need ideas for hood vents on the cheap that look good on an e30

for the e30

the car is going to rallycross, in the dusty summer heat, idling alot and sitting around. I want to keep the engine bay as cool as possible while keeping the hood down, and also want to get some exit route for air to reduce front-end lift at highway speeds, especially since this is already a light car and its getting lighter all the time....and it sits up high on tall springs.

the simple/cheap way is just to get some random pep boys vents or home depot vents and cut the hood and bolt them on. Sure.

the awesome/expensive way is to get some high-end motorsports vents or other type of custom install.

I want the cheap way that will also look good. Because even though this is a budget beater rallycross car, I still want it to look good, lol. I'm vain like that.

Ideally, something like the hood vents from a GC impreza is the look (and functionality) I prefer, but the profile of those won't quite work with the e30 hood I don't think.

So....any suggestions? Pics encouraged....links encouraged....where to get said suggestion encouraged.

GO!

Something like this is popular. That would be good for you.

I don't see how ventilating my outer fender would help, lol....

also I'm pretty sure those are the stick-on fake vents that every busted-up civic with an unpainted body kit uses around here, haha...

thinking more like the hood-top vents on a GC impreza 2.5RS

like the ones at the top of this pic

another pic of similar. Not the hood scoop....note the hood vents

Louvers strike me as your best bet.

These were posted a few days back, for sale by Flyin Miata:

$29.95 each

Find an old Nissan/Datsun 280Z in the boneyard and snag the hood vents out of that. They look fine in anything, and you can probably get them for $2.99 a piece.

Example:

Grand Prix GTPs and Lumina Z34s of the same vintage have some pretty nice factory louvers.

cut out the louvers from a school locker?

Used MINI S hood intake vents. Add until satisfied.

Speed holes?

oldtin wrote: cut out the louvers from a school locker?

+100!!!!

If I had found some of those I would be putting sides on the engine bay of my datsun replica

How about the hood vents that were used on e28 5 series cars? They're factory and should be easy to find.

http://www.hoodlouvers.com/index.html

For road racing we cut off the metal gasket lip at the rear of the hood and remove the gasket (but maintain the gap) to let air exit into the low pressure area just in front of the windshield.

I thought that was a highpressure area, what is why most Automotive HVAC and the shaker/cowl induction was taken from infront of the windsheild?

What about getting the hood louvered hot rod style? Probably not cheap, though.

Yugos had a cool lil off centered/asymmetrical hood scoop...I always thought it looked cool...

which is actually the intake for the heater.

Found this.. this is interesting. An E36 with the smaller grills from a Saab 9-5 molded into the hood for venting.

If you want asymetrical vents.. I have a beaten up Saab C900 hood with some vents I could cut out of it.

Go to Home Depot and pick out a heating vent cover.

Plenty of junkyard options... I've got several sets on the shelves. I installed 80s Sunbird Turbo vents on my XR:

GM cars had a bunch of excellent options... '79 Camaro Z28 fender vents, Lunina z34 hood vents, Pontiac GTP hood vents. I've got sets of each... $15-20 per set from most pull-a-part yards.

The other option (and my plan for the next hood I find) is punched louvers. There was a guy in Bremerton WA that would punch a hood full of louvers for cheap (like $100 for a crap load of louvers)... I think the business name is "Punch-a-bunch Louvers" actually. Just a thought.

awesome suggestions all....gave me some better ideas. As well as good ideas for locations, etc. Thanks!

I actually had been wondering how much it would be to get some louvers cut (ala the louvers all over the hood of my GT6), but I'm sure it costs more than it's worth.

HD heading vents......I know another e30 rallycrosser that uses them, but that just looks TOO ghetto, haha....

I like the mcmaster-carr link. Didn't knwo they sold that stuff but cutting and back setting the mesh might be the way to go, I think.

I did the mesh thing on the sides of the Abomination's bonnet in about the same place as the GT6 louvers but I used expanded metal, welded it on from the back side and painted it to match.

carguy123 wrote:

I'm surprised with how good that turned out.

Heads out to pop the hood