Model A job

[idrivejunk]

jaybee- I'm gonna lay it up there and just see, first thing. If I remember to bring it, that is. Even it is a bit long and flat but if it were partially submerged to the right degree... boy I am curious. Already pulled up a pic and tried to get a hint. Proportion too difficult to estimate with any accuracy, so I'll have to dream it or wait til morning. Was planning to try to figure out the hood n rad tomorrow anyway.

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I hesitate once again, to do any trimming of the hood sides just yet. Fearing potential accessory drive conflict additions and wanting to place the blisters symmetrically and oriented optimally. I may trim back the step around the holes where it hits and tack the blisters on tenatively if I get the hood fit back. Theres actually some trimming of casting corners (valve covers) to be done as well.

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KB- If they were chrome with wing nuts, they'd read as air cleaners. Maybe? They might be a good spot for coyote 5.0 emblems too, body color or not. OR... theres accent colors too. Re-hmm. Opens up a few idea paths, don't it?

I thought seriously about putting a deep horizontal straight line step along the blisters, 30-40% of the total height away from the top. That fades away at the ends. Just as character, semi-mocking the side bead at A post. Then I thought about a J or L shape to that. Then a flat teardrop in center of blister. But man... Dad sure liked the look of them just teton-shaped. As-is.

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enjenjo- Deja vu a little, we must have spoken of this before. Perfect mind-meld of Pontiac treachery slipping in there un-noticed. I like it. Some pics make me think naaaw. Some make me think maybe heck yes. Looks abrupt and tall in some, others not. Looks like aftermarket makes three heights, might be glas tho.

Its a shame the beads are innies, with the roof being outies. But maybe that would play. I haven't compared profiles of the reversed goat scoop's slope at inlet with the near upright slant cut of the SD unit. I predict that the profile, with the visor right there, might swing it one way or the other, or at least be two very different looks. The smooth lump seems more modern muscley while the SD looks more beligerent.

That brand association is a priceless pun in any event.

Now if I had one to try...

I really should put the skids to scoop er, extractor talk but if the heat subject arises naturally, before or after hitting the streets... I can jam a foot in the door and baffle all parties with how much thought has already been given.

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Craving a bit more input on shaky blisters. How many among you would, seeing that at a show, say to yourselves its a cop-out to evade welding?

Trying to decide if the small novelty factor plus giant labor simplification outweighs the potential for that. Things that might be factors are the engine probably won't shake enough to be noticed at idle and say you wanna show with hood open... do you want the blister there? Do you use it to hide ugly and have it be a rectangle cover with blister or do you want to quickly detach and chunk into trunk?

etc, lol. I can forget all this now and get good shuteye then re-read in the AM to find my place. Say what you think if you have thoughts please. Whenever that may be. I'm as curious where this will lead as anybody might be.

[idrivejunk]

Yep, nope. I've wasted your time and mine again.

No cooling issues anticipated. Left the goat scoop at home anyway.

Heres a couple pics to make it worth your click. I am up front and finding things I spent lots of time on destroyed and discarded and no finished anything. I feel ready to hear some explanations. Meanwhile, the ugliest hood latch type known to man is being installed on the 51 job. I threw out all the junk from that today then knocked rust off new hood and related pieces on the A. Aside from maybe tacking on the blisters to get them off the floor, I am at a loss as to what to do. Theres candy and magazines, bondo / metal dust piles, and probably dog turds inside it with parts and fasteners mixed in. Maybe I should clean that out too. A guy just can't care, but I do.





I asked where the other half of the fender brackets were. I got Matt I don't just take things off to take them off. And shown the slice of phone pole that has been getting worked into something to hammer form blisters on. Don't know what to think or say but I do feel villainized. Had some info from Firebird guy visit other day, boss didn't want it. Blew me off a couple days so far on that but handed me a paycheck. Wish I knew what to tackle. Explaining why I don't would only generate frowns all around. :?  Confused again.

[idrivejunk]

[kb426]

You made a good point about the shaking blisters, better to be mounted on the hood. I'm a naca duct fan. I'd be tempted to have one per side above and behind the hood blister on the side panel. I can't imagine the owner would be too excited about that. In the smoothy look, many cars had solid panels and no vents. I never talked to an owner to see if heating was a problem. Maybe we're overthinking something.

[jaybee]

Remarkable how much it changes the mood of the car just to have the blisters hung on for a look as opposed to the valve cover cut outs.

[idrivejunk]

Yeah them holes was coyote ugly. Get this:

The actual desire, told to me only after presenting a done money shot:

Is to not only be able to run with or without hood sides, but to also be able to run hood sides with openings where the blisters are. Put that in your pipes and smoke em.  

[idrivejunk]

Thats removable hood side panels with removable blisters. OK?

So if the blisters are removable and sit inside the panel, what is your preferred material to make them from?

steel

aluminum

fiberglass

Please consider the part location and factors it presents such as wind and heat, and the coatings. Disregard attachment, design, and construction but do consider actual gusty 90°F August interstate high noon 100 mph+ to pass a line of semis usage assuming one wing nut to be all there is. In this theory, hood side panels attach only with down-peg-in-hole at the four corners and are held down by the closed hood top panel.

:?:    Go.  

