Nadine- UK I have a question

Tiepilot

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Nadine,

Would you please post the procedure you used to cut out the drivers side hood vent, and what you lined along the inside edge to prevent water from draining into the engine bay. :D

I can't find the post you put up some months ago.

Thank You

Chuck
 

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Chuck,
Get a 4" hole saw. Loosen the pilot bit in the hole saw so it just slides up and down. Place the hole saw flat against the hood to get the position you want. Press the pilot bit through the hole saw and twist the bit to scribe where to drill the pilot. Remove the hole saw from the hood and tighten the pilot bit in the saw. You now have the mark where you want to start drilling. After you are through the hood, stop before you go through the black "matting" on the underside of the hood. Use an exacto knife to carefully cut the black matting to match the hole.

I used black silicone in a tube (from Lowe's) to seal the exposed edge of the newly cut hood and the black matting. After it dries it looks great and creates a a nice barrier.

When I wash it, I stuff a small towel in the hole from under the hood to act as a water barrier so water doesn't get down on the engine.

Any other questions...send me a message or e-mail.

Don
 
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Tiepilot

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:) Thanks Don, you make it sound to easy!

I think Nadine added a collar of some sort that fit perfectly, I just can't remember what it was.


Thanks
 

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Yea, I've heard rubber tube from hardware store works. I got some and it wasn't wide enough to fit when you split it. I haven't gone back to get a larger one. If anyone knows a better way to make it look more custom...post it!
 

Nadine UK GTS

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I will try and get some pics taken later today, it was a black plastic flower *** I used of the right size, (about an inch of the open end)! I super glued it in and painted the outside part you see through the grill in body color. Its took the heat fine!

From memory; remove the grill 3 x screws. Cut the hole from the inside layers of the hood to out! First theres a black felt pad that is foil backed, this cuts with scissors. You'll see its a circle shape pressed into it, cut to the inner edge of this circle. Then I used a Dremel (electric hand-held high speed hobbies tool) with small cutting disc to cut through the fiberglass hard hood skin, this also has the shape / circle cut-out moulded into it. Cut well with in the circle, you will find it starts to cut into the hood top painted side. Better to cut way too small and then file out to size! Remove the hard skin circle, then cut through the outer layer. I used masking tape on the paint side, just thought it might stop the paint splintering on cutting, you can mark it also if need be. Then I ground it away back bit by bit to the circle I wanted to fit the ***-top up into snuggly. Used the Dremel sanding drums to do this with, (or you can get sanding drum attachments for electric drills). You could leave the hole with no ***-top, but I wanted a more finished factory look. I don't worry about rain going in, it only goes on the black metal bulk head part and runs off, and perhaps headers. Using the ***-top cuts the amount of water going in it, to chanel it through the OE drainage hole thats already there and directs it down in front of the headers.

Note, use a mask, googles, gloves when cutting / grinding, and put a cover over your engine bay, that dust is bad!

Good luck.
 

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Re rain probs, if you have a VEC2 it sits near the cut out hole, I put my VEC2 in a small plastic tuba-wear box to keep it bone dry, people always ask what's with the lunch box?!! But, you can't see it when the hoods down!
 

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I'm assuming you're wanting to cut the vent hole to help with footwell heat? Here is something that I tried that was a HUGE help for cabin heat, and was a lot less radical than cutting a hole in the hood. I wish I could take credit for the idea, but I saw it posted here a while back.

I simply removed the weatherstripping along the top of the hood where the hood meets up with the windshield cowl. I then mounted two 4" pieces of 5/16" fuel line at the angled hood area near the center of the hood (where the weatherstipping used to be) by drilling holes in the fuel rubber fuel line and used the original mounting tabs to keep the hood from rubbing on the cowl.

I found that the best way to remove the weatherstripping without tearing it, was to slip the weatherstripping off the mounting pins and then remove the plastic tabs individually. As I don't drive my RT in the rain, I can't comment on water getting into the engine compartment. When I wash the Viper, I put towel in the grove to keep out the excess water.

For me it definitely was a huge improvement! If interested, I could post pics latter. Good Luck!
 

BruceW

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Does the weatherstripping help to support the hood? That is, if you remove it do you notice any rattling or vibration because of that lack of contact?
 

ROCKET62

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BruceW,

I'll try to post pics latter, but I added the two 4" pieces of fuel line to keep the hood from rubbing or rattling. I do think that you can hear more engine noise though - which would seem to prove that weatherstripping was sealing off the engine bay. Again, it's been a huge improvement for me and it's such an easy thing to try - only cost me about $1 for the 5/16" fuel line and took about 45 minutes to do.
 

Nadine UK GTS

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Here they are, the requested pics. For air (from rad / motor etc) to flow good it has to go some where! So any more out places, I figured had to help get the heat out, hot hair rises, and this holes right above the left header pipes too. I can see the heat haze from the hole when idling. Besides I like a functional 'speaker grill'.
370hh4.jpg

370hh3.jpg

grill off (dirty under there) to show hole and flower-***!
370hh1.jpg

The valve cover is not below the new hole, its just the angle the pics took; see the OE water collection drain hole (and also in the previous pic of the under hood).
370hh2.jpg

And now for a full pic (rather than just hood bits) of the love of my life, who I can't keep my hands off!
370naughty.jpg

Go forth and modify!
 

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