• Registered: 2010-08-24
  • Posts: 42

Topic: Hood or no Hood?

Trying to make a last minute decision here.  We have a original 170k mile 2VZ-FE toyota V6 that are well known for rod knock and blown head gaskets (most likely the worst V6 toyota ever made along with the 3VZ-E).  I'm pondering whether the engine would cool better with or without the hood. 

No hood would obviously give alot of air room to vent engine bay temps, but i'm worried that it might actually hurt more for these reasons:

Sunlight constantly beating down on everything
Changing the aerodynamics?  Like not forcing enough air through the radiator (we have the splash shields and fan shrouds in place)
Not protecting against the rare (or maybe not so rare) chance of flying parts from hitting wiring or something from another car

The car is very nose heavy, so any weight lost from the front end is a definite bonus.

  • From: Brookfield, WI
  • Registered: 2009-12-15
  • Posts: 222

Re: Hood or no Hood?

Do some testing.  Tape strings to the rad support and see if the air is going through the radiator.

If it doesn't have 2 doors, 3 pedals, and 5 lug nuts per wheel - It isn't a real race car
  • From: Wheaton IL
  • Registered: 2009-05-01
  • Posts: 408

Re: Hood or no Hood?

The hood also stops whatever shit goes flying out of the engine bay when your car decides to stop working right.  Oil on the windshield is scary!

You are only entitled to the space you occupy.
  • From: Wadsworth, OH
  • Registered: 2010-07-29
  • Posts: 115

Re: Hood or no Hood?

Vent the hood so you get more hot air out but still have a hood to keep blown up pieces in.  A pick-ax works nicely in place strategic "speed holes".

  • From: Frisco, Texas
  • Registered: 2009-05-02
  • Posts: 1,430

Re: Hood or no Hood?

in a MR2? Dump it. you will need the heat evac... On my street car, I put louvered vents in, but for Lemons? Take it with you in case of rain, but otherwise leave it off - its aerodynamically dead there anyway. While you are at it, put a riser on to get the air intake into free air.

"Don't mess with Lexas!" LS400. We survived another one! See website link for build details.
Maker of the "unofficial Lemons fish!" - If you ask nice, I'll likely give you one at the track.

Spinnetti's Website

  • From: Tampa, Fl
  • Registered: 2009-05-29
  • Posts: 259

Re: Hood or no Hood?

on our E30 i added 2 vents that made a Huge difference.  I did some research and found letting air out was better than ramming air in.  So I did a vent to let air go though the radiator faster. Plus one that would vent the heat from the exhaust side of the engine.
http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/bb295/bam2002/Lemons-Chump%20car%202010/DSC_0044.jpg

EuroTrash E30 - Lemons South 08 (cooling probs) 24th /CMP  Spring 09 (fuel tank damage) one day on track 69th /Lemons South 09 (Hit by an Escort) 27th
MSR Tx, 10 2oth, no issues other than rain. /CHump Homestead Miami 10- 2nd place.

7 Reply by wrappedinbacon (edited by wrappedinbacon 2010-09-22 07:34 AM)

  • From: Long Beach, CA
  • Registered: 2009-06-14
  • Posts: 294

Re: Hood or no Hood?

I've said it before and I'll say it again: Almost no one needs a hood. 

1. It is added weight.
2. You have to pop it open and latch it down to work on the engine which takes needless time.
3. It hides the engine which you need to keep an eye on.
4. It holds in heat.
5. You're not going fast enough for it to really effect aerodynamics.

Sure, if your car is puking oil up top, then it might be a good idea.  Otherwise, chuck it.

-Kyle
Eyesore Racing
"That's probably wrong, but it's worth a shot."

wrappedinbacon's Website

  • Registered: 2010-08-24
  • Posts: 42

Re: Hood or no Hood?

Thats what I thought, anytime I do any real work to an engine I take the hood off.  Since im 6'6", bending my head under a hood isn't fun.  Except for the choice Toyotas like mk3 supras where you can disconnect the hood shocks and bring the hood up to a straight 90. 

Why would you worry about rain?  Any good engineered vehicles engine bay is fairly water proof.  You think that stuff doesn't get wet with a hood on?  Everything gets soaked driving in the rain anyways from the front and from underneath, granted its more of a mist instead of droplets but u get the idea.

  • From: Temperance, MI
  • Registered: 2009-09-26
  • Posts: 55

Re: Hood or no Hood?

Unless of course it's required to hold your hoopty ebay air filter in place smile

http://www.thecrawfords.org/Lebowski/modules/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=141&g2_serialNumber=1

"Don't mess with Lexas!"
Former Captain, Team Lebowski

computergui's Website

  • Registered: 2010-08-24
  • Posts: 42

Re: Hood or no Hood?

Quick side question, whats the worst oil leak you've seen pass tech?  My front main just started seeping a bit and i'm worried its going to fail me.

  • From: Houston, TX
  • Registered: 2009-10-06
  • Posts: 1,008

Re: Hood or no Hood?

computergui wrote:

Unless of course it's required to hold your hoopty ebay air filter in place smile

http://www.thecrawfords.org/Lebowski/mo … alNumber=1

What is it with Neons and hoods?  We need ours for our Super High Intake Thingy... the S.H.I.T. which supplies our air-intake.  Otherwise the Neon relies on this little-tiny under hood craptastic air intake.

Oh wait, I answered my own question.  <facepalm>

I'm the doctor who is a wife. Which makes the grease hard to explain to my patients... www.tetanusneon.com.

Dr. Wife's Website

  • From: Choctaw, Oklahoma
  • Registered: 2009-11-12
  • Posts: 2,145

Re: Hood or no Hood?

