Hot Rods Louvred Trunk-lids...Why?

This is sort of like the discussion I have with my wife on occasion. She will say why does anybody need 500 HP in a street driven car! My reply is it isn't a question of need really! I personally like the look of louvers on the hood and trunk lid and other areas if so chosen. Just another way to individualize your car, aside from the race application.

 

Oops! Spelling error. Corrected now but somehow I have a big black dot at the beginning of the particular post which I don’t know what it’s supposed to mean. I do know that when a pirate got a black spot he was marked for death and that there is the potential for blacklisting... well have to wait and se...

 

Racecar s*** has always made its way onto the street. Simple as that. Louvers are a part of both.

 

Out, damned spot; out, I say. One, two,—why, then 'tis time to do't. Hell is murky. Fie, my lord, fie, a soldier and afeard? Quote attributed to Lady MacBeth

At least it is not the imaginary blood seen on her hands. HRP

 

Nice quote! Do you think Lady Mc or Billy Shakes are on the HAMB. LOL

 

You think with a user name like Daveyjonez, I’m not intimately familiar with Disneyland?? Shiit.

 

A towel and some careful hose control works fine for a wash.

 

?

 

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  If you look above the reply box, you just happened to punch one of the “format” tabs Only happens to me when on my phone, Ye olde finger thing
  

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QUOTE="Fortunateson, post: 14252106, member: 276479"]I have a question that may be open to debate which is OK as long as it’s civil.

So let’s dive in... what is the point of punching louvers in the trunk lid? Hoods I get for cooling purposes but trunk lids? I understand in a race car as it would allow air to escape the cabin but non race cars? All I see is a great way for water to enter and perhaps stay there...

So let’s hear the comments guys and perhaps you can change my point of view![/QUOTE]





Hello,

That is a nice question for everyone. Louvers had some definition and purpose on those race cars. But, if anyone looked at wind tunnel results, those cause a lot of turbulence that may not be the best for top speeds. Who is to refute the myriad of louvers punched into race cars at the salt flats and dry lakes in the early days?

These louvers did have some purpose. When my wife and I bought the 1940 Ford Sedan Delivery with the 327 motor, we knew it looked good, but that it was going to be a running project to get it where we wanted it. Once started, it took many months of inactivity for repairs and replacements to get it right for safety for daily driving.

Purposeful, looked cool, but somewhat of a pain in the wet seasons and car washing.

There were already rows of louvers on the hood, which to me served a purpose. The 327 looked tight in the compartment. Plus, the added accessories and standard heat had to go somewhere. On cold morning runs to the beach for our surf adventures, the coastal weather usually meant that steam or heat waves would rise out of those open hood louvers.

That was cool, but during the rainy season, water and generally, stuff got into the motor compartment anytime. Dust, leaves, road crap, anything that could be pushed up into the air and then blown into those rows made the motor area messy. Washing the sedan delivery was always hand washing, but extra hand washing detail work on the hood, with no hose spray in that direction.

Jnaki

The louvers on the race car trunks or rear of the sedans looked great. The Altered Race Cars with little to no firewall had a flow of air rushing out of the back. But, again, for long distance races, possible turbulence would negate any supposed advantages. For a 10 second run in the quarter, not much was going to hinder the times, although no one ever did studies on wind turbulence caused by the deck louvers or rear panel louvers. Food for thought.

For us, the look of the louvers was not going to be on our next hot rod, in any place. But that is because of our experiences with our own sedan delivery hood.

On the other side of the picture, why Appletons? They are technically add on, off road lights now. They have to have their own on/off switch to be legal. They cannot be used on daily surface streets at any time. Looks? Sure, old style for sure, but just something else to divert the wind and causing turbulence, when going down the roadways on long cruises.

Then again, why have a hot rod that has a fake blower scoop to make people think it is a 671+ injection on the motor? People have the strangest ideas for their own builds. YRMV

 

They sure look cool to me, but seems like it'd pretty much limit your use of the car to sunny days, unless you want your groceries or luggage getting soggy...

 

2 reasons for most of us reason #1 is that they look cool.
reason #2 is a form follows function deal, its to let the air out. Some really go fast cars don't have a trunk floor.

 

Did you skip Hot Rod #101?

 

To go w/a XL order of Green Eggs & GAMB?

 

I've always wondered if streetrods, hotrods daily driven on the street, had a drainage system worked into the inner panel of a trunk with louvers to shroud water away from their can of wax ?

 

If deck lid louvers bother people, then these ought to really upset them!

 

They upset me.

 

If you have to ask, you don't understand

 

Well, yeah? Do you often ask people to explain things you understand?

 

Well if you have a beat up decklid, louvers will straighten it out.

 

I’ve seen a lot of louverd hoods and told it was to help in cooling. If that’s true why weren’t the first 2 or 3 rows cut in the opposite direction to force air in and out to cool. I feel the same about trunk ones used in land speed. Air coming in at the top and leaving at the bottom to break up the reversion slowing the car down. Go figure….

 

Possibly illegal in SCTA (fellow Road Runner Street Roadster competitor).

 

Damn that looks nice.

 

I would guess they are a ton of work and hard to get right, so they show a level of skill in the build.

 

My latest project has a louvered panel welded over the deck lid top. It was in need of a skin so this was the obvious way of fixing part and going cool at same time.

 

When I was I was young lad my dad did some paint and body work in our town out of our garage. And me having the smallest fingers at the time...you guessed it... I got to sand every one...
I am not sure why people punched louvers... all I know about them is that they are a bitch to sand to my dad's satisfaction. And if I never see another one it will be to soon...
Chappy

 

These are great, will cool your club plaque and the Q/C.

 

I don't know much about louvers in trunk lids but I thought it would be a pretty good way to vent battery fumes. That would be my reason for louvers in a deck lid.....besides the look appeal.

 

Yeah, but you don't count Tony!