[oscarsordo50]

I'll work on it JohnyMac...thanks.

 

[HCKLV]

Cutting holes in the spider and wrapping everything in sight with carbon looking vinyl?
I can't wait to never do that

 

[2020 Nordamericano]

Good comments Nordamericano. The overheating issue is somewhat of a concern due to the wiring covers /shrouds I have found them to be coming apart and some areas around the turbo (small shield) is also delaminating due to the excessive heat, no big deal but some what of a concern I also found a picture of the original prototype platform of the 124 spider when it was supposed to have been an Alfa and it had the side vents incorporated in the original design.
As it is now I can tell you that our cars are well designed however...Like you mentioned I like a little diversity from the others. Just my thing.
All that being said, I respect and value your opinion.
Thank You.

I guess only time will tell if your effort here, reducing heat stress on related components, will have any positive effect or results. Please make a note to at some future point in time post the results, the outcome as whether or not this modification has been physically beneficial.

 

[oscarsordo50]

I guess only time will tell if your effort here, reducing heat stress on related components, will have any positive effect or results. Please make a note to at some future point in time post the results, the outcome as whether or not this modification has been physically beneficial.

Cutting holes in the spider and wrapping everything in sight with carbon looking vinyl?
I can't wait to never do that

O.K.

 

[2020 Nordamericano]

There have been numerous issues posted here that were caused by heat. EC, and others have created graphs showing how heat effects your power, and have even sold products to alleviate some of the side effects. To think this car was created with the thought process of perfection is far fetched. Maybe if it was a Ferrari, but let’s be honest this vehicle was made up of a “extra” parts bin and if it fit it shipped mentality. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love this car as a whole. But I in no way think it is fundamentally perfect.

I believe if you reread my post you'll see I made reference to overheating problems/issues, not issue caused by heat, i.e. brittle wire loom or hose coverings etc. And yes, heat can indeed effect power output, but finding and dialing in the perfect heat range for any given engine, be it car or truck or motorcycle, operating under any given set of circumstances under any given set of conditions can be and is a very delicate task. For this very reason race teams are constantly changing and tweaking and modifying the cooling systems on their engines along with the coolant used. OEs do not have this option when designing and producing vehicles for mass distribution to the mass public. They have to come up with a nice or as close to a nice one-size-fits-all solution to the question ...... what is the best operating heating range (?) under what condition (?) given what average ambient operating temperature (?). Me thinks this might kinda complicate the issue just a bit.
No, I do not believe the 124 Spider, in any version, is perfection nor do I believe there really ever have been any vehicles that fit that description. Somebody somewhere at some point in time is always going to be able to find something that could have been done better or differently no matter what vehicle we're talking about. But I do believe the 124 Spider is a well thought out well designed well built machine. And given the price point I believe it is an excellent machine.
As for being made up out of a bunch of 'extra' parts? Naw, ain't buyin' it! Was it designed around and using parts already existing in the inventory? Yes! How many 'new' vehicles can you name today that have come out in the past 25 years that did not use any parts that were in the existing inventory? Certainly there might be few, but they are in fact few and far between and pricey. Every 'new' vehicle introduced today by any OE uses parts that are in the existing inventory. They use engines, axles, door handles, shift knobs, transmissions, front end clips, whole platforms for that matter ..... you name it.
Again the 124 Spider is not perfection but it is a wondrous little car that is a joy to own and drive. And as you yourself said "I absolutely love this car".

 

[2020 Nordamericano]

Cutting holes in the spider and wrapping everything in sight with carbon looking vinyl?
I can't wait to never do that

As I posted this is not something I would do to my car. But as I posted, my hat's off to oscarsordo50 for the thought process, the skill, the effort, the time spent and the commitment to completing these modifications.

 

[Tigercub]

I understand your concern but they are not scoops. The idea is not to force air in but to draw the hot air to flow out which is being replaced by the flow of air coming in from the front and cooling the engine bay.
Aerodynamically the design is such that the air traveling over the hood provides a low pressure area on top of the vents which causes a vacuum drawing out hot air from the engine bay.
Yes they are functional they are not "glued on", They have threaded studs which attach them to the hood.
I also place a thermometer at the exit of the vents and found that I am getting 100+ F temperature coming out during normal operation.
Thanks for your critique Scottish.

Bernoulli's principle https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernoulli's_principle

 

[Chipshot]

Cutting holes in the spider and wrapping everything in sight with carbon looking vinyl?
I can't wait to never do that

But would you name your Spider?

 

[BGcAnAdA]

I was so impressed by this custom work that I decided to take a go at it myself this weekend. So I took out my hacksaw, drill, sledgehammer, ducttape, sandbag, awl, sandpaper, paprika, ducttape, whisky, bondo, more sand, vodka shots, and wow. What a result. Pics shortly.....

 

[mtnghost]

Wow and we wonder why no one does anything with these cars! Whenever I don’t have anything positive to say, I try my best to ignore the post and move on. I feel you all should do the same.

 

[Tazilon Brenner]

We all know our turbos don't like hot hot weather. Oscar lives in Southern Texas, Rio Grande Valley. Anything that keeps the engine bay a tad bit cooler helps performance!

 

[oscarsordo50]

😎You got that right.

 

[JohnyMac]

Or just remove the belly pan. Now that's a big vent for a lot of hot air.

 

[pikeman]

I applaud your efforts and capabilities, but they don’t match up with the hood contours. A NACA duct that is flush would be my preference, perhaps the execution would have been more simple. Sometimes less is more . . .
Best regards
Pete

 

[oscarsordo50]

Pikeman I did consider the NACA duct and I have incorporated them in building my experimental airplane, however, again the idea is not to force air in but to vent air out.
NACA Ducts use the air attached to the plane or car and suck it inwards. The air hits the gentle ramp angle and the curvature profile of the walls and creates counter-rotating vortices.
Thanks for the suggestion.

 

[oscarsordo50]

You can see the NACA ducts here on my homebuilt "Moni" motor glider, just forward of the cockpit

 

[kd215]

Wow and we wonder why no one does anything with these cars! Whenever I don’t have anything positive to say, I try my best to ignore the post and move on. I feel you all should do the same.

100%. OP is being a lot more patient and diplomatic in his responses than I would be.

 

[mb2054]

Nice work @oscarsordo50 👍
Good for you for doing your thing on your car, and thank you for sharing it with us.

 

[BGcAnAdA]

Whether or not we like the look im pretty sure we can all agree that it is awesome custom work requiring just a wee amount of considerable talent and knowhow to accomplish.

 

[2020 Nordamericano]

I just finished taking a second look at and rereading the posts in this thread. As I mentioned at the end of a comment I made in the thread MT fluid change I wish we could all be having this conversation in person. I believe this would be a really great subject to be discussing and talking about and learning about in person, face-to-face. I feel there have been some good points raised, some good questions asked and Oscar has been exceptional and forthright in the answers provided. I don't believe anyone's intent was to demean or downplay the efforts of another. Forgive my babbling, but I sometime get the feeling that since we are not all professional writers our efforts at written communications can sometimes be misinterpreted or misunderstood.
So yeah, I think this an interesting thread, a couple of interesting subjects, both Oscar's work and the effects of heat within the engine bay that would make for really great face-to-face conversation.
It's always good when we get to learn.