Fallchild000

I am sure like many people on this board who have after market Ram Air hoods, you have once thought about how to get more air through that sharp "S" rain baffle...but of course there lies the problem if you can get more air past you also get more water. Now like most people with WS6/Firehawk Hoods, I have used a dremel and cut about an inch and a half off of the rear baffle, though I havent messed with that front one.
I was thinking back to my '84 Trans Am with the Functional Cowl Hood, that had a little solenoid that opened and closed the scoop depending on how much throttle I was giving it. I believe similiar types of flaps and solenoids were used on 2nd Gen Camaros, and on certain years of Chevelles Even.
So what was I wondering is if it would be possible to set up a system like that on a WS6 hood. You could just use a dremel to remove all the original baffling. And use the left over pieces of fiberglass or you could use some flashing or plastic. Set it up with a solenoid like a flap to open and close depnding on your engine speed. But it would react just like my throttle body, so under idle or low rpms the flat would be pretty much closed, but of Course once I floored it it would open to reveal an actual 100% ram air system.
I figure it would also be rain safe, because if infact you did get caught in a fat shower, you could just kind of drive your car VERY nicely and slow, sure it would **** off people behind you, but it would block out the majority of the rain. I know for a fact some rain does get by the stock baffles anyway.
Also to help seal it, use little rubber ends. I hunted around abit to see what I could use at home, and rubber squeegie (sp?) ends would be perfect!
I also know that I would need a pretty small and light weight solenoid, for sure the one from my '84 was Way to big and heavy, it was like 3 inches long by about 2 wide, and weighed a few pounds.
It wouldn't have to be as wide nor long as the actual baffles, i was actually also thinking instead of cutting out all the baffles, just triming down the back one, and cutting out like a 1 inch X 10 inch section, and just having that actual section be the piece that opens and closes...which means it could retain the stock S baffles, because the open/close section would be above the back part of the S. I know my words are hard to explain.
I think the second idea is better, just to take out a small section of the front baffle, I wish I could load these pictures!

I have a crappy picture to show exactly what I mean, but cardomain isnt letting me load it up.

Thanks! Any Ideas or help!!!? I'de like help on how to do it for my car, but if others are interested I would happy to create some for them.
Nathan

Fallchild000

I finally loaded the pictures and here they are:


Drawing 1

Drawing 2

Though I realized, I am making this way to hard. I could just use hinges. Hinge it on the bottom and just fold it down when I want it open, and when I want it closed just put it back up and secure it with little tabs.

Nathan

ZRAPTOR

Classic Industries makes a replacement kit for the older cars like what you are talking about.You might want to contact them and see if that kit is what you are looking for.

www.classicindustries.com

97FormulaWS-6

For trick factor that may be cool...

But if you're going to remove the front baffle, my main suggestion is just to not drive the car in the rain.

And even if you do drive it in the rain make sure you have a K&N filter....

Actually the day I completely debaffled mine I had to drive it home and it was raining... I really didn't have any adverse effects from the rain.

I wouldn't run a vacuum selnoid though, I'd just use a simple switched servo circuit and a RC servo. Cost maybe $30 in parts not including the hinge and plastic.

Butch 02 SS

My previous car was a 99 WS6. I removed both baffles within the first 5K. I drove the car daily up until 63K. I never had a rain problem and I had been in some real bad rain storms. I never worried about it.

I think that would be a "trick" idea but I am not sure that it is needed.

Fallchild000

Thanks for your replies! So some of you have completely removed the Rain Baffles? I would be a little bit scared to go that far, Texas gets CRAZY weather it often rains terribly for days and days.

This is "Injuneers" Altered Hood, I thought it was awesome, I would love to go this far, but I dont think i'de be able to drive it all the time.
Injuneer's Hood

The reason I am thinking up these huge schemes is just so I could retain full daily-driveability. I also realized I was WAY over thinking it with the solenoids and such, so if I will do this I would definately do it with hinges. I'de also line all the seems with Rubber, just to kind of seal. Its hard to describe the tabs I am talking about it to hold it closed, but imagine like the same type of tabs on picture frames, you just kind of turn them down. I figure I would mostly always leave it open, and try to keep my car out of heavy rain but if worst came to worst I would just simply pull over and close the flap.

This May be a RETARDED question/comment...but I thought Rain was VERY bad for combustion motors.....things like "hydro-lock" come to mind...i certaintely dont want that to happen. What kind of things can happen with Rain? Thats my whole reasoning for not just cutting out all the baffles is that I do not want to screw up my motor. I do have a K&N filter though, I am not sure why that would help block rain though.
Though I think back back to Classic Muscle Cars, and almost all of them had completely functional open hood scoops that were completely open...I wonder how they managed.

Thanks For your help!
Nathan

jg95z28

Even the original '69 Z/28 cowl induction set-up had solenoid controlled flaps. Actually so did the 1980-81 Z/28. Perhaps the reason they sucked less water is because they were reveresed and actually caught the air off the whindshield glass and cowl areas. As it was basically a bolt on scoop, the 1980-81 Z/28 cowl induction setup could conceivably be set-up on any flat hood, the only trick would be figuring how to rig the solenoid to open on full throttle on an EFI car (the earlier versions were all carbuerated). I know that doesn't exactly answer your question, but perhaps the 80-81 cowl pieces will be cheaper to retrofit into your setup and more readily available. (Time to hit the junkyards.)

Best of luck, and keep us posted.