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Hood vent opinions needed

hot_rod_hooligans

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Indianapolis
So the other day I was tooling around the JY and found some LeBaron Hood vents. Now I've always liked the LeBaron vents, but could never find them at the JY and never felt the need to pay $75+ for them, so I waited, until I found the hood vent I have now from a 84 Chrysler Laser Turbo:
CIMG5072.jpg

and with the new cowl panel(which will probably get painted body color with a new hood)
Photo8.jpg


The vent works extremely well, and I kind of like the way it looks, it's different from a lot of what I've seen out there. But now that I have the LeBaron vents, I kind of want to use them. Getting a new hood isn't an issue, I can pick one up at the JY for about $40, and neither is painting it, I can get paint fairly cheep, and paint it myself(besides I've wanted to pick up some body color paint for a while anyway).

Or I could go over kill and use both, but may have to play with the hood bracing a little, not a huge problem as I have access to a welder.

Photo1-2.jpg


I want to move the Laser vent to the front, and the LeBarons to the back. The problem I'm having with the Laser vent, is it's kinda long and heavy to be setting out in the middle of the hood with no real support, and the hood kind of flexes with it there, it's also cracked in a couple spots from closing the hood, so I want it up front so it'll have some support from the hood bracing.

I'd start a poll if I could figure out how, but I want to get some input:

A) Keep the Chrysler Lazer vent

B) Use the LeBaron Vents

C) Go over-kill and use both
 
HI, I really like your original vent, and honestly the compartment could use all the cool air it can get, so being a pragmatist, I say use both. I'd keep the big one where it is, and put the lebaron ones wherever they seem to fit, maybe painting them to match the hood, to keep them low-pro?

Again, I really like the original one. good job!

-Brian

oh, and p.s. could you brace the big vent where it is? maybe a tube steel frame around the edge that the vent bolts to, sandwiching the sheetmetal? that would be pretty easy with a mig...
 
Just an FYI- Jeep is spelled backwards in your photo.

Might want to get that fixed and then possibly get tested for dyslexia :D
 
i like the lazer vent. its different. and remember, you can now sell the lebaron vents for what you never wanted to pay you for them.
 
Now for the vent. Are you trying to suck air in or vent it out? The location you currently have the hole will suck air into the engine bay. In my Miata go-kart world, we put vents about a foot after the radiator because at speed, it has the highest pressure differential above/below hood to evacuate air. Without having the tools to test it (minus taping strings to the hood), I am unsure where the low pressure spots are on our box shaped XJ's.

Will you sell the vents cheaper then the typical going rate? I'd like to put them on my better halfs 2001 so it will stop misfiring every time she restarts it.

In return I will post pictures of her with them as she's installing them :)
 
It's not so much for highway speed cooling, mostly offroad use, I just picked up another 4.0 as a stroker project, and want to make sure it stays plenty cool.

Functionally, the Laser vent would be to help get heat out from the radiator, the LeBaron vents for the exhaust heat.
 
Go both swap the way you have them laying on the hood in the picture. Have the big one in the back to suck air in at highway speeds and the lebaron ones in the front above the compressor and ps pump. That way at crawl speeds the fans sucking air in will help push it out the top.
 
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