Hood Scoop Covers

[pink440]

I've got a 440 Magnum hood with two hood scoops. Each hood scoop is currently sealed or blocked with plastic covers that are attached with screws.  Should I remove these covers?  Someone told me I should - but they have been on there since I got the car.  Car runs great, but it does run on warm side on hot summer days.  I live in San Diego and the car never sees a cold or rainy day.

Thanks.

[MEK-Dangerfield]

The original scoops weren't meant to be functional, but there is no problem opening them up, if that's what you want to do. It was all about looks back then. 


  Mike

[cudabuyer]

Great topic, I always wondered if it was possible to make this a functional air scoop?

[Tropicalcats]

I would think that if you do open them up you stand to get alot of dirt in your engine bay.

[MEK-Dangerfield]

I would think that if you do open them up you stand to get alot of dirt in your engine bay.

   

I have an open 6-pack scoop on my car. I really don't see a nice way to filter it(the air) though. Besides, I think the extra air helps cool things off, and it is ramming that air down my carb too, so I don't mind. 

 I guess it is a matter in how often you drive your car too. I have over 1000 miles on mine in the last 8 months, so I do indeed have to clean the engine. If you only drive a few hundred miles a year, then this won't be a big ordeal.


 Mike

[Alaskan_TA]

You are not going to get much air moving with the hood insulating pad in place. The scoops when opened up move very little air anyway, there is a baffle at the back of the insert behind the aluminum plate.

Barry

[fishn4cuda]

You are not going to get much air moving with the hood insulating pad in place. The scoops when opened up move very little air anyway, there is a baffle at the back of the insert behind the aluminum plate.

Barry

[Challenger6pak]

If you remove the block off plates with the pad in place the pad can blow down and get in your alternator belt etc. and make a real mess.  Been there done that 28 years ago.  If you want go without the pad you can remove the plate.  You can get more airflow by drilling out the rivets of the back of the scoop and removing the air deflector. 

[Chryco Psycho]

I have Always run with them open , the deflector in the back is a rain trough to dump the rain into the frame of the hood so it will run oput the front 

[Jacksboys]

I run them open on my Challenger so that I can get as much cooling as possible, and I also do not have the insulating pad, so no worrys of the belt problem. 
Also I normally do not drive it in the rain, but a couple of weeks ago I was taking it to a friends house and got stuck in a bad rain storm for about 15 minutes.  When I got the chance, I opened the hood to see how wet everything got and to my surprise, it was almost completely dry.
I doubt I will ever put the aluminum plates back in.

pink440,
I doubt that removing the plates will help cool that 440 because that is a bunch of motor, but you could try. It won't hurt, unless you drop one of them on your paint job.  But like the others said, you would also need to remove the insulating pad.
Good Luck.

[crazy larry]

I run mine open block off plates are aluminum. With no hood mat.

[duodec]

Would opening the scoops without running the incoming air into the engine intake actually help with cooling, or hurt it?  After all you're putting more air in, possibly slightly pressurized if at speed, behind the radiator.  Could that not reduce airflow through the radiator?  After all the front underhood seal is there to force air to channel through the radiator; removing the seal would have the same effect (maybe more) as opening the scoops, of putting air directly into the engine compartment, but I bet the effect on cooling would be decidedly negative.

[Jacksboys]

Would opening the scoops without running the incoming air into the engine intake actually help with cooling, or hurt it?  After all you're putting more air in, possibly slightly pressurized if at speed, behind the radiator.  Could that not reduce airflow through the radiator?  After all the front underhood seal is there to force air to channel through the radiator; removing the seal would have the same effect (maybe more) as opening the scoops, of putting air directly into the engine compartment, but I bet the effect on cooling would be decidedly negative.

Well in my case, when the car is moving, there is plenty of air flowing through the radiator to keep my engine plenty cool.  When I come to a stop or riding at a very slow speed (under 10 mph), the heat will built up under the hood, plus the fan is not moving much air.  So I look at it this way, since heat rises, and the vents are about the highest point under the hood, that is a perfect place for the heat to excape.  Whether anyone has done some real reasearch on this to prove or disprove my idea, I am not sure, but until then, my vents will stay open.

[pink440]

Thanks for all the great input and feedback on this subject.  Now I have another question - what is the purpose of the insulating blanket on the bottom side of the hood???


Thanks!

[duodec]

Thanks for all the great input and feedback on this subject.  Now I have another question - what is the purpose of the insulating blanket on the bottom side of the hood???


Thanks!

I've always heard that its for sound insulation, making the vehicle quieter both from outside and indirectly from the passenger compartment.  Some folks also told me they heard it was for heat insulation to protect the hood finish from heat damage, and a couple even thought it was so the hood wouldn't radiate engine heat in the view of the driver that could cause mirage effects, but that seems pretty far fetched.