[oscarsordo50]

Made these u

sing the "Lost Foam" method of casting aluminum.

 

[pikeman]

Nope.
The design of the car is iconic. This is a distraction. FWIW, I also dislike the phony vents on the lower quarter panels.
“Less is more”. Don’t know who said it, but they were right.
Best regards
Pete

 

[BGcAnAdA]

Think of the 124 spider abarth as being your beautiful italian supermodel girlfriend with gorgeous long legs and then saying to her , " You know what honey, you have beautiful legs but I think they would look even more beautiful if you strapped a 5 pound saddlebag onto the side of each thigh "...

 

[oscarsordo50]

I respect your comment Pete and I agree with "less is more", however there is nothing fake about these improvements made to the massive heat generated in the engine bay. Both of these mods were done to relieve the heat and there is nothing fake about them. They are fully functional and designed to improve performance.

 

[CDPond]

What would be interesting is if you did some before and after engine bay temp measurements. I applaud your zest in the quest for a cooler bay, but I'm struggling to see how a two square inch outlet on each fender is going to make any significant impact. Perhaps if they were larger and you also created cut outs in the hood so you got a significant amount of air flow moving through, that might achieve your goal. It's interesting, and though not something I would do purely for aesthetic reasons, if you're happy with it, that's what counts.

 

[oscarsordo50]

What would be interesting is if you did some before and after engine bay temp measurements. I applaud your zest in the quest for a cooler bay, but I'm struggling to see how a two square inch outlet on each fender is going to make any significant impact. Perhaps if they were larger and you also created cut outs in the hood so you got a significant amount of air flow moving through, that might achieve your goal. It's interesting, and though not something I would do purely for aesthetic reasons, if you're happy with it, that's what counts.

I did find an airflow increase by placing an air blower in front of the car to simulate air flow and found air exiting not only the side vents but also the "Fake" lower quarter panel vents (which I also modified to be functional), so bottom line is, increase airflow...decrease temp.

Unlike and contrary to popular belief these mods were not made for aesthetic reasons but were done to facilitate better performance and cooler engine bay temps. Cutting holes on my beauty was no easy task and trust me it was no easy task but good planning and patience I believe worked out. And yes, I am happy with the results

Thanks for your comments CDPond...they are greatly appreciated.

 

[frankmar]

I did find an airflow increase by placing an air blower in front of the car to simulate air flow and found air exiting not only the side vents but also the "Fake" lower quarter panel vents (which I also modified to be functional), so bottom line is, increase airflow...decrease temp.

Unlike and contrary to popular belief these mods were not made for aesthetic reasons but were done to facilitate better performance and cooler engine bay temps. Cutting holes on my beauty was no easy task and trust me it was no easy task but good planning and patience I believe worked out. And yes, I am happy with the results

Thanks for your comments CDPond...they are greatly appreciated.

Actually if you let the exhaust blow in front instead of the rear, you may get more milage per gallon, but then you have to wear an oxygen mask. Not pleasant.
The more accessories you put on a beautiful girl, the uglier you make her. Actually it s not the girl you first met. It's my perception.

 

[Porter]

Made these u View attachment 93843
sing the "Lost Foam" method of casting aluminum.

Regardless of opinions, hats off to you. Impressive work. Have you got any additional photos? Great to see some other angles and close ups 👌

 

[TX_Bandit]

Hi Oscarsordo50,
Sand cast aluminum? Wow, that is some serious craftsmanship! I want to let you know there are people on this forum that appreciate the effort and inventiveness. Not everyone here feels modifying our Fiatas is a crime against humanity. 😃

I've done some serious mods to my Spider and get the same snarky responses. My motto: I do things that amuse me. If that offends you, that amuses me as well.

