Vented Hood Pictures
These are the pictures for the vented hood that was custom fabricated from an OEM Nissan factory aluminum hood. The reason I wanted a hood like this is because I don't really care for the vented hoods out there like the Borders, Stillen, etc. One bad thing about Carbon Fiber hoods, is they are light and because of that, many of them require hood pins to be installed so that the hood doesn't flap around. Another thing is that the hood is not well supported, but the OEM hood retains much of the support and does not disturb the beautiful lines of the Z. That was very important to me. It looks very classy yet is fully functional. Under hood temps do decrease because the vents created an area of negative air pressure that allows the cool incoming air to come into the engine bay and then dissipate (exhaust) out the vents. I have placed my hands in front of the vents, and you can feel the hot air coming out, even when idling. The only thing that might concern some people is that the underhood insulation is removed. I was assured that the temperatures under the hood will not adversely affect the paint. It's cooler under the hood with the vent anyways. The vents are right over the fan shroud, so any water that drips down would drip harmlessly into the fan area.
Without further adieu, here are the pics:
The first car with the prototype hood on it. It belongs to my friend Bernie.
The only thing is that the underhood insulation is removed. The vents are right over the fan shroud, so any water that drips down would drip harmlessly into the fan area.
My car going under the knife.
After the painting was complete, this is what it looked like before we installed the windshield wiper nozzles and the mesh grille.
Some miscellaneous shots after I got the car back before the mesh.
What the vent looks like with the mesh grille in place.
My friend William's shop.
After I installed the hood, I can see definite results. Just looking at the inaccurate factory temperature gauge, the needle is sitting lower. When I get an infrared heat gun or a Techtom, I'll post some objective results.