Hot Rods Hood scoops on street cars

Water and debris could enter if the louvers are facing forward, not enough to hurt anything IMO. Rear facing louvers would do more to let air out.
Opinion: Proportionate scoops on street cars are cool if they actually function. A Grump Lump better have a tunnel ram under it. Snorkels and the rest of the '70s Unlimited Products 'glass scoops belong to that era.
Custom guys sometimes have a small scoop on each side of the hood's main bulge.
Something like this:

OK how do these little scoops work out on a street car? do they let in a bunch of water/debris?[/QUOTE]

 

I like functionality mostly. A well working solution looks good just being that, it doesn't pretend to be something it isn't.

Then there's the non functional design elements. They may look good, they may be horrible. Sometimes you need some kind of design to fill a big "empty space", a scoop might do the job, just like something painted might. You need something there, you use a scoop, some paintwork or whatever, in a way that would make even non functional scoops doing a job.

Lastly, there's the counter productive items. Those may be louvres supposed to let air out, but placed in a high pressure zone of stagnant air (near the windshield for example) so air is actually forced in through them, louvres facing forward to pull moving air in (basically, they don't do that, they only like to use air moving past one side to pull air out through them), trying to scoop air in from a low pressure zone, and many other design mistakes that a little research & knowlege of aerodynamics would have prevented. These are the ones that make me laugh.

 

I'm torn on the idea of a hood scoop. It was part of the "look" on cars as I was growing up and I have used them in the past on off topic cars.

I really like the Ford truck/Pontiac Super Duty scoops and have been casually looking for one but everyone that is selling one is either smoking crack or thinks that they are made out of solid gold

 

Mine is totally functional. I needed a little more room for the air cleaner with the carb spacer. The holes have mesh screen, it definitely lets some colder air in.

 

Here's a couple of Mopars I think look really good with scoops.
Both 65's.

 

I currently run a Shelby style glass scoop molded on to a glass hood. An air cleaner box that seals to the bottom of the hood makes it functional although I suspect that as speed picks up the front of the hood deflects air over it. I'm going full time street soon, so this hood will come off and a steel hood without a scoop will go on.

 

I think the original Mopar and Pontiac Super Duty scoops look the best as they are not that obtrusive.

 

Sorry man, but those louvers ruined a beautifully shaped hood. Look at that top pic, that could be a smooth, beautiful surface.

 

[/QUOTE]
EWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!

 

I expect a lot of people shook their heads when Jenkins showed up with his Camaro with the "Grump Lump" hood scoop too, had to have been about 1968.
About 1971 with the help of an older friend, I made mine while a jr in high school, bought a fiberglass scoop at Exhaust Specialties our local speed shop and carefully taped it up and repopped one off of it, then returned the scoop for a full refund.
I cut the opening, riveted it on, finished it with glass and bondo, then primed it and flamed it myself.

 

To me, scoops look best on flat hoods, like from about 1960 on. Never really cared for them on hoods that have rounded sides or the fenders are rounded. An exception to that is the chrome or polished scoop poking through the hood, sitting on a blower or a pair of Holley's.
The flat hoods carry it off better, it tends to break up all that flat surface like on the red Dodge above. Even the lowly Camaro cowl scoop can look good on some cars besides a Camaro if the hood is mostly flat, and the scoop isn't very tall.

 

Ginger/Maryanne. Opinions will vary, but there's a lot of louver lovers around here!
Maryanne, BTW.

 

Some things just look right.

 

as long as your willing to make it functional and drive it in the rain, it's cool

 

I love louvers, but just like anything else, they can be overdone.

 

I love louvers too, in the right place and the right car. That aint one of them....

 

Is this one functional. Almost made the cutoff. Lolhttps://portland.craigslist.org/mlt/cto/d/1971-honda-600-coupe-microcar/6697899192.html

 

Several of the early 60's tri five gassers used hood scoops made from newspaper boxes. And not in the supercharged class either. Put more air in the carbs or injectors I guess or because it looked cool.

 

there are still a bunch of newspaper boxes on cars....

 

I have to stick my tongue out on that one. Maybe it's a sleeper

 

Ive always heard the saying "That car will really pack the mail"meaning its fast,...Maybe thats where that saying came from???

 

If a scoop or louver dose not add style or function to your build, you did it wrong! Growing up 18 miles from Union Grove Dragaway in the mid 60s through the 70s I was always inspired by drag car styling. I saw every kind of scoop on every kind of car . Some worked and others did not. The lines of the car and the scoop need to blend together. And if your not going to make it functionable , either to add air to the engine or as I have in a number of builds to help vent air through the engine compartment to aid in cooling, I would see no reason to add one. I built a !956 Studebaker Hawk and a 54 Merc and in both cases made the factory scoops functionable. Same thing with a number of mid 60,s muscle cars. My Merc's hood is louvered and even though they supply fresh air to the carb, the main function is to vent heat from under the hood. A built big block Ford will warm it up pretty good under there lol Larry

larry 014 by 0NE BAD 51 MERC posted Jan 31, 2011 at 10:44 PM

 

Clay Allens' "Priscilla" at Woodburn Dragstrip.

 

Mmmmmm maybe the newspaper box helps add lift ?

 

Saw one like the Coronet the other day, had the rumble too, Made my giddy-up, giddy-up! Would I put it on another car, maybe if it was needed.
This one isn't really a scoop, but more of a "power bulge" and yes it is needed because of an engine swap.
(Note to the Hamb police, these came out in '62)

 

No scoops. Just 3 chrome-plated velocity stacks in a row from Warshawsky's glued to the hood of a 55 plymouth savoy. Mmmmm. Those were the days. Jack E/NJ

 

I lean towards if you like the look keep it on, different strokes different folks

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It's functional and been driven in the rain, just need to go easy on the right foot when the pavement is wet.

 

Hood scoop with no cut out means either cosmetic(hide something bad/damage underneath), appearance, wannabe's also known as poser's.

Hood scoop with hood opening then can still be for appearance, clearance issues or truly needed for extra air intake. if not needed yet, maybe they are intending an engine swap in the future, just not there yet.

Me, I am on the fence about them if not needed. Some cars do look better with a scoop others not. Depends on how they are done with the rest of the cars designed by the owner, does it fit the theme? Just like lake pipes to me. Many here don't like them if they are used just for show but me I like them on the right car, I have a triple set going on my 49 Packard hearse. Yes I know I am not normal.

About corvette summer. I came close to buying it. I was set to buy it but then a house I was flipping deal came to an end right before the closing date and by the time I came up with a new buyer the car was gone. Learn by mistake years ago, have cash in hand before buying something and glad I waited this time. Not glad I missed the car but glad I bypassed the money issue. I am like that, always have my next project or toy picked out for when I get cash profits in hand, it never stays in my palm for long. sometimes it works out and sometimes not . YES, I know I am not normal.

 

I got caught out with the hood OFF when I was doing the scoop... a real Hollywood rain storm. I was happy to get it home.