Quick side question, whats the worst oil leak you've seen pass tech?  My front main just started seeping a bit and i'm worried its going to fail me.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

The whole underside of our Jag engine looked like what they dredge out of the bottom of a supertanker at decommissioning. We didn't get black-flagged until the third lap, and that was because of what was streaming out of the top of the motor. And the huge anti-passing smoke screen.

Seeping = okay.
LEAKing = fail.

Of course, YMMV.

  • From: Land Of Subarus, Colorado
  • Registered: 2009-04-30
  • Posts: 9,416

Re: Hood or no Hood?

mk1spyder wrote:

Quick side question, whats the worst oil leak you've seen pass tech?  My front main just started seeping a bit and i'm worried its going to fail me.

If we spot an oil leak, we're going to make you fix it.

Murilee Martin aka Judge Phil on Facebook
Murilee Martin on Twitter
Judge Phil's Lemons posts on Car and Driver
MurileeMartin.com

Judge Phil's Website

  • From: Santa Clara, CA
  • Registered: 2010-08-02
  • Posts: 195

Re: Hood or no Hood?

Judge Phil wrote:

If we spot an oil leak, we're going to make you fix it.

The valve cover in the E30 we're prepping is held on by many different kinds of bolts (haha) and it apparently weeps some oil, but not enough to call it a leak. We just get a little puff of smoke when we start it.  Is that enough for you to want us to fix it, or are you worried about oil leaking onto the track?

Slow Dino Racing
  • From: Land Of Subarus, Colorado
  • Registered: 2009-04-30
  • Posts: 9,416

Re: Hood or no Hood?

We don't want oil on the track. If you pull into the penalty box and I see more than a few drops under your car, you'll be fixing the leak. Burning oil (within reason), no problem.

Murilee Martin aka Judge Phil on Facebook
Murilee Martin on Twitter
Judge Phil's Lemons posts on Car and Driver
MurileeMartin.com

Judge Phil's Website

  • From: Frisco, Texas
  • Registered: 2009-05-02
  • Posts: 1,430

Re: Hood or no Hood?

computergui wrote:

Unless of course it's required to hold your hoopty ebay air filter in place smile

eww, posting that picture got some Lemons on my race car (hiding under the cover next to the Neon)!

I like to keep the hood because I want it to look like a CAR and not piece of shit - Lexas don't play that! (would like the weight loss though!)

"Don't mess with Lexas!" LS400. We survived another one! See website link for build details.
Maker of the "unofficial Lemons fish!" - If you ask nice, I'll likely give you one at the track.

Spinnetti's Website

  • From: 5,280 ft.
  • Registered: 2009-05-01
  • Posts: 1,298

Re: Hood or no Hood?

Spinnetti wrote:

I want it to look like a CAR and not piece of shit

there's your first problem.  wink

mike - Schumacher Taxi Service
12+-time loser
"Winner" - We Got Screwed, NJMP '11

Buzz Killington's Website

18 Reply by computergui (edited by computergui 2010-09-23 09:55 AM)

  • From: Temperance, MI
  • Registered: 2009-09-26
  • Posts: 55

Re: Hood or no Hood?

doctawife wrote:
computergui wrote:

Unless of course it's required to hold your hoopty ebay air filter in place smile

http://www.thecrawfords.org/Lebowski/mo … alNumber=1

What is it with Neons and hoods?  We need ours for our Super High Intake Thingy... the S.H.I.T. which supplies our air-intake.  Otherwise the Neon relies on this little-tiny under hood craptastic air intake.

That's why you need the functional blower intake directly into the mushroom smile

http://www.thecrawfords.org/Lebowski/modules/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&amp;g2_itemId=242&amp;g2_serialNumber=1

And I didn't get any Lemons on Spinnetti's ride in this one wink

"Don't mess with Lexas!"
Former Captain, Team Lebowski

computergui's Website

  • From: Houston (Spring) Texas
  • Registered: 2010-02-22
  • Posts: 1,624

Re: Hood or no Hood?

If you ditch the hood, make sure you have a windshield. (Unwritten safety rule I discovered the hard way)

Yee-Haw 2010 "Most Heroic Fix" & "I Got Screwed" -2 trophies for 1 lap, but I took checkered on my lap.
Gator-O-Rama 2012 "Organizers Choice" -2 laps 1 trophy, but i still finished ahead of an E30
Yee-Haw 2013 No trophy -26 laps, I think I see a pattern here
Gator-O-Rama 2014 "Waiting for the Last Minute Call from the Governor Award" -who's counting? John

Hoonatic Racing's Website

  • From: Frisco, Texas
  • Registered: 2009-05-02
  • Posts: 1,430

Re: Hood or no Hood?

Buzz Killington wrote:
Spinnetti wrote:

I want it to look like a CAR and not piece of shit

there's your first problem.  wink

I do find it odd that everyone assumes that Lemon=Mad Max trash... I wanna go the other way - the nicest looking cheapy car I can field... I don't want to be embarassed by having the thing in the drive for the other 349 days a year I'm not racing it!

"Don't mess with Lexas!" LS400. We survived another one! See website link for build details.
Maker of the "unofficial Lemons fish!" - If you ask nice, I'll likely give you one at the track.

Spinnetti's Website

  • From: Choctaw, Oklahoma
  • Registered: 2009-11-12
  • Posts: 2,145

Re: Hood or no Hood?

We got a lot of compliments on our Jag at Omaha. Up close you could definitely tell it was an $8 paint job, but from the grandstands it was beautiful. We're already planning a repaint to go with the new motor.