Cowl vent install Q.

[C9]

The post on hood latches for a two-piece Deuce hood got me to thinking about my 31.

I should have my new shop up and running in a couple of weeks and can get back to working on my 31 on 32 rails roadster.

One of the plans for it is to install a cowl vent in the cowl of the vent-less, no gotta gas tank now cowl.

A little backwards from the guys who remove and fill the vents, but I've found the cowl vents to help a lot in keeping cockpit temps down. At highway speed anyway. At city speeds my 32's louvered hood dumps hot air right down the vent. A whole other story there.

So, aside from finding a vent - and I did see the Brookville one in the catalog, but it's a tad high for my budget right now - my question pertains to bodywork.

Regardless of the vent I get I do plan to cut it out of the cowl with as large a border of body sheet metal that I can get.

Would it be better to trim the flat sheet metal area about 1" or so away from the corner where the metal turns down to make a well and cut the body cowl metal to match and do the many tacks and not weld too fast bit or . . . cut the vent sheet metal as close to the turn down area I can and of course cut the cowl vent sheet metal to match.
Seems like the latter method would create less warpage.

Comments anyone?

And maybe some thoughts on alternate vents I could use?
I don't want to get too large, but some of the foreign mini-trucks with cowl vents I've seeen, it looks like the truck vent could be narrowed to be more in line with the size of a 32 vent.

[cleatus]

I think if you try to weld too close to the turned down edge, that it will effect the accuracy of that edge which would be much harder to get straight again than the flatter area would.

I would go out about 1-1/2 inches and use panel clamps to set it all in there then do like you say and just weld small areas. Move around alot, let it cool, be patient and keep tapping it back striaght as you go - while it's still good and hot the metal will move real easy.

Flat area = easy to straighten.
Curved area = bitch to straighten.

[alchemy]

I agree, give about a inch and a half border around the vent. Easier to hammer and weld out there.

My bro used a vent out of a Studebaker (early 30's?) in his 29 Model A coupe. He turned it backwards too, I think, to open towards the windshield. Keep an eye open for one of those orphan cowls that always seem to be floating around.


- alchemy