I used to work for a company that made vacuum formed boats. They heated the ABS plastic sheet in a separate oven and then placed the hot plastic sheet over a mold and pulled a vacuum through the mold. It was all automated, with the plastic held in a metal frame.

I read that the old bubble top show cars, built in the '60s, made the bubble top by heating acrylic sheet in a pizza oven and then blew compressed air under the hot acrylic sheet to make a clear bubble. Kind of the opposite of vacuum forming.

An oven would heat the sheet more evenly than a blow torch. Then you could place the hot plastic sheet over your mold and pull a vacuum through the mold. The plastic should stay hot and flexible long enough to transfer it from the oven to your mold and pull a vacuum.

Dave

 

Sanded everything down good enough for a coat of bondo.... here we go.........

 

So since I had some time to kill between filling and sanding, I decided to start the OTHER project that goes along with the new scoop. Yep, the IC diverter mod.

I'm going to make each fin progress lower to higher from front to back. Hopefully with this along with the scoop, I should get some more flow through the IC.

 

is that attic venting? =)

 

It's a supply grille from Lowes (Home Depot doesn't carry one with bendable fins), trimmed down to fit.

I'm a Mechanical Designer/BIM Manager for a small PMFPE engineering firm (I design and coordinate HVAC, Plumbing, Sprinkler and Electrical systems for Healthcare and Hospitals. So basically, I have to design systems to move air around inside buildings.) and it just bugs the hell outta me that the stock IC diverter only has the single little fin in the middle and requires a "pressurized plenum" to get the air to move through the IC. I just always thought the air needed to be guided or shaped to blow through the IC (higher flow and velocity). We shall see.

 

Worked hard on it this weekend. Finished up the bondo glass portion of the fill and sand and now working on the finishing filler and trying to shmove it out, level it out and then i'll give it a light coat of filler primer and sand to determine the high and low spots (I've been kinda doing that all along the process). It's turning out pretty well. It's by no means show car quality, but it doesn't look totally stupid. Lemme tell ya what, sanding and smoothing out the inside of that scoop has been hell. If I didn't have that rotary tool kit with all the bits, I'd have quit be now! But that kit really made it enjoyable. Had to make several paint stick wrapped with sand paper "tools" to do it right. Like I've said, it's an experiment and a hobby project to have fun. The IC diverter is looking pretty cool too. I'll give y'all some pics later on tonight.

Till then, motor on!

 

Had a few drinks last night and didn't get as far as I wanted, but here are a few pics from last night.

The etching/filler primer was still wet, I'll start sanding on it tonight as well as some more sculpting on the IC diverter.

It looks rough now...... but it'll get better, I promise

 

Looking forward to seeing the final product.

 

When I decided to modify the IC diverter, I was just going to leave it kinda "rough around the edges" looking. Like the first pics I posted of the mod with the white fins and such. But...... I showed it to a friend of mine and he was all "you should take that bondo glass and smooth out" over the screws I used to mount it.... Ummmm....... NOT! What a pain it's been to do that. So, I gave up. It'll still work physically like I wanted it to but visually, UGH

So I just decided to give it a good few coats of Plastidip until I can find a used stock diverter and do it over again. Live and learn. I think I would have liked it just fine all "Mad Max" style n shtuff. Scoops looking good though.
I'll post pics of the diverter after the Plastidip here soon.

 

Still loving all the updates and photos!

 

Nuff said. At least it's under the bonnet until I can rebuild one.

 

looks good, hopefully it works great with that scoop!

 

Looks like for now, I'm on hiatus from the scoop project. I was soooo close to finishing!

I have a project due in a week for work and I have to pull a miracle (again) to get it finished & done correctly without sacrificing quality. This mean lots of overtime which I would've been spending doing the same to my scoop project. So no more updates for at least a week.

But know this, I pledge to have it done by MINIPALOOZA! Which is the 5th, 6th, 7th & 8th of September. Technically not the 5th, but I gotta have a whole day to detail the MINI of course........

Until then.... MOTOR ON!

And be safe! I saw at least 3 dozen deer on the way home tonight.

 

subscribed

 

now that is one giant hood scoop !
cant wait to see it on the car

 

I am so sorry that I've wasted all y'alls time.

I haven't been test fitting as I go along (guess I was on some kinda God complex high like I'd never make a mistake)..... apparently the original fiberglass mold I made from the hood warped and it's all kinds of effed up! NOT FIXABLE!

I just hope I can somehow salvage the original scoop. I'm seeing Chili Red to the max right now and not the one I like seeing....... y'alls MINIs.

Live and learn ain't the right term for this one..... AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! Like Charlie Brown!

I still have another design in mind. My mind's been racing through the entire process about other designs. Mabey there'll be a second attempt thread soon.

Till then, Motor on! And learn from this mistake!

 

It pained me to do this, but I just spent about 10 minutes and hacked up a months worth of work and $100 worth of materials (includes some tools). But........ I successfully recovered the original scoop!

It looks a little worse for wear, I've got to do a little filling of holes from screws, a little sanding, then a few coats of plastidip (I had that on it before I started anyway) and it'll at least be back to stock. Whew.......

Now...... to start a new design! New thread for design #2 soon!

 

Like I said, a little worse for wear! But, some wet sanding, primer, wet sanding, primer,wet sanding, then Plastidip....... then back to normal. Glad I found the JB plastic weld! This is just the first step. Got to let the JB Weld cure overnight before moving on.

 

atleaste you got your scoop back

 

good attempt....

 

Here's the inspirtation for my next design..... smaller, lower, mabey with MINI type ovals instead of circles..... mabey?

 

 

...you're joking right?

 

Yeah, it's all been a joke..... from day 1. Laughing? C.S.D.