 

[CDPond]

I did find an airflow increase by placing an air blower in front of the car to simulate air flow and found air exiting not only the side vents but also the "Fake" lower quarter panel vents (which I also modified to be functional), so bottom line is, increase airflow...decrease temp.
Unlike and contrary to popular belief these mods were not made for aesthetic reasons but were done to facilitate better performance and cooler engine bay temps. Cutting holes on my beauty was no easy task and trust me it was no easy task but good planning and patience I believe worked out. And yes, I am happy with the results
Thanks for your comments CDPond...they are greatly appreciated.

For clarification, when I mentioned I wouldn't do it purely for aesthetic reasons, I meant me. I wouldn't do it personally. I do understand your goal was functionality.

 

[BGcAnAdA]

As the saying goes... " Beauty is in the eye of the beholder " and no one else's opinion should matter.
I initially thought these were stick-on , unfunctional body accessories and was unaware this was your own build and craftsmanship and that they're functional !
Astounding work ! Well done ! That took courage and skill🙂

 

[lynk26]

got any more pictures of the whole car?

 

[Scajacuada]

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, a religious preacher of ‘form over function’ architecture, was heavily criticized for affixing ornamental, non-functioning I-beams to the exterior of his iconic Seagram building (and copycats that followed). He defended the design and stuck to his guns, however, and those buildings look cool to this day, even though the I-beams do nothing but add to the visual appeal. The side vents are awesome.

 

[BGcAnAdA]

What an appropriate post to " vent " on

 

[oscarsordo50]

The "Lost Foam" method is accomplished by making a blank of the part you are going to produce out of Styrofoam, then burying it in "green sand" leaving a small exposed area so you can pour molten aluminum in. The aluminum will "eat" out the foam and you then let it cool for about an hour and then you pull your piece out. see attached photos.

 

[GT_racing]

That kind of mods feels outdated... 1990's tuning on a new car. But it's just my opinion.

 

[2020 Nordamericano]

oscarsordo50,

Your car, you get to do what you want. Having said that I will add I very much appreciated the thought, the planning and the effort that went into this modification. Cutting a hole in the side of one's auto is something very few are are capable of doing and besides requiring a steady hand it also requires a committed owner.
In your case, now that you've posted more photos of your Spider, I completely understand the use of carbon fiber. I am wondering though, would these vents be less obtrusive, less objectionable to some if color matched? In either case, personally there's no way I would mess with or alter the beautiful body lines on my Abarth.

I also am intrigued by and find the additional air deflectors an interesting touch. How are they attached to the glass? Do they provide noticeable functionality? Is there any increased wind noise with them? Where did you get them?
(My apologies for bustin' into your thread like this )

 

[oscarsordo50]

oscarsordo50,

Your car, you get to do what you want. Having said that I will add I very much appreciated the thought, the planning and the effort that went into this modification. Cutting a hole in the side of one's auto is something very few are are capable of doing and besides requiring a steady hand it also requires a committed owner.
In your case, now that you've posted more photos of your Spider, I completely understand the use of carbon fiber. I am wondering though, would these vents be less obtrusive, less objectionable to some if color matched? In either case, personally there's no way I would mess with or alter the beautiful body lines on my Abarth.

I also am intrigued by and find the additional air deflectors an interesting touch. How are they attached to the glass? Do they provide noticeable functionality? Is there any increased wind noise with them? Where did you get them?
(My apologies for bustin' into your thread like this )

 

[oscarsordo50]

Nordamericano
Thank you for the comments I was beginning to think I had committed a crime from some earlier comments. The air deflectors where also designed and constructed by me. They are made of plexiglass and are attached by an aluminum hinge to the small triangular glass on the door. Again, it was a leap of faith because when I tried to drill the holes in that small piece of safety glass, well you guessed it, it shattered into a million pieces. Not giving up I removed the opposite piece of glass from the other door and used it to make a template which I used to make two pieces out of plexiglass which then allowed me to drill and attach the hinges for the air deflectors...which by the way work great especially when the top is down. Nothing new here roadsters and other non-airconditioned early automobiles had these.

 

[oscarsordo50]

Some photos of the air deflectors and the lost foam method of making parts...in these photos I show our famous Abarth scorpion.