Thanx  );b(

[chimp koose]

Gorilla tape ! That s#@$ will hold anything ! Seriously , has anyone thought of putting rear facing holes matching the shape of the tail light masterpieces in the trailing edge of the blisters with possibly 36 ford horn covers as the "screens"? Good luck with the making them removable business . Not impossible , but I hope no one complains about the time it takes to figure that one out . Now might be the time to look in an industrial catalogue in the camlock/panel fastener section .

[idrivejunk]

Gorilla tape ! That s#@$ will hold anything ! Seriously , has anyone thought of putting rear facing holes matching the shape of the tail light masterpieces in the trailing edge of the blisters with possibly 36 ford horn covers as the "screens"? Good luck with the making them removable business . Not impossible , but I hope no one complains about the time it takes to figure that one out . Now might be the time to look in an industrial catalogue in the camlock/panel fastener section .

I can't say anyone has. Can't say anyone has a material preference either. I am just going to drill a hole at each end of blister and weld studs on squares then squares to skin. Done. To heck with a folded edge at the opening or any other embellishments.

I thought he meant wanting to be able to walk up to car grab blister and yank off so first idea was magnets. Boss and I were txting about it and he suddenly went dark. Fugifino what to do, not my junk. Hack out the hood sides with a pen knife? Throw crap together in 15 minutes that will be easy to yank and dispose of ? Then take off and get somebody else to clock me out? Yeah, thats the ticket. Only fools work five days a week anyhow.

[jaybee]

With our without hood sides, with our without blisters? That's...a lot.

[idrivejunk]

With our without hood sides, with our without blisters? That's...a lot.

No explanation. Blisters 6" wide and 18" long, made of 16 ga, that are 3 1/4" deep cost $45.

I didn't go in yesterday and the silence continues.

(three paragraphs backspaced here. Its not noon yet.)  

I was thinking fiberglass might be less likely to cause rust or rattle or remove fingerprints when touched. Some Pla-Doh on the existing blisters for added height would be a cinch. I made some hood hinge covers for the 73 TA clone real quick by just making a cardboard part, taping over it, fiberglassing over that then just scraping out the cardboard and sanding the tape off. Sand outside, hose with spray paint sans primer and within a couple hours they were on a six figure car loading up for a trip to Vegas. Whats the big deal? Clueless is mine. More info needed.

[idrivejunk]

More info needed, I guess, so I'll stop trying. I came to one conclusion that seems logical although again, its before lunch:

The removable blister is a no-go because if you take it off, the exposed area is unsightly.

It will not show any showy engine parts nor does it provide any identity. Doesn't show blower or headers or even valve cover script. It would just be ugly.

Even if a guy went with the $1,300 billet valve covers. Plus, a weak point exists where the top edge is notched at the front hinges where I anticipate bending will occur with an enlarged and unsupported hole.

So after much thought, this came to mind. A ventilated straight flat on bottom and a long flat indent sized to accept cut out scripts from a $60 pair (new) of bare black plastic OE coil covers. It brings the key identifying element out where you can read it plus provides almost hidden ventilation between header and blower, in the path of heat, while preserving the visual flow of the blister shape.



Thats the bottom. See the half moon cut-and-bends? The script is facing upward at about flathead angle and the blister's top line blends in at or ahead of back edge of nameplate while the bottom line extends past.





That shape would not easily translate in a single drawing or pic edit so I took a stab in clay, rough-guessing the angles.

A: Does the model get the point across?

B: Any takers on the look?

PS I do have both actual drawing and edited photo images started. When I went to make one with the blister off, the internal "No!" alarm rang so I shifted to considering alternatives to present. Could you picture the "blister-off" look or do you think I'll need an image to prove that point?

Anticipating no answers but sometimes you guys suprise me.

[kb426]

I like the concept. And it's different.

[chimp koose]

Different in a good way . So you would provide venting on the under side of the blister?

[idrivejunk]

Ah, whew. Cool, good. Thanks.  Yes. Just curved cuts with the tab pushed up like a thumbnail cut through but with the bend straight.

A far-from-optimal, token venting gesture. But above exhaust and below blower. I had to focus intently for way longer than I like, swatting away tangents and entangling creative notions to boil it all down. Like with cajun cooking, first you gotta make a roux.

I will suggest that the amicable solution here is to make hood sides our hero won't want to remove. That won't cause problems or add tremendous labor.

Having the clay model did help me a little just visually. Accuracy is kinda out the window without being at the car and home at the same time, but I came up with these. This top one shows my piece optimally welded in.The bottom depicts a more spacious aftermarket blister attached to studs inside the panel.



This top one is with trimmed and inset section from stock coil cover. Bottom is if a guy wanted something a little more threatening and mysterious. I suppose there could be a 5.0 emblem incorporated but the idea would be to mock the font found on the stock cover.



You can see how you can't see    much down in all that shadow. In any lighting. So the vents are almost a free ride, having a low visual penalty. South and SE of the nameplate, the blister is flat but honors the blister outline. This creates a longer tail below the script and gives a nifty dramatic shape and shadow that has arguably better flow with the fender than a plain blister. The top rear corner of the nameplate would almost need to dig into the plane of the hood but I'll have to be playing with the real stuff to define it more accurately than these have.

I think I could pull it off on a good concentration day.

Also think I more than put my hours in. I was tough hours in this before realizing that putting color on would require a masterpiece level effort and for naught. The above images are the potentially useful ones, this is a bust. Don't know if you can tell how hard it is to shiny paint one from scratch.



Showed all that and nary a sketch among em. But theres also sketch and abandoned pen-n-ink version. Be glad you are you.