[DeTomaso] Driving in the rain/Decklid opening modification

Fri Oct 30 14:44:17 EDT 2015

I get confussed in this email format especially since I only get about ever third reply. So I think I am directing questions to Stephen

I would be very interested in your testing.  So please post your procedure (to indicated what data you took) and your results.

Are you going to use just an U tube manometer or do you have an electronic.  I have an electronic I had planned to do some testing IF I ever put mine back together

-----Original Message-----
From: Stephen
Sent: Tuesday, October 27, 2015 2:44 PM
To: 'Michael Shortt' ; 'JDeRyke at aol.com'
Cc: detomaso at poca.com ; DtomasoCat at aol.com
Subject: Re: [DeTomaso] Driving in the rain/Decklid opening modification

Sealing the area off - as in sealing the window above the engine?  Easy answer - quit sucking everything off the road and venting it thru said window.

Thinking about it, the original covers for the engine and the surrounding areas would have been a restriction on the air flow.  Many, like myself, have removed either the center section, or all three pieces.  This allows for a lot more air flow, and a lot more crap coming up from the road.  But, even with these in place, parking one of these cars in the rain will result in water in the engine compartment.  It would be nice to eliminate this.

As other projects get done I continue to think about installing glass in the opening.  Before doing this I plan to run some tests to see learn a bit about the following parameters at different speeds:

-        pressure in the engine compartment (relative to pressure in the 
passenger compartment),

-        direction and speed of rotation of the a/c condenser fan (as in a 
volt meter hooked up to the fan motor terminals to see what is happening),

-        air temperature in the area above the engine, and

-        pressure just behind the a/c condenser grill (relative to pressure 
in the passenger compartment),

-        Airflow through the opening – will have to get creative with my 
vane-anemometer

Then, after I put in a test window, see how the numbers change.  First concern I see is how much force will be on the window due to vacuum created in the area just outside of the new window.  Doesn’t take a lot of pressure to generate some serious force on a piece of glass.

It has surprised me, on the times I have had the opportunity to work around the engine when it is running, how much cooler this area is then in cars with the engine behind the radiator.  I suspect that the gaps around the deck lid will provide sufficient draft to keep from building up a lot of heat in the engine compartment with the opening sealed.  But, hopefully, tests will tell.

Stephen Nelson

-----Original Message-----
From: DeTomaso [mailto:detomaso-bounces at poca.com] On Behalf Of Michael Shortt
Sent: Tuesday, October 27, 2015 10:54 AM
To: JDeRyke at aol.com
Cc: detomaso at poca.com; DtomasoCat at aol.com
Subject: Re: [DeTomaso] Driving in the rain/Decklid opening modification

Why would you want to seal this area off?

Michael Shortt

On Mon, May 4, 2015 at 3:07 AM, Jack DeRyke via DeTomaso < 
<mailto:detomaso at poca.com> detomaso at poca.com>

wrote:

>    Years ago, there were a few Panteras with louvers just in the back

>    window opening. They sort of looked like venetian blinds. The more

>    popular kits had louvers filling the whole deck sugar-scoop area much

>    like a Miura. Both probably changed the rear aero.

>

>    -----Original Message-----

>    From: wawuzat via DeTomaso < <mailto:detomaso at poca.com> 
> detomaso at poca.com>

>    To: detomaso < <mailto:detomaso at poca.com> detomaso at poca.com>

>    Sent: Sun, May 3, 2015 12:42 pm

>    Subject: [DeTomaso] Driving in the rain/Decklid opening

> modification Stephen wrote:

> 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?

>

> Stephen,

>

> Last year I had been

> re-reading some of my old Pantera International magazines from the

> 1970's.

> One of the articles in the magazine had to do with fitting a

> plexiglass cover over the rear decklid opening, thereby sealing it

> off.  As I recall, whoever came up with the idea was selling a "kit"

> to convert your Pantera as well.  I had never seen or heard of such a

> thing  until I read the article.  Sounds to me like everything old is

> new  again.  I will see if I can locate it and scan it for the group.

>

> By the way, the last time I was reminded of this modification was when

> the new Kyosho Pantera 1/18 scale models came out last year and all of

> them had this  very modification installed in the decklid opening.  It

> works great on the  model so it must work great in real life

> :o)

>

> Jim

>

>

>

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-- 

Michael L. Shortt

Savannah, Georgia

<http://www.michaelshortt.com> www.michaelshortt.com

<mailto:michael at michaelshortt.com> michael at michaelshortt.com

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