Re: Roof scoop (was: Venting outside air over engine)

["therealdmcvegas" <DMCVegas@xxxx>]

--- In dmcnews@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, Jan van de Wouw <jvdwouw@xxxx> 
wrote:
<SNIP>
> IMHO it would look stupid, as the Saleen S7 was designed with
> the intake up on top, so it could be moulded to fit.
> On a DeLorean, unless you dis something to the doors too,
> it would allways look like a hump.
> At least then deciding on a name for your car is easy; "Quasimodo" :-D
<SNIP>

Hmm... "Quasimoto", that's a new one to me! While I don't 100% agree, that's 
pretty damn funny none the less! Reminds me of a conversation I had with a 
friend at work about the "eyebrows" on my warped front facia. Me: "Yeah, I am 
going to flaten it back to normal when I get the chance. But in the mean time, it 
kinda gives the car a "personality" of sorts." Friend: "Personality? You're car 
looks perpetually worried!" To this day, I've never looked at my car the same 
way...

If done properly, the scoop wouldn't really look that bad, if not any worse than 
the body kit some folks have installed in their cars (Note: this is indeed subject 
to one's own opinion, and not meant to be derogitory to anyone with the body 
kit, or roof scoop installed, or going to be installed). Lowering the rear portion 
of the T-Panel would aid in giving the scoop a larger intake area. And most of 
the plumbing would be hidden by the louvers. A low-profile intake scoop on 
the roof wouldn't look too bad. Which brings me to the next section.

However, the cons of a roof scoop convinced me long ago NOT to even 
bother considering installing one on my car.
1. The gullwing doors present quite a problem, as they take up most of the 
roof of the car. So simply lowering the T-Panel presents an unsightly gap 
problem that would need to be filled in. And since we're trying to keep the 
intake low profile, that means we either have to restrict the intake size (kills 
the intention of having the scoop altogether), make the scoop wider (that 
would look REALLY goofy), or move the scoop farther back, off of the roof 
itself. Astecticly, this isn't a problem, since the louvers would be modified to 
accept the protrusion. But modifying the louvers is a whole other topic here.

2. We can't go back too far on the louvers, because then this may interfere 
with the luggage rack. 

3. Louvers or not, there is nothing to bolt the plumbing for a roof scoope to, 
AND allow for reasonable sections of flexable pipe to isolate engine 
vibrations.

4. You can't drive in the rain with this type of assembly installed.


So in the end, (opinions about appearace aside), a roof scoop isn't the most 
feasable option available. The effort of it's construction far outweighs the 
merits of it's intended purpose, to bring in higher volumes of cool air. 
Especially with the option others have used to modify the side pontoon into an 
"air bath" for incomming air.







...But I still think that it could potentially look good!


-Robert
vin 6585 "X"