[DeTomaso] Driving in the rain

[Mike Drew]

Stephen,

Do you have the stock screens over the gas tank, water bottles and engine?  I would expect them to keep water off the glass at least?  

Yes, you are right that water and grime are sucked up from beneath and out of the opening in the decklid. It would be interesting to see the effects of sealing that off with a piece of glass or plexiglass?  How important is the airflow to engine cooling?  Some have suggested its a big component while others feel the radiator alone is sufficient to keep the engine at proper temperature. 

Care to shed some light by trying it and reporting on your findings?

Mike

Sent from my iPhone

On May 3, 2015, at 12:03, "Stephen" <steve at snclocks.com> wrote:

> 
> 
> Kelly and I had a chance to give 5332 her first drive
> out-of-site-of-Portland last Wednesday - we drove up to Tacoma to meet with
> the folks in the PNW group!  Watched the weather and were pleased to see
> that the forecast showed less than 20% chance of rain - so off we went.  And
> drove in rain for roughly half of the 150 mile drive.
> 
> Good news is she drove great, including in the rain.  And the wiper blades
> that came on the car worked, after figuring out that they needed to flex a
> bit.
> 
> I was a bit surprised to see water accumulating on the window in front/above
> the engine, and was curious if the water was coming up from below or in
> through the "window" opening above the motor?  For reference, I have the
> side windows for the motor compartment in place and I have repositioned the
> splash shields in front of the rear wheels and replaced rubbers so they
> sealed to the inside of the fenders.
> 
> I also noted a bit of grime accumulation on top of the trans axle, and could
> see water marks on the outer side of the rocker covers, as if the water
> level sort of floated about half way up the covers.  Which suggests to me
> that a lot of the water was coming up from below.  
> 
> I can recall seeing pictures of cars at speed with bits of yarn showing
> air-flow direction - could any of you send me the link to these pictures?
> And, of course, could you folks give me your collective wisdom on air-flow
> direction for the "window" above the engine?
> 
> OK - now for the more intersting question.  Has anyone ever installed any
> form of a partial window in the hole above the engine?  Or a simple piece of
> glass or plexi to fill the hole?  I am thinking plexiglass contoured such
> that it fits into a rubber gasket around the opening but is belled out at
> the lower edge to allow air flow and perhaps keep rain from falling on the
> back of the engine?  This would have the added benefit of perhaps making it
> a bit harder for someone to reach in and remove things from the top of the
> engine (dog-bone air cleaner for instance) or the caps on the coolant tanks.
> Given that plexiglass is not all that hard to contour this would seem like a
> possible improvement as long as it did not overly restrict airflow around
> the engine.  Making the assumption that airflow around the engine is a good
> thing.
> 
> Comments?  And heck, if you think this is the dumbest e-mail you have ever
> seen - hey, just delete it!  Won't hurt my feelings.
> 
> Stephen Nelson
> 
> 
> 
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