Yep ^^^ The idea behind keeping your engine dry is so that it does not water spot the chrome. I personally don't see the point but I don't own a show car and the few times I did show a car with chrome on the engine I just wipeed it off then I got where I was going. As has been mentioned a tray can be built that still lets air pass through the louvers. It has been discussed in thre past and is a viable solution. I had an A for a while when i was living in the north west rain forest that had a louvered hood ( no sides) louvered roof panel and deck lid. The only time it ever got wet inside was when it was parked, the rest of the time the louvers were busy pulling air out not in. I did manage to rangle an old tarp and throw it over it when I parked it for any length of time ( like over night or at work).
Lots of ifffen' here but , If you get a real good soaker rain on a ready to run but static engine with just the right circumstances and the wrong aircleaner it can fill a cylinder with water. But you'd need a center dished air cleaner to pull this trick off. Now I've never personally seen this happen on a driven vehicle but I've read stories about bent rods and hydra lock the next start up. A soaked distributor will not work, but I suppose the guys smart enough to run without hoods or louvers already have a marine cap.
Probably don't need the cooling effect when it's raining...in that case, the sheet of magnetic material makes the most sense. Take it off when sunny, put it on when raining, keep it under the seat...it obviously won't slide around.
had a 48 plym. in high school that i louverede the hood had the stock flathead 6 evertime it rained the plugs holes would fill with water and the car wouldn,t start i got a rubber sheet (the kind they used when kids wet the bed) and cover the motor at night when i park it well one day i was late for school and forget to take it off 4 blocks later i had black smoke coming out of the louvers and the smell of rubber burning and the fire dept. there tearing my car apart cause they thought it was a elec. fire lesson learned
2 of my friends here in south florida toasted there motors in the rain down here. one was driving his car with a low mounted ram air kit in the rain and blew his motor ,cost $17000 for a new one, . another one was a pantera with a 351 Cleveland rear window leaked right on top of air cleaner ad filled a cylinder with water. he tried to start it and blew a rod thry the pan.
f you knew how much water comes thru the radiator or off the road up the of sideof the block when you drive louvers would be the least of your worrys . I drove a old hendrickson semi with side hoods that were louvered and the top was louvered ( from the factory) and when it rained that fan sucked the water in and sprayed it down the sides of the hood making it humid as all daylights in the cab . and that old Hercules gas motor kept chugging along . wet cap and wires sparking away
Kudos to you fellas who don't mind taking the chance of filling your engine with water but I saw a guy start his hotrod in the morning at the hotel after an overnight rain preparing to head to the daily car show (Daytona Turkey Run) and blow a rod out of the side of the oil pan due to hydro-lock. Do a search on here for hydro lock for other horror stories. Since I saw that up close and personal, I always try to take precautions. Here's what I did on my 32 Ford coupe. It's hard to see that it's there when looking at the car, even closely. I think Don's Hot Rods can vouch for this as we know each other and he's seen my car a few times. Made this pan out of sheet metal... Mounted it between the radiator support rods... Not even visible unless you stick your head up in the engine compartment but keeps the aqua out. As my pal Don said, the rain storms come on fast, furious, and without warning in Florida and I'm not in any hurry to grenade an early Chrysler Hemi.
I remember seeing an ad years ago in Street Rodder for a product like this. I'm pretty sure they were something like a plastic tray with a spout and hose attached to direct the water away from the engine. I think they had magnetic strips to attach them to the underside of the hood. I always found that to be pretty funny since 99% of the stuff in Street Rodder is fiberglass.
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