what is the correct time period for louvers? almost seems to be all over the place... for a drag style car, what would be correct? to me, they look mean regardless.. but seems like a LOT of 40s early 50s style cars had em in the lil books, and not so much after that... although it pops up here and there.. what do ya think?
I think most louvered deck lids were used on lakes cars originally--so maybe spaned 40's to the early 60's--that's kinda what I found out while researching the build on my 29 roadster--I was shooting for late 50's--early 60's,and saw lots of them at El Mirage and Bonneville when I was there.
other thoughts? im tryin to see if it will fit in well with my early 60s drag theme... im thinking only partially louvered, more of a design than just a straight panel full of them
I would think not many drag type cars would have louvers....on the deck lid anyway, as many guys had some kind of writing/graphics on the back.....sponser names, car club name, multicolored paint, stripes, etc.....lettering and masking louvers is a bitch..... Just my thoughts on it...
Louvers were being used even on mid 30's European cars such as Auto Union type D's as well as many others. I was used on the lakes to allow better breathing as well as to untrap air under the deck lid which is why so many were doing it as you seen in the Little Books. As far as not seeing it much after, I guess that would be a smart assumtion to say that the painting took precedence.
My dad would tell me stories of back in the 50's they would go to the local high school and steal the locker doors, cut em up and weld the louvered part to their cars?
I asked this question the other day and could not come up with an answer. Why don't Hot rods punch the louvers inside out like on the Early European Bugattis Auto Unions and Early Miller Type cars. They are the ones that looks like shark gills? I was thinking about trying this on my coupe but I am not sure since it may be out of place. Is there a reason one would choose one over the other?
The you would think that they would have shown up on Belly Tanker/Lakesters/Streamliners right? The only thing that I could come up with is that it actually would trap air more then extroverted Louvers in the Deck lid. But the front, I am still puzzled.
On a tanker the area to louver is way to round, impossible to punch without distorting the shape. I have the inverted style louver on my ElCo, more for looks. Old theory on the inverted louver, it would let trapped air escape, as the air passed over the area in would actually suck the air out. Kinda like a vortex?
Look at the Louvers pressed into the body of that Auto Union car that I posted. That center section is almost as round as a tank and the press on them is perfect. Are you saying that with the resources available Hot rodders did not do it? I guess I could see that. They certainly did not have the resources and money that Auto Union did. But that is a cool bit of information about the vortex that inverted louvers create.
I talked to an old guy--in his late 80's now--he said when he got louvers done--"vents"--everybody had them "cut and formed"--meaning a sheet metal shop cut the metal and roller the "vent " in a roller-type die,I'm sure some sheet metal guys on here know better than I do. So, "louvers" could be however long you wanted them--he said lots of guys had them cut in graduations:each line a little longer than the next.He said punching louvers came about when the building industry started it for heating vents--way cheaper to do.
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